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The GA Aquarium is currently the best aquarium I have visited. It was amazing. The viewing windows are huge and there are so many fish. My favorite part is the river exhibit. There are some river... More
The GA Aquarium is currently the best aquarium I have visited. It was amazing. The viewing windows are huge and there are so many fish. My favorite part is the river exhibit. There are some river exhibits along the walls as you walk through. The major part of the exhibit is swimming above your head. It was amazing to look up and see how big the fish actually are. I love that there were small spaces to crawl through and see the fish from a different angle. The whale shark was amazing and his exhibit is filled with bright yellow fish. There also a play area for the kids and its a ship theme with interactive learning tools and touch tanks. The GA coast exhibit also has touch tanks and lots of information about the southeast coast. The beluga whale exhibit was great too. I remember watching the Discovery Channel Special about their rescue. It was quite a surprise to see they ended up at here.
The aquarium is very busy so definitely order your tickets in advance. It will save time waiting in line. The experience took us about 2 and a half hours and I'm sure it would take a little longer with children. The gift shop was full of souvenirs and t-shirts at the normal gift shop type of prices.
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The Georgia Aquarium is all that it promises to be & more. It is an adventure for any age to visit. Make your reservations ONLINE (i.e. purchase your tickets AHEAD OF TIME) . Don't try to just walk... More
The Georgia Aquarium is all that it promises to be & more. It is an adventure for any age to visit. Make your reservations ONLINE (i.e. purchase your tickets AHEAD OF TIME) . Don't try to just walk up & buy them. 99.9% of the time you'll be sorry if you do.
Preprint a map or get one at the door & set out for an adventure. My advice to local families that can afford it- buy a season pass so you can come back to find things you may have missed. Leave the bulky strollers at home if at all possible. Double strollers have NO place here, unless you have a double stroller that seats one child in front & the other in the back. A side-by-side stroller is a huge pain for other guests and yourself in the long run because you'll have to fight the crowds; running over & into them.
There is plenty to see. Take your time & rush through & come back to what you liked the most. Be prepared to spend at least 2 1/2 hours- 3 hours at the GA. Aquarium. Check out their website at http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/ .
I'd recommend to either come first thing in the AM or late in the afternoon. Schools bring their students in tour sessions at 10 am or 1:30 pm, lasting 2 hours. Each time has groups that arrive 15 minutes early & stay an additional 30 minutes for lunch.
Summer hours are currently 8 am until 8 pm (July & August, some of September 2006). Wear comfortable shoes, tshirt, shorts or pants. The airconditioning is cranked up & it's nice and cool. So if you're cold natured, either pack a light jacket or wear a light sweatshirt.
Bottom line: it's fun, it's beautiful, but if you don't like crowds come early AM or later in the afternoon. If MARTA (Atlanta's public transportation) is available for your use, use it! Otherwise parking is $10 & up around the Aquarium area.
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My two boys and I flew to Atlanta this weekend to visit the new Georgia Aquarium. We met my friend Rajat and his two children Chloe and Rishi, our friend Chad and his daughter Sophia and our other... More
My two boys and I flew to Atlanta this weekend to visit the new Georgia Aquarium. We met my friend Rajat and his two children Chloe and Rishi, our friend Chad and his daughter Sophia and our other friend Dave. It was a daddy's weekend and we flew in literally from all over the country to see the new Aquarium in Atlanta. It is touted as the largest in the world with a spectacular of sea creatures. My two boys and the other children were very excited for the visit. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead. We all woke up early Saturday and went down for our 10:00 o'clock admission. We had bought tickets weeks in advance on line because the aquarium sells out quickly we were told.
We stopped for breakfast at CNN center, in the food court there. There are not a lot of other places around the aquarium to eat breakfast. Then we went in. There are 5 exhibit areas, each sponsored by a major corporation. It is still new and shiny and beautiful. There was no shortage of fish and with floor to ceiling and sometimes roof views, you can see everything. The acrylic used for these tanks give you views into the habitats of these fish like you have never seen before. The tropical reef, the cold water section, the deep sea and river views were all great. My favorite was the white beluga whales and the tropical reefs. The staff is very friendly and very helpful. My kids really loved it. Also, we paid the extra $5.50 to see the 4-d movie adventure which was cool too. Overall, it is a great aquarium. My only knock is that we finished the whole thing in about 3 hours (which is the suggested time). It is an awful long trip all the way to Atlanta for 3 hours of viewing. We had planned to do other stuff in Atlanta today, but the weather was lousy and we came home early. It was a trip my kids and I will remember for sure!
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The Georgia Aquarium offers an amazing selection of fish and sealife to view. I was amazed they had an octopus -- I have never seen one at an aquarium prior to my visit here. Unfortunately, due to... More
The Georgia Aquarium offers an amazing selection of fish and sealife to view. I was amazed they had an octopus -- I have never seen one at an aquarium prior to my visit here. Unfortunately, due to the crowds, I didn't get to spend much time staring and checking it out. The huge amount of people was the only negative about the place. Way too many people at times! The layout is nice. Display of fish is amazing -- especially the one room where the whole wall is a fish tank! AMAZING!! Admission price seemed high, but then it does take a lot of money to run an aquarium. I suggest, if you can, visit in the middle of the week.
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The Georgia Aquarium is a wonderful addition to Atlanta. It is well set up and the collection of various sea life is amazing. There are five different sections that contain creatures from various... More
The Georgia Aquarium is a wonderful addition to Atlanta. It is well set up and the collection of various sea life is amazing. There are five different sections that contain creatures from various parts of the ocean. They have a river section, an artic section, ocean wonder, reefs and a section devoted to Georgia. The highlights of the aquarium are the Baluga Whales, the Whale Sharks (we're the only aquarium outside of Asia to carry them), and the sea dragons. Each are amazing to see. The food court is a little pricey but the food is pretty good. The crowds during school holidays and weekends are atrocious! They really need to cut down on how many people are allowed in at any one time.
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The Georgia Aquarium opened in 2005 to much fanfare and hype. Our expectations were not let down though. It is the world's largest aquarium and home to many exotic and unique creatures. My favorite... More
The Georgia Aquarium opened in 2005 to much fanfare and hype. Our expectations were not let down though. It is the world's largest aquarium and home to many exotic and unique creatures. My favorite exhibit is the Arctic home of the Beluga Whales. The five whales are so beautiful and it is awesome to watch them swim around in their tank. Tickets are reasonably priced but the best deal is a season pass. Make sure you eat lunch before you get there because the cafeteria is pretty expensive.
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What an amazing aquarium! We drove from NC to GA to visit the aquarium -- definitely worth the drive. We had 8am tickets into the aquarium -- although that sounds too early to start your day, I am... More
What an amazing aquarium! We drove from NC to GA to visit the aquarium -- definitely worth the drive. We had 8am tickets into the aquarium -- although that sounds too early to start your day, I am glad we did. The lines were non-existant and it was not too crowded. Unfortunately, once it grew closer to 10am, the lines increased and so did the crowds. I would have to say the crowds were the only drawback to the place. There was an amazing tunnel to walk through -- glass windows all around and even above you. Being there at 8am, we had the chance to stand there and watch divers swim with the fish while cleaning the windows of the tunnel. Every area had an amazing display of fish. There is even a play area for younger children -- seemed really neat. We didn't get to check it out because it was temporarily closed for cleaning/repairs. They have a food court (no fish served tho! Haha!) with food prices as to be expected (high!). They also offer a short 4-D movie to educate everyone about preserving the oceans and the animals that live there. Movie tickets were expensive (considering it was a 20 minute film, cost was same as going to a regular movie theater for a matinee!) but the movie was cute! For us, it was worth the money just to watch our 4 year old try and figure out how to catch the 3-D fish that floated before him. LOL! Whether you live in GA or not, this is definitely a place to visit!
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The Georgia Aquarium opened late in 2005 and is just amazing. The entire site is gorgeous and the animals are remarkable. Beware of very long lines to get inside even with a reserved appointment. ... More
The Georgia Aquarium opened late in 2005 and is just amazing. The entire site is gorgeous and the animals are remarkable. Beware of very long lines to get inside even with a reserved appointment. Once inside, there are a ton of people so you do have to wait at each exhibit to get right up the window. However, all of the waiting is worth it! The cafeteria has reasonable prices. Plan on spending the whole day here.
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But the exhibits were not that spectacular except for the HUGE acquarium that hold the Whale Sharks. This tank is amazing and is such a great representation of different acquatic species in what... More
But the exhibits were not that spectacular except for the HUGE acquarium that hold the Whale Sharks. This tank is amazing and is such a great representation of different acquatic species in what looks to be a natural environment. The acquarium is huge, but I've been to other acquariums that had nicer exhibits. Worth seeing though since it's the largest in the world.
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The Georgia Aquarium opens on November 23rd and will stake its claim as the World’s Largest Aquarium. With over 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water, and 100,000 animals representing 500... More
The Georgia Aquarium opens on November 23rd and will stake its claim as the World’s Largest Aquarium. With over 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water, and 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe, you’re sure to see things you’ve never seen before!
Sunday through Thursday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Friday and Saturday 9:00 am to 8:00 pm
Adult $22.75
Child (age 3-12) $17.00
Senior (age 55+) $19.50
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