I had NO CLUE that one of the largest aquariums in the world is located in Atlanta, Georgia! The Georgia Aquarium is home to approximately 100,000 animals from all over the globe.
Located in downtown Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium is near several Atlanta attractions including Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca Cola, and CNN Center!
The Georgia Aquarium opened in 2005 and contains over 10 million gallons of water. And, it’s HUGE!
What to Expect
The Georgia Aquarium has 4 major walk-through habitats, 2 theaters for live shows, and a 4D theater. For parents and children, the Aquanaut Adventure Discovery Zone offers interactive educational oriented exhibits.
After my visit, I learned that the Georgia Aquarium has an app with augmented reality animal guides and a scavenger hunt game. I’ll have to check this out on my next trip.
Habitat Highlights
River Scout features freshwater creatures found in rivers throughout the world. I’d recommend visiting this exhibit first. While the river inhabitants may not be as colorful or large as those living in other areas of the aquarium, they are still fun to see.
Cold Water Quest is the coolest (literally) area of the aquarium. This exhibit features beluga whales, penguins, otters, as well as other species who live cool arctic waters.
The Tropical Diver exhibit features coral reefs and its inhabitants. If you’re looking for colorful fish like Nemo, here is where you’ll find them. Amazingly, this exhibit features actual living reefs. There is even a touch tank where you can see what an anemone feels like (nothing, by the way).
Ocean Voyager is the largest of the habitats at the Georgia Aquarium. I recommend saving this one for last. This exhibit is home to the whale sharks and manta rays as well as approximately 50 other species. The underwater tunnel offers unique views of these amazing creatures.
Time
We spent about 4 hours at the Georgia, Aquarium. I’d recommend planning at least that much time here. Honestly, I could have spent a whole day at this aquarium and not gotten bored. Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit the 4D Funbelievable Theater.
If you need a snack or a meal, the Cafe Aquaria is available. We took a break midway through our visit. I only had a pretzel and a coke, so I can’t say much about the food.
Special Experiences
The Georgia Aquarium offers several different special experiences including animal encounters and tours. We selected the Behind the Seas Tour. During our visit, this tour was only $15 and lasted about 45 minutes. It was completely worth it!
During our tour, we learned about how the aquarium maintains the habitats and saw the giant machinery that keeps the environments up and running.
I really enjoyed seeing the Ocean Voyager and the Tropical Diver exhibits from above. From that perspective, it is clear that the whale sharks and manta rays are HUGE!
I hope to have the opportunity to go back to the Georgia Aquarium and check out more of the special experiences.
The Georgia Aquarium is absolutely fantastic! This aquarium is one Atlanta attraction that you don’t want to miss!
If you’re planning to visit the Georgia Aquarium along with other attractions in Atlanta, be sure to check out the Atlanta City Pass! It’s a great value!
Be sure to check out The World of Coca Cola and Tip & Tee: World of Coca Cola.
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