![]() This was such an amazing place, probably the best aquarium we've ever visited. I highly recommend this as a stop when you visit Atlanta. We spent about 2.5 hours there, but could easily have been 4 hours if we took in all the shows. I could make suggestions about other exhibits there, but I would just be listing everything that this aquarium had to offer. We went to the sea otter show and everyone, including the 4 year old was highly entertained. You have to reserve times to attend the special attraction shows and because we went early (best time by the way) many of the shows began at the same time and we had to choose. There are a number of different themed areas to visit and the amount of information was superb. This was no ordinary aquarium, but more like a natural wonder amusement park without the rides. When I first walked in, I was awestruck by the layout and feel of the place. There was parking on site and you received a discount with your ticket purchase. I was a little surprised by the price especially since it was a fixed price for everyone even the 4-year-old. I had heard many great things about this aquarium but was a little skeptical because I grew up with Chicago's Shedd Aquarium as a fixture of my youth. We were in Atlanta for an institute and the kids and I needed something to do while my wife attended sessions. We did have a ticket problem, did not receive an email with the tickets and had to be escorted to guest services to get printed tickets. Food court could use a better set up, half the seating is on the second floor, so food has to be brought upstairs. ![]() We arrived at 9am which, unknown to us, was a special sensory hour, quieter and much better viewing of exhibits. Was part of a planned mom and teen trip - exhibits did grab the teen's attention!! It is a tour I would recommend for older children, teens, and adults. Highly recommend the Behind the Scenes tour, inexpensive add-on, 30-minutes and learned so much more first hand with a tour guide that was able to answer any questions we had. Some unique exhibits (belugas, whale shark, and shark tank), research, and the size of the exhibits is unique! Largest space for the animals I've ever seen in an aquarium. Impressive aquarium from the habitats to the work they are doing to improve marine health and habitat around the world. If you're into aquariums, this is a good one to visit. We spent 5 hours at the aquarium and after leaving, realized that we missed the penguin exhibit. ![]() We kept our cups and before leaving the aquarium, went back to the cafeteria and refilled them. Thought it was nice that we could get "free" refills. This can be purchased ahead of time online or with the phone app. There is a cafeteria and they do offer a meal deal that has some different options. Had they not been feeding at the time, we wouldn't have seen them (except from in the gallery.) We felt the tour was just okay, but we have friends who did the tour and really enjoyed it. Our timing was good as we saw white belugas at the surface of one large tank and in another they happened to be feeding the whale sharks and mantas at the surface. There are a limited number of these tickets. We purchased this at the same time we ordered tickets, but it can also be done with he phone app. We also did a Behind the Scenes Tour which costs a little extra. Both of these presentations have large seating areas and are worth seeing. These must be scheduled on the day that you are visiting and can be done online or using the GA phone app. Included in the ticket price are the sea lion and dolphin presentations. Viewing through the largest display windows can be mesmerizing. The galleries with large tanks, such as the Ocean Voyager gallery, have multiple viewing areas with large windows to view from which allows the crowds to spread out. The galleries are large and easy for guests to walk through as they all make a loop. There are different galleries on 2 floors that go in different directions from a main atrium. The layout of the aquarium is pretty easy to understand. This is to spread out the number of guests entering the aquarium at any one time. Tickets can also be ordered using the Georgia Aquarium phone app which allows you to do a few other things (I'll mention later.) Tickets have a timed entry - the time you can pick when purchasing. We ordered tickets online about a month in advance of our visit. As advertised, this is one of the best aquariums in the U.S.
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