Aquariums Of The World – Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta
Billed as the largest aquarium in the world, the Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta encompasses a staggering 550,000 sq ft holding more than 8.1 million gallons worth of water housing more than 100,000 animals across 500 different species.
Think whales sharks, great hammerhead sharks, beluga whales, manta rays, jelly fish … these guys have them all – not to mention the six new sand tiger shark due to get there soon.
TripAdvisor travelers give it a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and rank it 45 of 199 attractions in Atlanta (I still cannot understand how anyone could give this a low rating).
The blue metal and glass exterior of the aquarium was designed to resemble a giant ark breaking through a wave. The ship’s hull appears to emerge from two large buildings that feature curved, flowing roofs that were designed to represent ocean swells.
The Journey With Giants exhibit hall includes an Open Ocean Touchwall – a dynamic, interactive projection for species identification. This is a virtual aquarium where larger than life, fully articulated 3-D renderings of Open Ocean fish swim across six panels assembled to simulate a tank. Guests are invited to reach out and place hands or fingers on the fish. As they do so, fun and informative content bubbles appear to educate the guest about the particular species they have chosen. The 4D Theatre, employing interactive seats and special effects provide an immersive experience.
A tad expensive but given the exhibits, it seems very much worth it.
Pics courtesy here and here.
Where to go:
Georgia Aquarium
225 Baker St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30313
(404) 581-4000
Other Aquariums around the world:
Dubai Aquarium Sets Guinness Record For Viewing Panel
Atlantic Sturgeon To Be Featured Fish At Delmarva Discovery
Change In The Offing At Taraporewala Aquarium, Mumbai?
I was just there, and let me tell you, it was fantastic. The Ocean Voyager (whale shark) exhibit just leaves you staring off into vast schools of fish completely speechless. The whale sharks certainly didn’t disappoint, but although the 6 tiger sharks were added a few weeks before I was there, they are apparently still very skittish and we didn’t see them. Otherwise, though, I thought the aquarium was honestly kind of mundane… the spectacle was the architecture and the few huge aquariums, while I felt the true diversity of fishes was not represented. Compare this with the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, with exhibit after exhibit devoted to demonstrating the vast range of aquatic biotypes… Anyway, both are definitely worth a visit…