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Earlier this year, Abby and I decided to take a last-minute girl’s trip to Atlanta, Georgia. My main goal was to go to IKEA, and hers was to explore the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta.
Can you believe that we have lived in SE Alabama for nearly three years and have not spent time in Atlanta? Located just under 3.5 hours N/NE of our home in Dothan, Alabama, Atlanta is the largest metropolitan area in our part of the United States. We had only ever really passed through or used the airport on the outskirts of town.
So, for our girl’s trip, we used our IHG Rewards Club points to stay two nights at the Hotel Indigo in downtown Atlanta. As I have mentioned in the past, we are very loyal to IHG and use the IHG Premier Card for a majority of our daily purchases.
Our favorite benefits of this card are the free anniversary night each year, bonus points, automatic platinum elite statue, and the 4th night free when you redeem points. It more than pays for its low annual fee! We automatically pay our card off each month to avoid any interest fees, and if you aren’t yet leveraging credit to earn points, you may want to take advantage of their current special offer!
Visiting Downtown Atlanta
This was our first time staying in Downtown Atlanta, and we weren’t really sure what to expect. Our hotel was centrally located and a short walk to the Georgia Aquarium, Skywheel, World of Coca-Cola, and more.
It was easy for us to get an Uber to Ponce City Market one night, too, and we didn’t use our car the whole time we were there. We did all that we wanted to do down there, and I think next time we visit Atlanta, we want to explore one of the other neighborhoods to experience more of what the city offers!
We got to see the Olympic rings, and right next to the park is the Georgia Aquarium, which I want to talk about today. Abby and I really enjoyed our visit!
The Georgia Aquarium, a Downtown Atlanta Aquarium
This fantastic Aquarium is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, and I think is a MUST DO when visiting the area with (or even without) kids! This venue is home to thousands of animals housed in over 1 million gallons of both fresh and saltwater. Did you know that Georgia Aquarium is the only aquarium in North America that is home to manta rays and whale sharks, the largest fish in the world?
FUN FACT: Up until 2012, the Georgia Aquarium was the largest aquarium in the world! It still holds the title of the largest aquarium in the United States, North America, and within the Western Hemisphere!
Where is the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta?
The Georgia Aquarium is located in downtown Atlanta at 225 Baker St NW, Atlanta, GA 30313.
The below map shows the exact location, and you can tell there is a variety of things to do and places to stay nearby, making it a very easy stop on a family trip to Atlanta, Georgia.
Booking.comGeorgia Aquarium Admission & Hours
The regular admission price for this Atlanta aquarium is around $48 same day or $42 advance purchase (both kids ages 2+ and adults). And for a few dollars more, you can purchase a skip-the-line ticket from Get Your Guide to save time.
When purchasing tickets, you are required to choose an arrival time slot. Try to get the first slot of the day. I was nervous about getting up super early for our 8:00 a.m. slot, but it paid off! Those first two hours were especially uncrowded, and we were able to really enjoy the exhibits. By the time we left after lunch, the place was packed!
The Georgia Aquarium is open 365 days a year. The most accurate place to check the daily Atlanta aquarium hours of operation is on the Georgia Aquarium website. Individual memberships start at $95, and family memberships are $320. You may also want to consider the Atlanta CityPass, which I will discuss later in this post.
Click here to purchase skip-the-line tickets to visit the Georgia Aquarium. Alternatively, use the ticket widget below to secure your tickets!
Use Atlanta CityPass to Visit The Georgia Aquarium
If you are considering visiting other attractions in Atlanta, such as the World of Coca-Cola next door and Zoo Atlanta, I would consider getting the CityPass.
This gives you access to the three places just listed as well as your choice of (2) of the following: Fernbank Museum of Natural History, College Football Hall of Fame, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The Atlanta CityPass allows you to save a significant amount of money vs. buying individual tickets at each place.
Click here for more information on the Atlanta CityPass!
What Exhibits are there at the Georgia Aquarium?
There is much to enjoy at the Georgia Aquarium, with over 120,000 animals housed across many galleries, tanks, and exhibits.
Access to the Dolphin Show, Sea Lion Show, and the 4D Theater shows are included with your admission to the aquarium. However, you must reserve your seat upon arrival on the day of your visit. I recommend making this your first stop! Once you secure your spot for those special events, then you can explore the aquarium at your leisure.
Atlanta Aquarium: Sharks! Predators of the Deep
This new expansive Georgia Aquarium exhibit holds over a million gallons of water and is home to a number of shark species, including the Great Hammerhead shark, Tiger Shark, Silvertip Shark, and Sand Tiger Shark. There is even the option to cage dive in the 20ft tank with these incredible animals.
Ocean Voyager at the Georgia Aquarium
We always love taking the moving walkway through exhibits like this! Specifically made to house Whale Sharks and featuring a 100 ft long underwater tunnel, this incredible exhibit is also home to manta rays, stingrays, sharks, and more!
Georgia Aquarium’s Cold Water Quest
Our favorite animals over at the Cold Water Quest exhibit are the Beluga Whales! It’s also here that you will encounter Seals, Penguins, Puffins, and more! I was smitten with the adorable Sea Dragons. It’s just so incredible that our world is filled with such unique creatures, big and small!
Dolphin Coast & Georgia Aquarium’s Dolphin Show
I mentioned above that admission to the Dolphin Show at the Georgia Aquarium is included in the price of admission. Make sure to secure your time slot upon arrival because the show is so much fun!
Cameras were not allowed in there, so I don’t have a photo to share, but it was the highlight of our day! The knowledgeable trainers gave an outstanding presentation and live training demonstration in the Dolphin Theater. Not only is it entertaining, but it is designed to educate visitors and share some insight into the preservation efforts that the aquarium is a part of.
Once you enter the theater, seating is first-come, first-serve, and you may notice a section blocked off toward the front. These are the splash seats; trust me, you will get wet! We sat there ourselves, though, and have no regrets other than next time; we will bring cheap ponchos! It was quite the up close and personal view!
More Exhibits at Georgia Aquarium in Downtown Atlanta
Other exhibits include Aquanaut Adventure, River Scout, Tropical Diver, and Truist Pier 225 (home to sea lions). You aren’t going to want to miss a single one of these incredible exhibits, which is why I highly recommend getting to the Georgia Aquarium as early as possible!
Georgia Aquarium Encounters and Add-Ons
I mentioned above that you can cage dive with the sharks, and there are a number of other opportunities to enhance your day at the Georgia Aquarium. These include:
- Surround Yourself with Whale Sharks, Rays & More
- Shark Cage Dive
- Rebreather Dive Program
- Journey with Gentle Giants Swim
- Journey with Gentle Giants Dive
- Seal Encounter
- Behind the Seas Tour
- Up Close and Personal Dolphin Encounter
- Beluga Encounter
- and more
Please note that some of these are temporarily unavailable. Please refer to each link for pricing and availability.
The Georgia Aquarium Behind the Seas Tour
We added on the Behind the Seas Tour when we visited this Atlanta aquarium and really enjoyed it!
For just $15.99, we had a guide take us around to the backside and top side of many of the exhibits. This was so educational for Abby (and me too!) This tour lasts approximately 30 minutes and is something that you will want to purchase and schedule as soon as you arrive on the day of your visit.
Food and Drink at The Georgia Aquarium
Café Aquaria offers a variety of hot meals as well as grab-and-go staples. It’s cafeteria-style with plenty of seating to enjoy your meal. The menu includes pizza, burgers, chicken tenders, fries, hotdogs, prepackaged wraps, sandwiches, salads, and more.
Outside food or beverages are NOT permitted in the aquarium, except for small snacks for children or special foods for visitors with allergies. They encourage you to bring your own water bottle and use their filling stations (which I appreciated)!
Atlanta Hotels Near The Georgia Aquarium
As I mentioned before, we stayed at the Hotel Indigo Downtown Atlanta, which is about a 15-minute walk from the Georgia Aquarium. Other nearby hotels even closer include:
- Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Downtown
- Hyatt Place Atlanta Centennial Park
- Hyatt House Atlanta/Downtown
- Embassy Suites by Hilton
- Omni Atlanta at CNN Center
- AC Hotel Atlanta Downtown
- Aloft Atlanta Downtown
Or you can search sites like Priceline and Booking.com for the best deals on hotels near the Georgia Aquarium.
Things To Do Near The Atlanta Aquarium
I mentioned some of the other things that we did while visiting Atlanta earlier in this post, and there really are some great stops near the Georgia Aquarium. Ideal for a weekend getaway or long weekend, you can hit most of these in a 2-3 day visit, and if you plan to, I would make sure to grab that CityPass Atlanta!
The most popular stop next to the aquarium in downtown Atlanta would be the World of Coca-Cola. And while we didn’t stop there, we did spend a few hours at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and are so happy that we did.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a museum dedicated to the achievements of both the civil rights movement in the United States and the broader worldwide human rights movement. It made an impact on Abby and me. The Lunch Counter Sit-In interactive exhibit helps visitors experience what it was like in both Greensboro and Nashville, where college students in the 1960s took part in a number of non-violent sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters. Every human should experience this.
Located not far from the home where Martin Luther King Jr. was born right here in downtown Atlanta, this museum does a wonderful job opening one’s eyes up to both racial injustices and hits on a number of other human rights issues. This museum is also included in the CityPass deal!
Plan Your Atlanta Trip And More
So, next time you find yourself in Atlanta, Georgia, make sure to stop by the Georgia Aquarium! And more Georgia Travel or other Travel with Kids destinations, make sure to visit the rest of our blog. I share our adventures near and small, from far-off places like Paris, France, to the beaches of 30A.
We are always up to something fun! And make sure to follow along on social media for even more adventures!
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Pin My Atlanta Georgia Aquarium Guide For Later
The Sea Dragons caught my eye for sure! How fascinating!
With the COVID reduced capacity, now is a better time than any to visit! My son’s favorite were the giant Japanese spider crabs.
Your pictures are incredible! It’s not easy to get these great shots with the darkened lighting.
Saving! I recently moved to GA and can’t wait to visit!
Wow, these photos are gorgeous! The aquarium is one of our favorite sites in Atlanta. I’ll have to check out the Behind the Scenes Tour, that you mentioned, the next time we go!