Vacation: The Georgia Aquarium
This is billed as the world’s largest aquarium and is located in Atlanta, Georgia. It first opened in November of 2005, has more than 60 exhibits containing more than 8 million gallons of water and more animals than any other aquarium (more than 500 species of fish)! They have the following main exhibits:
- Georgia Explorer – aquatic area geared towards kids
- Tropical Diver – features tropical coral reefs
- Ocean Voyager – features the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
- Cold-Water Quest – features polar regions
- River Scout – aquatic area with an overhead river
They also have tours, a theater, kids areas, and lots of educational programs. There is a program called “Journey with the Gentle Giants” which allows you to actually swim with whale sharks! You basically swim at the surface with an air supply and the aquarium provides all the equipment. How fun is that! They have another exhibit with a similar name called “Journey with Giants” which is basically a large tunnel you can walk through to see the fish all swim around you. It was designed to house the whale sharks I just mentioned. Yet another cool attraction is the Open Ocean Touchwall which is a large interactive screen that simulates a huge fish tank. As the fish swim by, you can touch them to receive information about each fish.
They have several programs for kids too, including sleepovers, kid’s parties, “Growing Guppies” (for toddlers), and “Camp H2O”. The 4D theater on site uses interactive seats and some other special effects in coordination with the movie to provide a unique experience. The movie takes you on an undersea adventure with a variety of characters, perfectly suited for the younger audience.
This aquarium strives to try and house fish that you can find almost no where else. These include whale sharks, beluga whales, and a manta ray. They will soon be building a dolphin expansion to the building as well. And, of course, they strive to be a leader in animal conservation and research.
Your vacation down to Atlanta would not stop here. Atlanta is a big city and there are tons of stuff to do. You can watch an Atlanta Braves game, check out Centennial Olympic Park (home of the 1996 games), visit the World of Coca-Cola, spend a day at Peidmont Park, visit one of the many museums, stop off in Buckhead for a great dinner, visit the Atlanta Zoo, spend an evening at Medieval Times (authentic medieval tournament and feast), or spend a day at Six Flags.
The weather is also fantastic down there! You should definitely visit the world’s largest aquarium and see what Atlanta has to offer!
