Ack! We’ve been home from Atlanta for over two weeks and I only just realized we never shared our other animal-filled adventure there. This visit was more aquatic than the zoo trip, and it deserves its own recap.
In addition to the zoo, the Bowers took us to the Georgia Aquarium, and it was absolutely amazing. I haven’t been to a lot of aquariums, so maybe I’m easily impressed, but this place had so much to see and so many interactive opportunities for kids that we wandered around with our mouths open for three or four hours.
You may have seen a few of these photos in a previous post we shared, but we added quite a few new shots here. Katie will probably post some superior photos later—she’s the photographer of the group—but there was no shortage of bubbles, tubes, and portholes for the kids (and the adults) to peer through for up-close views of sea life.
Sherry deserves credit for capturing a sweet moment with a penguin. Clara and I only stayed inside the viewing area for a short time before a flood of excited tweens pushed us along, but Sherry’s quick eye grabbed a nice shot.
Jeremy Bower’s face said it all as we waited in a long plastic tube for our turn to pop up and see the penguins. The crowd of children closing in felt a bit like a small stampede—definitely not for the claustrophobic.
Like the Maui Ocean Center we visited earlier in the year, this aquarium featured one of those large walk-through tunnels that surrounds you with fish on all sides. In some photos it might look like a single fish, but in person it’s a mesmerizing experience. Clara was fascinated, and we were grateful this aquarium didn’t require an overnight flight to enjoy.
You already saw a sequence of Clara snuggling up by the dolphin tank, but the visit didn’t end as sweetly as it began. Her attempt at affection there didn’t get quite the response she hoped for—that face of rejection was hard to miss. Fortunately, Will returned some affection when it was time to climb onto a seahorse-inspired play feature, so there was plenty of cuteness to go around.
As charming as the kids were and as impressive as the aquarium’s interactive features are, the real show was the animals themselves. Some of the best exhibits were the simplest: large tanks that invited you to stand back, relax, and just stare. Those moments of quiet observation are often the most memorable.
Even the jellyfish exhibits were stunning. Their graceful movements and glowing forms felt almost hypnotic, and they were some of the most peaceful displays in the whole facility.
Sherry joked that a few of the creatures reminded her of Snorks from the old cartoons, and it’s true—some of the fish had delightfully whimsical shapes and colors that sparked our imaginations.
Our last stop, and perhaps our favorite, was the giant tank that houses the whale sharks. Those enormous, graceful animals are breathtaking in person. We could have watched them for ages as they cruised through the blue, seemingly indifferent to the crowd of spectators who were equally captivated.
Not everyone lasted until the end, though. The dim, soothing lights of that exhibit put Will right to sleep—out cold in minutes. Clara followed suit only a bit later during the drive home, proof that a day full of wonder can be wonderfully exhausting for little ones.
So that was the end of our visit. We’re no travel experts, but if you’re planning something to do in Atlanta with kids or as a family outing, we highly recommend the Georgia Aquarium. It’s a place where interactive displays, calm observation areas, and spectacular large-animal exhibits come together to create a memorable day for visitors of all ages.