Oh man, if you have not been to this place... It is a must see. We are now Annual Pass holders because it is one of those places that you cannot take it all in, in one visit. I would say to try to go on a non-busy day but those do not happen here. Every single person traveling to Atlanta, it seems, goes here and just wonders around in awe.
Some tips for visiting the GA Aquarium (or any aquarium for that matter):
-Be ready to deal with crowds
-Bring $$. It seems expensive, but realize the cost of maintaining such a large facility and keeping all the animals healthy.
-Be courteous. Being nice goes a long way. Maybe it is a regional thing but you can almost tell when someone is from the South at places like this. There is a lot of non-verbal communication. A subtle head nod or smile goes a long way when dealing with others in such mass quantity. There are many instances of poorly trained children running a muck here. Understand that it is most likely the result of poorly trained parents. Also, some people are just rude. Let them have their way and venture on ahead of you. Places like this are better viewed at your leisure anyways (and if you are lucky a penguin might figure out a way to crap on them over the glass wall).
-Learn your camera. If you are taking pictures through a glass wall, realize that your pop-up flash will render all your pictures worthless, unless you just like looking a picture that resembles something like what you'd see if you went outside at noon and looked straight at the Sun.
-Get the nachos. Probably the best buy here the GA Aquarium's Diner. They put basically anything you want on them and if I remember correctly, they set you back about $4.50.
On to some Pics!
This first shot is something special to me. When I saw the light from the porthole I decided I needed this picture. Then when I saw the replay in the camera I got excited because I knew I nailed it, or at least I hoped. It was almost like waiting for Christmas to get home and throw it on the big screen. I am more than happy with it and as of right now, it is my favorite picture of Dawn and Haiden. I hope you like it. (oh and that is a Whale Shark just to give some perspective to the shot)
More portholes (and a Manta Ray)!
Sea Turtles are friendly
Something something six million gallons....
Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment!
-a
