Unusual Places: The Georgia Aquarium

The Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, Georgia) houses 120,000 animals, representing 500 species, in 8.5 million gallons of marine and fresh water. Businessman Bernard Marcus credits his 60th birthday dinner, held at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, with inspiring him to build a great aquarium for Atlanta; his subsequent $250 million donation provided the bulk of the money needed to build and stock the new facility.

The Aquarium is in downtown Atlanta on land donated by The Coca-Cola Company, just north of Centennial Olympic Park and near the Georgia Dome, the Georgia World Congress Center, Philips Arena, and CNN Center. Its blue metal-and-glass exterior is meant to evoke a giant ark breaking through a wave. The world’s largest since its opening in November 2005, the Aquarium encompasses 550,000 square feet of covered space; its tanks hold 8,000,000 gallons of fresh and salt water. The 16,400 square feet Oceans Ballroom accommodates 1100 seated guests and features two 10 by 28 feet windows into whale shark and beluga whale exhibits.

After 27 months of construction the Aquarium opened on November 21, 2005, with 60 animal habitats. Though the non-profit Aquarium's admission charges are among the highest in the United States, attendance has far exceeded expectations, with one million visitors in the first hundred days, three million by August 2006, five million by May 2007, and ten million by June 2009. The Aquarium is part of the Smithsonian Affiliations program.

The Georgia Aquarium contains between 100,000 and 120,000 fish and other sea creatures, representing more than five hundred species.

The Aquarium is the only institution outside of Asia housing whale sharks, which are kept in a 6.3-million-gallon tank, the Aquarium as a whole was designed around the whale shark exhibit. Their importation from Taiwan (by air, truck, and boat) had never been attempted previously.

When Georgia exhibited great hammerhead sharks, it was one of only two aquaria in the United States with this species.

A manta ray, Nandi, which had been accidentally caught in nets protecting the South African coast from sharks, joined the Ocean Voyager exhibit in 2008 as the first manta ray on display in the country; the Aquarium is one of only four sites in the world displaying one. A second manta ray, Tallulah, was added in September 2009, joined in 2010 by a 8-foot female named Billi and later by a 9 feet, 265 pounds male.

The aquarium's animals are displayed in six different galleries: Georgia Explorer, Tropical Diver, Ocean Voyager, Cold Water Quest, River Scout, and Dolphin Tales. Each corresponds to a specific environment. To the left as one enters the aquarium is the Georgia Explorer exhibit, geared especially towards children. It features a number of touch tanks with rays and sharks as well as exhibits featuring sea turtles and the wildlife of Gray's Reef – a National Marine Sanctuary off the Georgia Coast. The "Dolphin Tales" exhibit opened to the public on April 2, 2011.

Frogs - A Chorus of Colors opened at the Aquarium on Jan. 12, 2012. This fascinating exhibition introduces visitors to the amazing and colorful world of anurans - the frogs.

Georgia Aquarium is open 365 days a year. Hours of operation vary so check before you visit. Georgia Aquarium is part of the Luckie Marietta District, a vibrant and walkable neighborhood of restaurants, hotels and businesses.

Looking for that uniquely different vacation destination. Call Rawhide Travel and Tours today 602-843-5100 or visit our website rawhidetravel.com. We can help!


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