Tips for visiting the Georgia Aquarium

Sasquatch and I love all things water. In case you are wondering, Sasquatches love the water. It is a well known fact. During our trip south to visit family we flew in and out of Atlanta, before our flight home, we took the time to visit the Georgia Aquarium. Sasquatch told little and I that we were going to love it and we did!

Manta Ray, Whale Sharks, and Belugas, oh my!

Here are a few tips to ensure you get the most out of your visit to the second largest aquarium in the world.

Get there early, right at opening, before the buses full of school children show up. We were about 10 minutes ahead of the school kids all day long. YAY!. Also be at the shows early for best seating/viewing.

I was most excited about the Whale Sharks, so we went right to them as soon as we got there. We had the viewing area mostly to ourselves. Returning to the Whale Sharks and the Manta Rays before we left as well. Honestly I would have spent hours just watching them if I could have.

It will take at least 4 hours to fully experience the aquarium with out any add-ons. Linger as long as you can.

Don’t miss the dolphin show. That was so so SO fun. We all felt like small children again being wowed by these intelligent creatures. (no photos during the show and watch out for the splash zone)

We skipped the things that were for younger kids such as: the Aquanaut Adventure. Visit the Georgia Aquarium home page to customize your visit.

Download the Georgia Aquarium Mobile app (free download on iTunes and Google Play). It is full of photos and info on the animals, as well as an audio tour. Get update on show times etc.

Extra’s and Add-on’s

The Aquarium is amazing without any add-on’s. But if you desire to level up your aquarium game, there are extras you can plan and pay for.

• Want to swim with the fish? If you are 15 and over you can pay the fee of $234.00 to snorkel and spend an hour with them, $280 to scuba, or if you want to be fancy $370 to do the dive with a Closed-Circuit Rebreather.
• For $70 you can touch and feed dolphins and be part of the dolphin show.
• $60 lets you play with Penguins.
• $70 to play with Otters or hang with Sea Lions.
• $140 gets you in the water with a Beluga.
• They also have a behind the seas tour. It isn’t expensive at $15.00 per person. I wish we would have done this. Next time we are in Atlanta we will.

If you get a chance visit, we highly recommend it. In our case, we will visit the Georgia Aquarium every chance we get!