Family Fun at the Georgia Aquarium

The Georgia Aquarium is widely regarded as one of the best. Located in Atlanta, it has a capacity of approximately 10 million gallons of water! According to WorldAtlas.com, it is the largest aquarium in the world. They are also currently doing an expansion which will increase that size (it does not disrupt your visit).

As you enter, your journey starts with having a commemorative photo taken. It is snapped super fast, so if you are possibly interested in getting this photo make sure everyone is paying attention and ready (those with small kids are rolling their eyes right now- I know).

After the photo, you walk through to the atrium where you can see the different sections of the aquarium. There are no paper maps. Apparently, they save “millions” each year by not printing them. One of the workers there suggested we take a picture of the large map to use on our phones. There is also an app that you can download as well (although the person didn’t mention that).

There are lots of sights and sounds to see here that includes giant aquariums (of course), touch tanks, shows and more.

Ocean Voyager

In the Ocean Voyager, you walk through a 100 ft tunnel and can view sea life overhead and beside you. It’s amazing! This was one of the kid’s favourites as they can see the various sea life large and small all around them!

Tropical Diver

The Tropical Diver is a Pacific barrier reef habitat and one of the largest living reef exhibits in the United States. In the Tropical Diver area, you’ll walk through “Jelly Alley” where you will see various kinds of jellyfish.

Cold Water Quest

Here, you’re able to see Beluga whales, sea otters and African penguins and more. One of the kid’s favourites were the Japanese spider crabs.

California Sea Lions at SunTrust Pier 225

You can catch the Sea Lion show where the trainers and Sea Lions (with the occasional seal) put on an adorable show for all. It’s educational and fun! You can’t take any pictures during the show as it is a distraction to the animals and trainers, which sort of stinks but at the same time it allows you to fully focus on the show. They also tell some stories of the rescue of some of the stars shows. While it can be kind of sad (but humorous at the same time) it is great conversation starters to talk about the environment and animals with kids.

Dolphin Celebration

Another must-see show at the Georgia Aquarium is the dolphin show. These animals are amazing and talented! You’ll want to be conscious that rows 1-10 are considered to be splash zones so beware! We skipped the splash zone sections and went up a little higher for a better view. The show is very entertaining and again educational. Prior to the show the host asks questions and does some trivia to make the wait go a little faster. There are no pictures once the show starts, so if you want any pictures of what the theatre looks like you will need to take them beforehand.

A Fun Visit That Is Definitely Worthwhile

We had arrived at the aquarium at 9am, and within an hour, they started to get busy. We decided to get some lunch around 11:30, this is the one thing I’d recommend doing before you go or waiting to eat until after you leave. It was pricey, and in all honesty, not very great. We left the aquarium just before 1pm. There were parts of it that we skipped and other parts where you could possibly spend a little longer but my youngest is the ‘ok, I saw it, what’s next’ type. My oldest, who’s eight could have spent an hour watching the sea otters (I can’t blame her, they’re pretty cute!).

Overall, it was a lot of fun and I think people of all ages would enjoy it. Definitely, something I’d recommend putting on my must-see list if visiting Atlanta!