A new proposal has been tabled to open a Ripley’s aquarium in the Pocono region of Pennsylvania, alongside a second attraction that’s yet to be revealed.
According to local press reports, the US$200m (€187m, £160m) development in Tobyhanna Township would create 250 jobs for the area. Ripley Entertainment currently operates three aquariums, Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach in Carolina, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in Toronto and Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
The up to 200,000sq ft (18,580sq m) project would be located near Kalahari Resort in Pocono Manor, but plans are still in the very early stages.
"The aquarium is definite," state senator Mario Scavello told the
Pocono Record. "They've allowed me to say that much. They haven't committed to me what the second attraction will be, but there will be two."
"This is going to make us a destination," he said. "It's something different in the Poconos. Students from our schools will get to see something beautiful right there; they don't have to go far away."
Ripley’s aquariums exhibit a wide variety of marine life and offers some interactive experiences with animals, like diving with sharks.
Ripley’s operates a number of branded midway attractions, including Ripley’s Believe it Or Not, Guinness World Record attractions, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, Ripley’s Mirror Maze and Ripley’s Moving Theatre.
