Come summer, the Tennessee Aquarium is set to debut a new, state-of-the-art veterinary hospital at its downtown facility.
The new hospital will take up 3,000 square feet inside the aquarium’s River Journey building and will facilitate various stages of aquatic animal care, aquarium officials said at a Tuesday press conference. Construction of the animal hospital is expected to cost $5 million, and the facility is set to open in June 2027.
“As our aquarium has grown, as our collection has become more diverse, as aquatic animal medicine has continued to advance, we challenged ourselves to think differently about animal healthcare,” aquarium President and CEO Andy Wood said at the press conference.
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / Sonoran Desert tortoises Gus, left, and Shawn munch on lettuce at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Renderings for the Tennessee Aquarium’s on-site animal hospital are seen inside the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ A floor plan for the Tennessee Aquarium’s future on-site animal hospital is seen inside the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Tennessee Aquarium Ambassador Animal Supervisor Tanisha La Guardia, left, speaks with Marilyn Wilke about the aquarium’s Sonoran Desert tortoises before an announcement at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Tennessee Aquarium Director of Animal Health Dr. Chris Keller speaks during a press conference announcing a future on-site animal hospital at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Collection Veterinarian Dr. Leah Owens, from left, Collection Veterinarian Dr. Courtney Pace, Veterinary Hospital Manager Kristen Hales and Veterinary Assistant Shelby Ferguson stand together during a press conference announcing the aquarium’s future on-site animal hospital at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Paul Plummer, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine dean, speaks during a press conference announcing a future on-site animal hospital at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Chattanooga State Community College President Rebecca Ashford speaks during a press conference announcing a future on-site animal hospital at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Kevin Roig, chief of staff for Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, speaks during a press conference announcing a future on-site animal hospital at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp speaks during a press conference announcing a future on-site animal hospital at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Scott Pierce, chief operating officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, speaks during a press conference announcing a future on-site animal hospital at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Tennessee Aquarium Director of Animal Health Dr. Chris Keller speaks to members of the public inside the Tennessee Aquarium’s future on-site animal hospital on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Ricardo Arteaga looks over construction plans for the Tennessee Aquarium’s on-site animal hospital inside the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. 
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter/ Tennessee Aquarium Ambassador Animal Supervisor Tanisha La Guardia, left, speaks with Marilyn Wilke about the aquarium’s Sonoran Desert tortoises before an announcement at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.
“We didn’t simply ask the question of, ‘How do we continue providing excellent care for the animals here at the Tennessee Aquarium,’” Wood said. “No, rather we asked ourselves the question: ‘How can we help advance aquatic animal medicine so that animals everywhere benefit from what we learn here?’”
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