The Georgia Aquarium is a work of art and an absolute must do in Atlanta. Centrally located in downtown Atlanta on land donated by the Coca-Cola Company, the Georgia Aquarium is the brainchild of Home Depot co-founder, Bernard Marcus and his wife Billi. Marcus wanted to give back to the City of Atlanta for helping him make Home Depot such a success. Marcus and his wife enjoyed visiting aquariums all over the world and sought to create one of the best aquariums in the world in Atlanta.
To say that the Georgia Aquarium is impressive is a massive understatement. At the time it opened it was the largest aquarium in the world. It is currently the third largest the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. It is a a marvel to education and conservation. The aquarium opened its doors in November 2005 and is home to eight distinct galleries; Aquanaut Adventure, Cold Water Quest, Dolphin Coast, Ocean Voyager, Sharks! Predators of the Deep, Southern Company River Scout, Tropical Diver, and Truist Pier 225.
Aquanaut Adventure: A Discovery Zone is home to 49 kid adventures that helps teach guests what it takes for animals to survive in the wild. It hosts a rope bridge and is home to over 15 species of animals including; Baja Blue Rock Lizard, Wood Frog, Golden Giant Asian Mantis, African Pancake Tortoise, and the American Alligator. The Aquanaut Adventure gallery hopes to instill a sense of appreciation for the animals of our planet and offers a glimpse of what it is like to have a career in aquatic and marine sciences.
The Cold Water Quest gallery is home to a kelp forest and three crawl tunnel viewing windows. This gallery is houses; African Penguins, Beluga Whales, Big-Bellied Seahorse, Harbor Seals, and the Giant Pacific Octopus.
Dolphin Coast Gallery is presented by Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham. The dolphin tank holds 1.8 million gallons of water. The theater boasts a splash zone and over 1800 seats. The pod of common bottlenose dolphins that call this gallery home are a must see! The dolphins perform in several 30 minutes shows daily which are quite impressive. The show is included in the price of admission. We sat in the splash zone and it was the perfect view for the show.
Ocean Voyager Gallery was built by Home Depot. Ocean Voyager is the reason crowds flock to the Georgia Aquarium. The tank in Ocean Voyager hold 6.3 million gallons of water. The water is completely filtered every hour. It is currently home to two whale sharks, the largest fish in the world. Whale sharks can grow up to 40 feet and weigh as much as 11 tons. They are endangered in the wild. Ocean Voyager is also houses four Oceanic Manta Rays, the largest species of rays. Oceanic Manta Rays can reach a wingspan of 23 feet and weigh up to 6600 pounds. The gallery is also home to over 50 different marine species including; Blacktip Reef Sharks, Bowmouth Guitarfish, Cownose Rays, French Angelfish, Giant Grouper, Green Sea Turtle, Lesser Devil Ray, Longcomb Sawfish, Sandbar Sharks, Tarpon, Zebra Sharks, and dozens more. There are 4574 square feet of viewing windows with a 100 foot underwater tunnel and one of the largest acrylic viewing windows in the world at 21 feet tall by 61 feet wide and two feet thick.
Sharks! Predators of the Deep gallery is the newest of the galleries to open at the Georgia Aquarium opening in 2020. It is one of the largest and most dynamic shark exhibits in North America. This unique exhibit brings you face to face with the often misunderstood and feared predators of the deep! The predators tank holds 1.2 million gallons of water and is 20 feet deep. The highlights of this exhibit are the Giant Hammerhead Sharks and it is one of the few places on earth to have a Tiger Shark in captivity. There are also Sand Tiger Sharks, and Silvertip Sharks. Predators of the Deep is by far the best shark exhibit I have ever seen.
Southern Company River Scout Gallery is the only fresh water gallery at the Georgia Aquarium. You will explore the wide variety of diverse animals found across the rivers of America. The glass bottom alligator exhibit is a fan favorite. In this gallery you will find American Alligators, Piranha, Asian Small-Clawed Otters, Congo Tetra, Fire Ell, Giant Puffer, Longnose Gar, Red-Eared Slider, and Alligator Snapping Turtles.
Tropical Diver Gallery allows guests to explore the Indo-Pacific Barrier Reef. This gallery holds 200 species of coral and over 90 marine species. Animals that call the Tropical Diver home include; Blue-Spotted Stingray, Clown Anemonefish (Nemo), Garden Ells, Green Moray Eels, Hawaiian Cleaner Shrimp, Lemonpeel Angelfish, Longhorn Cowfish, Moon Jelly, and the Red Lionfish. Guests are enthralled by the jelly exhibit.
Truist Pier 225 is a 500+ theater dedicated to a fantastic, entertaining, and educational Californian Sea Lion show. Trainers interact with the seals while educating the audience about the seals and the dangers they face in their natural environment and environmental factors that impact them. The trainers told us that one of the seals in the show was a rescue and had been shot by humans before making his way to the Georgia Aquarium. The show was fun and very enjoyable.
The aquarium offers counter service fast food options at Cafe Aquaria that are typical of amusement parks. The serve pizza, burgers, sandwiches, salads and similar options. The sitting area is pretty small for the amount of people who visit. This is especially true on Saturdays or anytime the aquarium is busy. I would recommend visiting on a weekday or early or late in the day to avoid peak crowds.
In addition to the eight galleries at the Georgia Aquarium there are a number of other experiences offered at the aquarium. There is a Behind the Seas Tour, which is phenomenal. The tour must be book ahead of time and gives guests a glimpse of what it takes to run the operation. Guests are taken to the top of the Ocean Voyager tank and permitted to view coral being grown by the aquarium. The tour last about 30-45 minutes and at the time of writing this only cost $15. It is a awesome value and I highly recommend it.
There are also a number of animal interactions and programs that guests can booked. These experiences start at $100 and go up from there. These experiences must be booked well in advance. The animal encounters include; dolphin encounter, penguin encounter, sea lion encounter, harbor seal encounter, beluga encounter, sea otter encounter, and shark & ray interaction. Karli and I did the shark & ray encounter and while I will be making a separate post detailing that experience, I will say it was the highlight of the trip and one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. We put on wetsuits and were able to interact with leopard sharks and rays. There is also swim and dive experiences, special events, and even sleep overs.
The Georgia Aquarium is open 365 days a year. Guests can purchase tickets, memberships, or Atlanta CityPass to gain admission. Teachers receive a 20% discount on memberships, which makes it worthwhile if you will be visiting the aquarium more than once. Tickets run close to $50 for adults and $95 for memberships before any discounts. Tickets can be purchased and you can learn more about the Georgia Aquarium by visiting https://www.GeorgiaAquarium.org.