The Georgia Aquarium
One of Georgia's newest attractions is the Georgia Aquarium
on 225 Baker Street in Atlanta. It is the world's largest
aquarium. The Aquarium contains over 8 million gallons of
fresh and marine water and is home to more aquatic life
than any other facility of this kind. It is guaranteed
when you visit, you will see things you have never seen before
at any other aquarium. The Aquarium features 5 areas of
discovery that focus on aquatic life found in a specific
regions. The areas represented are Cold Water Quest, Georgia
Explorer, River Scout, Ocean Voyager and Tropical Diver.
In the Cold Water Quest section you will be enthralled
by beluga whales, giant Pacific octopus, African
penguins, garibaldi damselfish, Japanese spider crabs, leafy
sea dragons, California sea lions, and other marine animals.
Everyone Loves the Beluga Whales
To learn
about the animals residing in the waters of Georgia's coastal
regions don't miss out on the Georgia Explorer interactive
gallery. Here you can touch horseshoe crabs, sea starfish,
stingrays, and shrimp. There are large habitats, designed
by the National Marine Sanctuary, which are home to loggerhead
sea turtles and the fish of Gray's Reef. You can also watch
a video, and see a large scale model of a right whale.
The best way to travel to the aquarium is to acquire the service from an Atlanta limousine company. There's no reason to stress about the traffic or finding a parking spot when you arrive in style. Get your driver to take you to eat someplace nice in Buckhead or a fun place like the Varsity after your aquarium tour
The
Ocean Voyager area gives you the feeling that you are swimming
in the middle of the ocean. It was designed specifically
for the whale sharks which are the largest fish species.
As you tour the gallery you will also see Giant grouper,
Golden trevally, Great hammerhead sharks, Humphead wrasse,
Large tooth sawfish, Tasseled wobbegong, and Zebra sharks
all in an ocean habitat containing 4,574 square feet of
viewing windows-one of which is the second largest in the
world!
For mysteries of the Freshwater regions, head toward
the River Scout gallery. Here you will learn of freshwater animals,
not just in Georgia's freshwaters, but those from Africa,
South America, and Asia as well. It features the world's
largest freshwater fish, the arapaima which is indigenous
to the Amazon River. There is also a gallery that allows
children to safely enter an area filled with piranha. Other
animals found here are the Asian small clawed otter, bowfins,
electric eels, long nose gar, and pacu.
The Tropical Diver gallery, or Coral Kingdom, is one you
may want to save for last. The Coral Kingdom provides a
relaxing journey through the tropical Pacific coral  reefs
which are arranged to look like a gallery of living art.
You will hear the waves crashing overhead as you view jelly
fish, fairy basslets, yellow-head jawfish, spotted eels,
sea horses, and butterfly fish.
While at the Georgia Aquarium, you may wish to view Deepo's
Undersea 3D Wondershow, or purchase a downloadable audio
file for your mp3 player or iPod which will share interesting
facts about the animals and answers FAQs. The Aquarium also
features the Café Aquaria which has food to sure
to please the entire family.
Webmaster Note: The aquarium can be a mad house on weekends. If at all possible visit on a weekday. At the least rent a limo in Atlanta as suggested above.
The Georgia Aquarium is open Monday - Thursday: 10 a.m.
- 5 p.m. Friday - Sunday: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Exceptions: November
21-24: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. The Georgia Aquarium is open 365
days a year.
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