Think my nephew got a bit too excited in the mirror maze...

This happens to my 5yrs old son even if he's not in a mirror maze. Gatlinburg is home to an excellent Ripley’s Believe It or Not! location that draws thousands of visitors a year, and definitely deserves to. Some of the incredible things you’ll see here include a genuine vampire-killing kit, shrunken heads, and a thrilling “5D” theater. They’ve just introduced a new exhibit based on the Guinness World Records legend. It’s a great time to visit Ripley’s.

One of the newer attractions is their Marvelous Mirror Maze. Remember those mirror mazes from the carnival? Slots set in the floor and ceiling would allow for constant rearrangement of mirrors, and kids would laugh and delight in the confusion of finding their way through. The modern mirror maze is a bit fancier than that. Ripley’s offering, for example, features snazzy LED lighting, a cool color scheme, and an infinity room.

The fun pretty much stops there, however. The maze is far too short and simple to justify the high price. Ripley’s website assuages any fears of getting lost with the claim that they send out “search parties” every 30 minutes. These would hardly seem necessary, as even small children are able to find their way out easily.

This is partially due to the lackluster upkeep of this attraction. Dirty mirrors marked with handprints make for an easy reference as to where you’ve been before. Of course, a mirror maze would have handprints everywhere — since folks tend to protect themselves from broken noses by extending their arms. There needs to be a constant effort to keep the mirrors clean, however, and it doesn’t seem to happen throughout the day here. Other upkeep issues, such as cracked glass, duct-taped glass, and caution tape, have also surfaced.
Don’t get us wrong — Ripley’s has some of the best local attractions including the aquarium and the museum and their mirror maze is far better than the carnival versions many of us are used to seeing. However, there are better mirror mazes in the area, such as the one found at MagiQuest.