World’s Largest Aquarium: Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta

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World’s Largest Aquarium: Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta

By carlvaleri | December 8, 2008

Two large lines snaked outside the most visited attractions in Atlanta, Georgia. One line for the Coke-a-Cola Museum and the other for one of the most amazing aquariums in the world. Small children running with toys resembling friendly sharks, parents yelling for their little ones to watch that their ice cream cone does not fall, and hordes of same size young people filing out from yellow school buses added to the excitement and confusion of the scene outside the Georgia Aquarium.

Purchasing an annual membership enables visitors to enter through a nondescript entrance with a line only a few minutes long while other guests will wait about 30 minutes. It is quiet in this members only foyer, but moving towards the entrance the din from a crowd of excited children resonated through the hall. Entering on the second floor and looking down I realized why they where excited.

The large atrium is surrounded by entrances to each of the exhibits, all decorated lavishly and invitingly. My eyes focused towards what seemed to be a coral reef. Once inside I was anxious to see the large whale shark exhibit. They claim to have more than one whale shark in the tank, but I found it hard to believe having seen the enormous size of these sharks in the wild. As I rounded the bend, the immense glass tank came into view and it appeared bigger than the side of a house. I stood fascinated by the quantity and size of the many colorful fish.

Then from the side of the tank I could see a figure move ever so slightly and growing bigger. I’m sure I also heard the theme song to jaws playing in the background, but realized I was caught up in the moment and there was no music playing. The faint image swam towards me when I realized it was the long spotted whale shark! It seemed to move slowly because of its grand size, the only reference to its fast pace being the fish it quickly passed.

The whale shark is an amazing creature not only because it is the largest fish in the ocean, but because of its grace and beauty as is swims through its’ natural environment. I wonder what it was thinking of me standing there? Did I look like another fish? At that moment I became aware of the thick glass that separated me from the large fish swimming a few feet away. The pressure from the water on the side of the tank must be incredible.

An aquarium docent arrived to give the crowd gathering at the tank a lecture describing the fish. The lecture was very informative, but I was most interested in how the aquarium transported these creatures to this tank. The docent said we could see a display describing the process of shipping these amazing fish from far away lands using airplanes, big airplanes. We later discovered the whale shark in this tank was the largest fish UPS had ever transported alive.

One of the most fascinating mammals in the aquarium is the beluga whale with its’ pure white rubbery skin stretched around a tubular body. The belugas are very playful and seemed to be putting on a show for the spectators. The male and female beluga danced with each other, spinning and passing with precise coordination.

After spending many minutes watching these jovial creatures I passed through a dark opening to the river exhibit. The exhibit was design to give visitors a feeling of walking along the banks of a large river; clear walls separated us from the many fish swimming next to us. I could have plunged my hand down into the water and grabbed one of these long fresh water fish. Some of the fish such as the gar fish with their large teeth made me think the wiser of doing so since my fingers might look like dinner.

The aquarium is designed to appeal to children of all ages with the most popular attraction, the touching pool only a few feet away from the entrance. You can touch a small shark and pet a sting ray. The team of conservationists and aquarium staff keep this amazing exhibit in impeccable condition.

Strollers dart past the large tanks as young parents scurry from exhibit to exhibit with children excitedly pulling on them. While watching the excitement by the pool, the 3-D movie let out. Based on the bounce in their step as the children exited the theater it was apparent they enjoyed the movie.

If you are in Atlanta for business or pleasure I highly suggest you take the time to visit the Georgia Aquarium. You can see all the exhibits within two hours or spend the day reading all of the informational displays. This is a wonderful family attraction. The admission price is $26 for adults and $19 for children 3-12. There is a large cafeteria inside with plenty of seating so you will not have to worry about bringing your own food, and the entire aquarium is wheelchair accessible with easy viewing of all exhibits.

For More Information:

The Georgia Aquarium

Centennial Olympic Park

The Coca-Cola Museum