Georgia Aquarium: Ideal Time to Go + 100,000 Amazing Animals to See

Located within the state capital of Georgia, Atlanta is home to the largest aquarium in the United States. From its opening date in 2005 until 2012, the Georgia Aquarium was the largest in the world. Today, it is the fourth largest worldwide. There are thousands of animals belonging to hundreds of species throughout the main galleries. These galleries hold more than 11 million gallons of water, allowing for plentiful space for the animals to live and play.

When to Visit

Visitors should plan on spending between three and four hours during the tour of the aquarium. Weekends are the busiest time, so arriving on a weekday close to opening hours is ideal.

What to See

A dolphin presentation is included with all general admission tickets. However, to attend the live show, a reservation must be made. Also, to gain preferred seating, a payment of $5.00 per person is required.

Also, eight extra exhibits can be added to the price of admission. For instance, an immersive shark and ray interaction or dolphin encounter can be purchased. Other encounters include harbor seals, penguins, belugas, and sea lions. Visitors can also add a behind-the-scenes tour for an additional fee.

Thrill seekers can purchase a swim or a dive with gentle giants. Participants are immersed in a tank with whale sharks and manta rays, along with thousands of other animals. Either option allows for 30 minutes of water time.

All the Displays

The Georgia Aquarium is broken down into seven galleries, each housing a variety of animals. Here’s a look at what animals reside within each gallery:

Aquanaut Adventure

In the Discovery Zone, guests to the aquarium can view a variety of animals, ranging from the Baja blue rock lizard, wood frog, African pancake tortoise, common chuckwalla, discus, and the electric eel.

Other sights include the chocolate chip sea star, the American alligator, the emerald tree boa, and the giant prickly stick insect. In total, 20 species live within this gallery.

Cold Water Quest

Home to the iciest waters in the Georgia Aquarium, this gallery features three crawl tunnel viewing windows and a kelp forest. There are 27 species located here, including the bat star, African penguin, beluga whale, and the big-bellied seahorse.

A variety of fish reside here as well, ranging from the black rockfish, blacksmith, California sheephead, and the garibaldi.

The giant Pacific octopus can be viewed here, as well as the giant plumose anemone and the fish-eating anemone.

Harbor seals glide through the waters, alongside southern sea otters. Pink sea stars, purple sea urchins, and Japanese spider crabs provide a splash of color to the clear waters.

Dolphin Coast

Likely the most popular gallery, the Dolphin Coast casts the common bottlenose dolphin as the star. Backing up the dolphins are some scarlet ibis, roseate spoonbills, and spiney lobsters.

Again, seating is included with the general admission ticket, but an extra $5 will buy a place within preferred seating.

Ocean Voyager

This gallery is one of the world’s largest single aquatic exhibits. Holding more than six million gallons of water and over 50 species of animals, this exhibit also offers a tunnel extending 100 feet for optimum viewing capabilities.

Some of the highlights of this tank include the French angelfish, cownose ray, bluestriped grunt, and the bottlenose wedgefish. The goliath grouper, gray snapper, and giant grouper are also present.

SHARKS! Predators of the Deep

Another popular exhibit centers around everyone’s favorite massive fish: the shark. With over one million gallons of water and 185 feet of glass, this exhibit houses multiple species. The sand tiger shark, silvertip shark, great hammerhead shark, and tiger shark all instill fear or fascination within guests.

Southern Company River Scout

This exhibit houses more than 90,000 gallons of water, with two crawl tunnels. A special feature of this stop is the glass-bottom alligator exhibit.

The yellow-bellied slider is located here, along with the red-eared slider and the Asian small-clawed otters. The Amazon puffer, banded archerfish, bigmouth buffalo, and the black carpie are just a few of the many species of fish housed here.

Tropical Diver

Last but not least, a stop to this gallery allows guests to experience the Indo-Pacific Barrier Reef. More than 200 species of coral lie within the 164,000 gallons of water. More than 90 species reside within this display, ranging from the blue-spotted stingray, bignose unicorn fish, doctorfish, and foxface rabbitfish.

From large aquatic mammals to the tiniest of fish, the Georgia Aquarium offers something for everyone.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © f11photo/Shutterstock.com