Lisa and I just got back from a fabulous 9-day vacation to the south. We headed out on May 16th and returned home on the 25th. I love to go on long trips. There is something about watching the landscape change. As you travel south, you can watch the trees change from hardwoods to pines to palms. It is something to see. Of course, the hills and mountains flatten out as you get closer to the ocean! And the ocean air! It is surely something. I just love that smell!
Our first day of traveling took us to Atlanta, Georgia. We checked into a Ramada and had a good night’s sleep after a long day of traveling. I know that it doesn’t take that long to get to Atlanta…about 5 hours. But…Lisa and I always take our time when we are heading south. We only rush when we are heading back home!
The next day, we visited a truly remarkable place…the Georgia Aquarium. I have been to a few aquariums in my life, so I wasn’t really expecting anything all that special. Was I wrong! This place literally took my breath away!
The Georgia Aquarium, located in Atlanta, Georgia at Pemberton Place, is billed as the "world's largest aquarium" with more than 8.1 million US gallons of marine and fresh water housing more than 100,000 animals of 500 different species. The aquarium's notable specimens include four young whale sharks and three beluga whales.
The aquatic animals are displayed in five different galleries, Georgia Explorer, Tropical Diver, Ocean Voyager, Cold- Water Quest, and River Scout. They each correspond to a specific environment. At 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 second exhibit, River Scout, also reflects regional environments. It features an overhead river where visitors can see North American fish from the bottom up. In addition to local specimens, this exhibit displays piranha, electric fish, and other unusual freshwater life.
The third section of the aquarium, Cold Water Quest, features animals from the polar regions of the world and contains most of the mammals in the aquarium's collection. This exhibit includes beluga whales in the aquarium's second largest habitat, California sea lions, Japanese spider crabs, and African black-footed penguins.
The fourth exhibit, entitled Ocean Voyager, includes the vast majority of the aquarium's water and almost 100,000 fish. This exhibit is designed to feature the life of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, and showcases the aquarium's whale sharks, as well as a 100 foot underwater tunnel and the world's second largest viewing window. Lisa and I really enjoyed going through this tunnel while the fish swam all around us!
The final exhibit takes an artistic turn, as the Tropical Diver exhibit features many curious and haunting forms of aquatic life including a living reef with live coral.
I have to say that I loved both the Tropical Diver exhibit and the Ocean Voyager exhibit the best of all. The Tropical Diver exhibit’s living reef was just fascinating. I felt like I was under the ocean…observing exotic fish like a scuba diver would! The Ocean Explorer was a favorite of many people, based on the size of the crowd. The large glass window opened up an undersea world that many people will never get to see for real. That is why aquariums are so great. They allow the everyday person to see what life is like in the vastly unexplored ocean.
Lisa and I had a great lunch at the café in the aquarium. The food is a little pricy, but we split a lunch. You can easily do this because the servings are HUGE. We had chicken tenders, fries, two drinks, and a chocolate chip cookie. The cost was $18…but we split the meal so it was like $9 each….a typical lunch cost.
One last thing that we had the opportunity to see was the 4-D adventure film that took us “under the sea.” It was a 3-D film so the fish and other onscreen characters appeared to be jumping right toward us. Also, the seats would splash drops of water to enhance the feeling of “realness.” The scene with the jellyfish even included fake tentacles that brushed against us so that it seemed like we were really there.
The Georgia Aquarium contains between 100,000 to 120,000 fish and other sea creatures, representing more than five hundred species. The aquarium's most famous specimens are the whale sharks and the beluga whales. These large sea creatures are a sight to see! Also, the Georgia Aquarium is currently the only one in the United States to exhibit a Great Hammerhead Shark.
I didn’t want to leave this fascinating place, but we still had to make it to Florida for the rest of our vacation. I’ll let you know about it next week! Until next week….class dismissed!
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