I love just about anything that gets me up close to the incredible creatures in this world. I can never get enough of discovering what amazing animals lurk in the hidden corners of the world or the deepest parts of the ocean. If you’re like me, the Georgia Aquarium is one of the premier locations in the world to get right next to some of the ocean’s most fascinating sea creatures!
The Georgia Aquarium is highly promoted as the #1 aquarium in America and frequently hits the top 5 lists for best aquariums worldwide! There is nothing quite like it, and I hope that today’s blog encourages you to add it to your bucket list and visit asap!
A Virtual Journey Through the Georgia Aquarium on YouTube
What to See at the Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium is divided into seven distinct exhibits, all connected by a vast central hub. Each zone features state-of-the-art aquariums, unique viewing experiences, and immersive atmospheres that surround you with the wonders of the underwater world.
Ocean Voyager
The Ocean Voyager exhibit is the best one (in my opinion) and the perfect place to start your adventure. As you trek down the dark hallway, you can peek into small porthole windows to see rays, sharks, and giant fish swimming past. Then suddenly, you’ll find yourself bathed in a world of blue as you step into the 100-foot ocean tunnel.
This tunnel goes straight through the Georgia Aquarium’s 6.3 million-gallon tank explicitly built for its four whale sharks! You’ll see manta and stingrays flutter overhead while sharks pass just inches from your side. And if you’re lucky, you’ll glimpse the giant shadow of a whale shark looming above.
Once you exit the tunnel, you can catch a few more glimpses of this epic tank while you stop for a quick visit at the long touch pool featuring a variety of slimy sea creatures.
Finally, you’ll end up in a large room with stadium-style stairs, all facing one of the largest viewing windows in the world. Through the 23×61-foot window, you can see whale sharks pass by in their entirety while peeking into a mesmerizing underwater world beyond. It’s a beautiful spot to sit for a while and enjoy the peace and beauty of these creatures.
Tropical Diver
Next is the Tropical Diver exhibit, which is filled with smaller, colorful aquariums. You’ll see 200 species of coral here, as well as a stunning variety of tropical fish and sea creatures, including moray eels, lionfish, jellies, and more!
Many exhibits have a fun theme, such as volcanic islands or sunken ships. Be sure to take your time because each gallery window holds a new creature to discover. I especially enjoyed watching the spotted moray snake through the pipes and the jellyfish contracting in mesmerizing motions.
Near the end of the Tropical Diver zone, you’ll see a sizeable Indo-Pacific reef aquarium filled with tropical fish of all sizes, shapes, and colors.
Predators of the Deep
The Georgia Aquarium’s newest exhibit takes you below the waves to see the alphas of the ocean: sharks! There are 1.2 million gallons of water and dozens of sharks in this ultra-immersive exhibit that gets you close and personal with these fascinating predators.
You’ll start your journey walking beside and beneath these impressive creatures in a tunnel-like entrance with screens filled with shark footage. Right away, you’ll learn all sorts of fascinating things about sharks, including their diets, lifestyle, and their importance in the ocean’s ecosystem.
From there, different gallery windows allow you to see sharks from all different angles. The central gallery is a wide-open space with just a few rocks, allowing you to see far into the darkness and watch the sharks lurking. There’s a great variety of predators, including hammerheads, sand sharks, tiger sharks, and silvertip sharks. These tanks also have large schools of fish, which swim mesmerizing cyclone patterns!
Outside of the main aquarium, there are a couple of smaller exhibits with just a few sharks. Some of the galleries are extremely dark to imitate the sharks’ natural environment, so, unfortunately, I only have a few pictures. But be sure to watch my YouTube video to see some great video footage of them swimming right next to the glass!
Truist Pier 225
The next stop is Truist Pier 225, home of the Georgia Aquarium’s six rescued sea lions. These adorable pinnipeds now serve as the aquarium’s animal ambassadors, showing off their impressive skills during educational shows. You can catch a glimpse of them chilling outside of their presentations in the small tank outside the arena.
Unfortunately, video isn’t allowed during the show, so you’ll just have to watch it for yourself!
River Scout
The River Scout exhibit takes you worldwide to discover the wide variety of creatures who live in rivers. This gallery is incredibly creative, with realistic forests dipping into the water, overhead aquariums filled with fish and alligators, waterfalls, and cavernous hallways with windows into the underwater world.
There’s a new creature everywhere you turn in here, with floor-to-ceiling tanks ranging from small, window-like aquariums to wall-sized exhibits. Some of my favorites included the Asian small-clawed otters, piranhas, and a tank of colorful river fish right near the entrance. But you’ll also see turtles, rainbowfish, zany elaphantnose fish, fire eels, gar, and bass.
Cold Water Quest
Another of the best galleries is the Cold Water Quest. Here, you’ll see all sorts of animals that frequent the cold waters of the globe, including beluga whales and arctic birds.
The first few exhibits here are visually stunning, with tall grasses harboring a rainbow of fish and a waterfall filled with coral and colorful starfish.
The star of Cold Water Quest is the beluga whale exhibit. You can view this from 2 different levels, and the belugas are absolutely a joy to watch. We only saw one this time (we’ve seen up to 3), but this soon-to-be-mama beluga was having a blast playing with her blankie, and it absolutely made my day.
As you progress through this zone, you’ll see many small exhibits, including a giant Pacific octopus, leafy sea dragons, otters, and harbor seals! It’s probably the least immersive exhibit because everything is so broken up, but you’ll see many incredible creatures in a short amount of time.
The Cold Water Quest ends with a fun journey past puffins and penguins before giving you one final look at the belugas.
Dolphin Coast
For another show-stopping performance, be sure to head up the elevators and watch the dolphins of the Dolphin Coast! This was one of the best dolphin shows I’ve ever seen, and that includes the ones I saw at Sea World this summer. The dolphins show incredible feats through flips, high-jumps, surfing with their trainers, and more!
Once again, no filming was allowed during the show. But if you can only do one show while you’re here, this is the one to see!
Before and after each performance, you can see the playful dolphin pod swimming around in their large tank. It has a great viewing window, and they’ll frequently swim right next to your face!
Aquanat Adventure
The final phase of your underwater journey is the Aquanaut Adventure. This educational gallery is dedicated to teaching visitors about the amazing creatures in our world and how to study them! If you have a marine biologist in the making in your group, they’ll definitely enjoy this updated gallery. There is a lot to see here and plenty to read, so be sure to save some time to explore it fully.
When you first enter the Aquanaut Adventure, you’ll walk past a few of the creatures you saw from below in River Scout, including American alligators, albino gators, and a school of turtles, gar, and various river fish.
From there, you’ll enter a fascinating gallery that teaches you about bugs, reptiles, and marine life. Some of these creatures live in extreme environments (like Discus fish), while others have fascinating abilities (like flashlight fish). Each animal here is unique in some way, such as fish-eating anemones, brittle stars (the scariest-looking sea stars ever), a colorful Baja blue rock lizard, and leaf scorpionfish.
It’s a fun way to learn about these lesser-known creatures and their importance in the world!
What Else to Do at the Georgia Aquarium
Cafe Aquaria has a relatively affordable and tasty selection of a-la-carte food if you get hungry while you’re there. They have everything from pre-packaged sandwiches and fruit to fresh-off-the-grill burgers and fries.
You have no choice but to exit through the Georgia Aquarium’s gift shop, but I recommend you stay awhile! The gift shop has lots of cool merchandise, and you’re bound to find something you love. I highly recommend the Dorsal bracelets, which just recently were added to the shop. Each purchase removes a pound of trash from the ocean and helps fund coral restoration, plus they look super cute. If you forget, you can buy them online and save 20% with my code.
Closing Thoughts About the Georgia Aquarium
I cannot say enough times that it is the most amazing aquarium I have ever visited, and it is worth every penny. You will need several hours to fully enjoy each section as they should be, so be sure to leave yourself plenty of time! And for those who are wondering, yes, the aquarium does tons of conservation research to better the lives of animals outside its walls.
It’s an experience you will never forget, and I’m sure you’ll be drawn back again like I was!
If you have any questions or comments, please drop them below! Don’t be shy! And if you haven’t signed up for the blog newsletter yet, I encourage you to do so to keep following our adventures!
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Thanks for dropping by the Mandala Traveler, and I wish you many happy travels.
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