Day 5: Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium and Bass Pro Shops on a Freezing Cold, Winter’s Day

The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the world, with over 60 exhibits, a musical, choreographed dolphin show called Dolphin Tales, and a 4-D Under-the-Sea presentation complete with splashing water and other effects. It opened in November 2005. There are more than 8.5 million gallons in its tanks and 120,000+ sea animals. Impressive, right? We couldn’t let our time in Northern Georgia pass without a trip to the famed Georgia Aquarium.

We drove to the aquarium first thing in the morning in hopes of beating the crowd. It was sooo cold! Barely above freezing and windy, we bundled up tight against the bitter winter air. The poor kids were frozen! We were shocked when we reached the aquarium and there were huge lines of people both waiting to buy tickets and waiting to get in with prepaid tickets. Our winding line had at least 100 people ahead of us. We stood out there for a good 30-45 minutes waiting to get tickets before proceeding through a purse check and a metal-detecting body scan. Interesting. If you go, keep in mind that the Georgia Aquarium is really, really expensive. Adult tickets are $29.95 each and children’s tickets are $23.95 each. Even after our military discount, we dropped a lot of money to get in. Ouch!

We were given specific times we could go to the shows, so we immediately headed upstairs for Dolphin Tales. The musical presentation opened earlier this year and is amazing. The story of the “Star Spinner,” a man who spins stories into the stars and whose ship was sunk by an evil sea monster. He must defeat the sea monster to raise his ship. Dolphins leap from the 1.3 million tank, dramatically flipping and magestically taking their  trainers on high-speed rides across the tank. We were up close in the packed-auditorium and the show was truly amazing! The kids loved it. I think it was way better than Sea World!

Bella checks out the dolphin tanks before the showA dolphin!

Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed during the show. We’ll just have to keep it in our memories. I’m glad we went!

Next, we headed to our 12:00 show, “Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow.” It was actually a 4-D presentation because there was splashing water, falling confetti, flashing lights, etc. “Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow” was the story of Aquarium Guide Deepo, who knows nothing about the undersea life he teaches others about. He meets a orange fish and is magically turned into a fish as well. They go on an undersea adventure, meeting all sorts of sea life and learning all about living in the ocean. The moral of the story is cute and the characters are adorable. The kids loved it and it was just long enough to capture their attention.

After lunch in the aquarium (very expensive!!!), we began touring the exhibits. Cold Water Quest was first.

 

Derek and Alex check out an exhibit

The Beluga whales were fun to watch!

Cold Water Quest is home to four funny Beluga whales, two of which were competing for a play ring next to the exhibit’s glass. The large male, Beethoven, and the young Qinu both wanted the ring and stole it back and forth from each other. Beethoven loved swimming through his ring! A speaker also taught us all about the Beluga whales, their life cycles, habits, and needs. It was crowded but educational!  We also saw penguins, lots of fish, an octopus, and more.

The Ocean Voyager Exhibit was absolutely awe-inspiring. We walked through an acrylic tunnel where we could see sea creatures all around us. These weren’t just your average fish! Giant Manta Rays soared overhead. Giant sharks and groupers amazed us. It was something you really have to see to believe! There were giant viewing windows all around the tank as we continued through the exhibit, allowing us to see a huge variety of creatures. The boys loved the sharks and shrieked every time one swam by. I liked the graceful spotted eagle ray. Alex liked the colorful fish and Bella fell asleep in her stroller. It must have been too much brain stimulation for a little girl! This was definitely my favorite part of the aquarium.

Ocean Voyager

 

Look at that!

Tropical Diver was so crowded, we didn’t enjoy it as much as we could have. Seriously, it was so thickly packed with people we had to wait a good 5-10 minutes just to get near to a display and then fight our way out. Some displays were so crowded we couldn’t even get near them! Of the things we did see, we enjoyed the jelly fish and the garden eels a lot! The colorful fish were fun too.

The River Scout exhibit was neat. I liked the intricate tree-like woodworking through the exhibit and the crawl-through portions for kids. The animals here weren’t much different from what we see at the zoos in Florida, including an albino alligator, a boa, otters, and fish.

Georgia Explorer offered lots of hands-on activities and a play area too. The kids touched horseshoe crabs, starfish, stingrays, and shrimp. We saw sea turtles and lionfish too. The play area was so cram-packed we didn’t even try it.

Overall, we loved the Georgia Aquarium. Although very expensive, the exhibits were well-kept and flush with sea life, the shows were world-class, and the facility was sparkling. It was an amazing experience! The only drawback was that the aquarium was sooooooo crowded. Looking at reviews on travel sites, this is a common complaint. I wish it had been less crowded because we would have had more time to enjoy the exhibits. We spent about 5 hours exploring the aquarium. By the time we left, the boys were tired and getting naughty. It was a good time to call it a day and head back to camp. Each of us had a great time.

If you’re ever in Atlanta, you should definitely check out the Georgia Aquarium! It’s something amazing, a true feast for the senses.

The temperature continued to drop throughout the day, and by evening it was below freezing. With hiking and outdoor play out of the question, we headed to Bass Pro Shops Atlanta after dinner. We love Bass Pro Shops and don’t have one in Jacksonville. It was a drive, but a fun way to spend a cold evening! After all, we needed something to do to keep the kids from driving us crazy in the RV all evening long! We explored, looked at some animals and fish, and had a shoot-out at the shooting arcade.

Alex warms up by a roaring fire!

Derek says, "Daddy, can we buy this?"

Daddy instructs the kids at the shooting arcade

I can’t believe how cold it was! The night was 22 degrees with a chance of snow. The kids slept snuggly in their beds, piled with blankets and tired out from an exciting day on the town. I think we made some great memories today! Atlanta is a great place for family fun! We’ve had an amazing vacation.