AT THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM

Housing thousands of species of marine life in over 10 million gallons of water, the Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. Located across the street from Centennial Olympic Park and right next to World of Coca-Cola, the aquarium is right in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The aquarium was the main reason we took our experimental weekend trip to Atlanta.

The area in between the aquarium and World of Coca-Cola is a lovely park called Pemberton Place...named after the inventor of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company donated the land that the aquarium was built on.

And what is there to see in the aquarium...?

Gorgeous coral formations...

Jelly fish...

But the main attraction of the aquarium is its enormous over 6-million gallon exhibit which amazingly houses four (yes, 4!) whale sharks, a swordfish and multiple giant manta rays. The aquarium is the only institution outside Asia which has whale sharks. And they are HUGE!

How about this swordfish? I'd never seen one in person...

And the manta rays, fascinated by the divers' air bubbles, swam in 360 degrees circles in and around the bubbles...

So much else...from delicate seahorses, some of which hang upside down by their tails...

Hundreds of brilliantly-colored fish in all sizes and shapes...

A rare albino alligator...

And adorable penguins...

A benefit of our weekend trip was our aquarium tickets were included in a package deal at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Atlanta. This Marriott is within easy walking distance to the aquarium, and it is located near many popular restaurants. Check out the hotel's website for package deals which may include tickets to various Atlanta sites.

To read my post about our stay at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, click here.

For more information on the Georgia Aquarium, click on its website here.

Thank you for visiting.

A Great Europe Trip Planner

All photos were taken by me at the Georgia Aquarium in August, 2016. Unauthorized use is prohibited.