Georgia Aquarium
add photosThe Georgia Aquarium features many great exhibits that will inspire awe in visitors of all ages. The Aquarium satisfies and then augments the underwater curiosity with unique ocean creatures like beluga whales - a must-see for Raffi listeners - and a giant whale shark.
Last entry is permitted one hour before close.
54 Reviews for Georgia Aquarium
18
30 families found this helpful
"awesome"
The cons:
No water at cafeteria - the cashiers did not have cups to allow you to drink water unless you purchased it. And the soda fountains didn't even have a water option! I've never seen that anywhere. But there were plenty of water fountains - just nothing near the cafeteria.
Tips:
Go to the exhibit that is to the right of the Dolphin show as soon as a Dolphin show starts - a guard told me that most people exit the show and go right into that so while a show is going on that exhibit is at it's emptiest.
Skip touch tanks at first - see them in the middle of the day -they're the busiest at the beginning and end of the day.
Eat early - we at at 11:30 and an hour later there were huge lines, There is only one place to eat!
See whale shark feeding - it was memorable!
3d not great for older kids - if they love Nemo and are that age, then they'll like it - otherwise with older kids I would skip and use your time elsewhere.
Dolphin show - we went in 20 minutes early and were 3 rows from the very top! So you'll have to waste some time just sitting and holding a good seat if you want one. Still a good view but it would have been awesome to have been closer. Also - just before closing, ask to go to the dolphin shop - views of the dolphins without the crowds!
The 'backstage' tour is only 1/2 hour and a great use of time - go first if you can so that understand the enormity of the place.
We bought the citypass (http://citypass.com) and it was a great deal - I'd recommend highly if you're going to Atlanta...
OH - ONE MORE THING - check your coat for $2 at the Guest Services desk when you enter - what a cheap luxury to not have to carry around coats all day in the winter! There are no signs for this service - just walk up to the desk and ask for it.
Souvenirs - they have many small gift shops - and at the end of the day the one at the entrance is insane. But most things are only at one gift shop - very frustrating!
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0 families found this helpful
"Great for all ages- even babies"
Our 10 month old loved cruising along and seeing the exhibits. It's so spacious that all the people are spread out, so it didn't feel very crowded. My best advice: buy your tickets in advance to avoid really long lines! I found nursing stations inside, as well as plenty of bathrooms. The variety of animals is fascinating. It's the only aquarium that has the HUGE whale sharks. The beluga whales were very playful. The walk through shark tunnel was super neat for all the kids! It's a must-see in Atlanta.
One negative- we found some areas to be difficult to get a stroller through.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun for the Whole Family"
Our family has visited the Georgia Aquarium several times since it opened. We really enjoy the exhibits and do our best to arrive right when the aquarium opens. The large aquarium is a highlight for us all and we particularly enjoy the dive show. Our daughter always begs to go to this site when we visit Atlanta. It can be pricey, so make sure you get your money's worth!
0 families found this helpful
"Swimmingly Great time!"
We LOVED this place! So much to see, fabulous exhibits for the kids to check out, so many animals and just all in all a really great place. Plus it's right in the heart of the city with Centennial Park, the CNN center, and Coke World nearby. We definitely want to make a return trip one of these days. I think my favorite was the beluga whales!! Would absolutely recommend checking this place out!
'11
0 families found this helpful
"Changing Exhibits are Great"
One of the things our family has enjoyed about the Georgia Aquarium are the changing exhibits. They keep the aquarium experience fresh by alternating exhibits in one of the upstairs areas. We've been there to see an exhibit specifically dealing with their penguins, and also to view artifacts from the TItanic. It was fun for my kids to see the Titanic stuff because it tied together historical artifacts with the ocean, obviously the focus of the aquarium.
There is a part of the aquarium that focuses on aquatic life in Georgia, and gives the kids an opportunity to play around, running and jumping through the southern region of the state.....
But there are also so many places in the aquarium where children can put their hands and fingers in the water and touch the different animals. My animal lover thinks that is great!!
Watching the beluga whales and the whale sharks is great, too.
The aquarium itself is stroller friendly but the large crowds make large strollers difficult to manuever. If your child can walk or you can carry them, this works best, otherwise the experience with a stroller can be frustrating.
There is a food court; they prefer you don't bring your own food in. We bring snacks if we intend to be in the aquarium for a long time. We did buy food once for the family but for our family of six, a lean lunch was still in the $40-50 range. OUCH!
0 families found this helpful
"pricey, but worth it"
We took our little ones to explore the GA aquarium last summer and had a great time seeing all the underwater creatures. The size of the tanks alone were mind-boggling. My favorite was the beluga whale, but we have the cutest videos of the penguins befriending my 3 year old and following him around the corner of their tank. It is in the heart of Atlanta and you don't want to miss it!!
0 families found this helpful
"Great aquarium"
This aquarium is one of the famous places in Atlanta.Specially with kids,its a must see attraction.Kids would love the varieties of colorfull exhibits.This is a big and very colorfull aquarium.They have Deepo's Undersea 3D Wondershow AND Planet Shark:the general admission including these shows is around $33/adult,$25(child 3+).This largest aquarium is worth going.It is close to Olympic park.
0 families found this helpful
"Awesome"
This was one of the first places we went to after we moved to Atlanta. My daughter had just turned one. There was quite a crowd that day. I would have preferred it to be a little less crowded, but every hardship we had(eg., jostling crowds) that day was worth seeing the wonder in our little one's face when we entered the tunnel like place in the aquarium. We went there again last year and I have to say that the place hasn't lost its charm for us.
Cons: Crowded
0 families found this helpful
"A Wonderful Experience"
What a fun place! It's gonna cost a lot- budget for that right now- but after the pocketbook hit- relax and enjoy a wonderfully done aquarium. The creators scoured the globe for the best of the best and brought it all to Atlanta! In specific sections you can pet fish, or sit for hours and watch the Beluga whales. This places was really well done. So if you are going to spend the money on an aquarium- definitely come here!
0 families found this helpful
"Beyond Amazing!"
I am a huge fan of aquariums! I live near the Pacific ocean and have been to many great aquariums on the west coast, so when I heard that there was an aquarium in Atlanta, I didn't think it would be great.... was I ever wrong!
This place is AMAZING! There are so many things to see and do and the grand scale of everything is crazy! I went there on a holiday weekend, so there were hundreds of people but I was still able to see all of the exhibits because there is so much room inside.
There are 4 whale sharks currently in the aquarium and when you actually see one swim over your head, it takes your breath away. It is such a massive animal!
If you have the oppurtunity to go, DO IT! You won't regret it!
0 families found this helpful
"Amazing Aquarium"
The Georgia Aquarium is the best place. Our favorite exhibits are petting the Sting Rays and riding on the people mover through the giant fish tank which has sharks, HUGE Sting Rays and the GIANT Whale Sharks. The Aquarium does get crowded so just prepare yourself to be patient. Though it is expensive, we felt it was worth the splurge. Especially, to show your kids how vast the water population is!
0 families found this helpful
"best aquarium ever!"
Best aquarium ever! And SO huge! The only down side is that it is ALWAYS PACKED & very expensive! I recommend arranging your visit ahead of time to make sure you get in in the unbusier season & use a coupon promo. Its a GREAT place to visit though! And for those who homeschool, I do believe they have a home school day which does cut down on some of the crowd.
0 families found this helpful
"Georgia Aquarium"
We visited the aquarium last spring for the first time. We went with a school group so we got a really good rate. The aquarium is so inviting. I loved the fact that there were so many hands on exhibits. The kids could feel several different types of water animals. My favorite was the jellyfish. They were so beautiful to look at. We paid extra for the shark exhibit. I was a little disappointed in it.
0 families found this helpful
"SEA-rious Fun!"
We took my 5 month old daughter to the aquarium for our summer vacation and it was AWESOME. My biggest complaint was how crowded it was and we went on a weekday. Our favorite thing was seeing the penguins. You can crawl through a tunnel into the penguin area and be staring at a pengiun eye-to-eye. Very cool. It was also cool to touch a stingray!
0 families found this helpful
"Awesome Aquarium"
My 4 year old loves this place so much, we got a season pass.
We used to travel to Gatlinburg to see their Ripley's Aquarium but my son greatly prefers this one. There is quite a bit of walking, but it's stroller friendly. There are plenty of places to eat and park, as well. My only complaint is the price.
0 families found this helpful
"great and huge aquarium"
Georgia aquarium is my favorite place which I would like to visit most often with my kid.We have been to this aquarium when my kid was 2 for the first time.At that time she enjoyed calmly.We went again when she completed 3 years.She really enjoyed it most.Such a huge aquarium with many fishes.We love the penguins there and small seals.There were many huge fishes.The color fishes are simply awesome,so beautiful creatures.We saw dolphins,lion fish and so on.My kid played very much that she refused to come out of that place.This is really a very nice and must see place.My kid still asks to take me to this place again.
0 families found this helpful
"Something you can not miss!!"
The Georgia Aquarium is one of the best attractions that I've ever taken my kids to. It is very expensive, in my opinion, but very worth it. I don't live in Atlanta. My kids just loved the aquarium and we have been to a few in different cities. The tanks are absolutely amazing! The fish, beautiful! It was such an experience. The girls loved looking at all the fish and could have walked/strolled around for hours and hours! This is definitely a must if you are in Atlanta!
0 families found this helpful
"Fabulous"
Amazing shows, good food court, lots of good spots to watch the fish. Huge entry way, lobby. Affordable food court, lots of walking though. Bring a stroller. Fun play indoor play ground for the little ones. Lots of space to sit and watch the large aquarium. VERY CROWDED on weekends, though, in the summer.
0 families found this helpful
"Expensive but Worth it with Discount"
This is the coolest aquarium my family has been too. We used the military discount so it was worth it to go. They have the most beautiful large glass display windows where you can see whale sharks, huge manta rays, and other large fish. You can touch sting rays and watch them feed animals. Since we have been they have added more exhibits which would make the price more worth it. They have one exhibit where you can ride a moving walk way through a glass display. I hear if you go an hour or so before closing you get a discount on the price as well. You would have to call to be sure though.
0 families found this helpful
"Great family fun"
I love this aquarium!!! We haven't even done all the bells and whistles but this aquarium will keep my family entertained for hours. They have so many exhibits. I love the hands on sections!!! I cannot wait for the dolphin part to open up. It originally was to open up in 2010 but they now say it will be 2011. There are many optional things to do there. I know they have a "sleepover" that we havne't done, but I really would like to.
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