Review: Georgia Aquarium

What’s this place all about?
Read any list of must-visit Atlanta attractions, and the Georgia Aquarium is somewhere at the top—and rightly so. This living museum, which opened in 2005, is the largest indoor aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, with more than 10 million gallons of fresh and salt water. The massive structure is home to more than 100,000 creatures and has 100 distinct habitats for wildlife, including whale sharks, sea lions, bottlenose dolphins, belugas, manta rays, penguins, and more. It’s also home to a teaching hospital for aspiring marine biologists and vets. The building’s modern glass exterior looks like an arc (as in Noah’s) and once inside, the interior is designed to make you forget you’re in land-locked Atlanta. The newest gallery, Sharks! Predators of the Deep, contains 1.2 million gallons of water and is home to shark species including tiger, sand tiger, silky, silvertip, and great hammerhead sharks.

How's the permanent collection?
When Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus announced his plans to donate $250 million to build the aquarium, he and his wife went on an around-the-world journey researching how other cities in 13 countries did aquariums. As a result, the Georgia Aquarium casts a wide net (pun intended), with an impressive array of habitats and species represented. Seven different galleries create varied environments for marine animals from all the world’s continents, with information and interactive tech components to up the educational ante. For instance, in the Cold Water Quest gallery, there’s a frigid tank for beluga whales and an African penguin exhibit with 25 nesting areas. The biggest tank on property is part of the Ocean Voyager gallery and holds 6.3 million gallons of saltwater. There, you can walk through a 100-foot-long underwater acrylic tunnel and watch whale sharks, manta rays, sting rays, and fish interact behind one of the world’s largest viewing windows (23 feet tall x 61 feet wide). It’s mesmerizing.

What about the exhibits?
While the aquarium is constantly adding or improving, you won't find much in the way of seasonal or non-permanent exhibits. That said, all of the permanent exhibit galleries are world-class, and you can choose which order you'd like to explore and go at your own pace.

Is it easy getting around?
This place is huge, so wear your comfy shoes. There are ample elevators, as well as stairs and spiral ramps connecting the various galleries. The Georgia Aquarium has made every conceivable convenience available for those with mobility impairments, including golf carts available for transport from the parking deck to the entrance, gratis wheelchairs to borrow at the front entry, designated areas for unblocked viewing of exhibits, and even a special touch pool in the Cold Water Quest exhibit dedicated for those in wheelchairs.

What did you make of the crowd?
This attraction is as popular with local Atlantans as it is with visitors, and all of the individual galleries are well done, so typically it doesn't feel like one area is more clogged than any other. As you might expect, the Georgia Aquarium is a favorite for kids and families, so if that’s a turn-off, steer clear (or come at a time when they’re less likely to be there—like late in the evening).

Any guided tours worth trying?
There’s a free app (for IOS and Android) that gives you exhibit maps, information about the animals you’ll see, and serves as an alternative to pre-paid printed tickets. Kids may like the scavenger hunt game, though the signage, staff, and interactive tech elements the aquarium offers are just as good or better. If you want to know even more, you can spring for a 45-minute “Behind the Seas” tour ($15 for non-members), during which you’ll get to see the top side of some of the tanks, the commissary where the animals’ food is prepared, and some of the filtration equipment. Again, the main part of the aquarium is terrific, even without adding any additional tours (and expense).

Gift shop: What will we find?
There are two gift shops stocked with exactly what you'd expect: branded tee shirts and hats, stuffed aquatic animals, and trinkets. Warning: once your kid has fallen in love with a beluga whale or "Deepo," the Aquarium's mascot of an orange Garibaldi fish, he or she is going to want to take one home.

Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged?
If you’ve got a limited time—or attention span—to visit, it’s still possible to hit the highlights. Rather than racing through to see everything, make sure you beeline straight for the Ocean Voyager gallery and pause long enough to see (and maybe snap some pics of) one of the four whale sharks, which are neither whales nor sharks: they are the world’s largest fish, which average between 18 and 32 feet long. If you’ve time to squeeze one more gallery in, opt for the River Scout. The fresh water exhibit features animals from right here in Georgia.