Incredible Aquarium

My husband and I were first drawn to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta shortly after its opening in late 2005. On that visit, we were astounded by the Whale Sharks most of all, but also impressed by the quality of the many other exhibits, and so we returned in January of 2007 to introduce some friends, who, though local, had yet to visit. And while the dynamics have changed as the tanks have matured somewhat, the Georgia aquarium remains an incredible experience.

The aquarium has several touch tanks, with sharks, rays, sea urchins, starfish, and anemones, and the best part is everything feels you back! They have a wide variety of animals, including a sea otter that seems to have a bad habit of sucking his thumb. Even the fresh water tanks are enjoyable, though I have seen a lot of them.

There are a few major areas: the cold water exhibits house the belugas, sea otters, urchin touch tanks, penguins and more. The fresh water tanks have exhibits from around the world. There is a also tropical exhibit and the whale shark exhibit, which I discuss below, and there is even a kid's play area.

This isn't just a bunch of fish tanks. This aquarium is designed with a real theatrical flare. Each of the main areas of the aquarium has a passage that you follow in a loop, which leaves and returns to a main lobby. The lobby has a soaring ceiling, and a snack bar, which has prices to match the ceiling.

When you enter the tropical exhibit, you walk into a dark and narrow hallway, drawing attention to the many tanks filled with brightly colored fish and sea creatures. Then, you walk around a corner and suddenly, you find yourself standing fifteen feet under the ocean looking at a beautiful tropical coral reef. Magical music floats through the air, and you are faintly mesmerized. Just as you are almost over the initial awe, the surf crashes onto the beach which is just out of sight above and behind you. You'll just have to see it for yourself to understand. At least, that was my experience the first time. The second time the wave machine had been turned off and there was a largish fellow in a wet suit dusting the muck off the corals. A somewhat less magical experience.

But the tropical exhibit is nothing compared to the whale shark exhibit. The pathway for this exhibit simply loops around a single massive tank. A tank with 100,000 fish. A tank with currently 3 whale sharks, hammerheads, leopard sharks, groupers, and schools of rays. It is fantastic. This display is as well directed as the reef exhibit. You walk around the tank, at first being given only small windows to peer through, that mask the tank's true size. Then you come to the tunnel, which is truly impressive. the light shines down through the water like a dozen suns, the school of rays soar overhead like graceful birds, and a grouper, with an entourage of yellow fish surrounding him goes by. After this, there are more widows, of many shapes and sizes, all giving limited views of the tank. Finally, you arrive at the main attraction: A single huge window. It is larger than a movie theater screen. Just as with the coral reefs you are suddenly actually there, underwater, gazing at the fish from the ocean floor, only now you are much further under the surface. .

I wish I was still sitting on the floor my face practically pressed to the very thick acrylic and just watching ocean life play out right in front of me. On my first visit the tank a single school of fish was the most dominant feature. They were yellow and smallish, about the size of your hand or smaller, and they were REALLY schooling. They were like a whirling tornado, spinning and swimming, and turning as one entity. The whale sharks circle the tank, which is so large they sometimes disappear into the depths as they reach the other side. If one of the sharks swims through the school, they feed on its back, and as the shark emerges it pulls a golden finger of the fish away from the main school with it. The rays go by like birds migrating, and the smaller sharks circle the tank, or lay on the sandy ocean floor. The dynamics of the tank had changed when I visited in January. The yellow fish are mostly gone, and there are more large fish about. There is music here also, which could not be more perfectly epic. This is worth the trip, and the cost. Parking is about $8 and tickets for adults are $23 per person w/tax. I only have 3 suggestions: bring a camera; you'll be sorry if you don't, as I was the first time I went. Eat before you go, you can't bring food in, and it's too much inside, though the deserts are tempting. And finally, if you live within range to visit more than 2 times a year, buy a pass, you'll be wanting to go back every day. I give this site an absolute A