A Guide to Visiting the Georgia Aquarium

Visit one of the largest aquariums in the world! The Georgia Aquarium is home to hundreds of aquatic species and thousands of animals. Find out more about visiting the world-class Georgia Aquarium in this in-depth guide.

Visiting the Georgia Aquarium is a fun and educational experience that will bring you face-to-face with some of the world’s most interesting aquatic creatures. This guide will provide you with all the information needed to make your trip to the Georgia Aquarium an unforgettable experience.

Read on to find out what makes the Georgia Aquarium a must-visit Atlanta destination and to get an insider’s guide to making the most of your visit.

About the Georgia Aquarium

The Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the western hemisphere and one of the largest in the world. This award-winning aquarium is home to hundreds of aquatic species in more than 10 million gallons of water.

A visit to the aquarium takes you from the cold waters of arctic animals to the largest species of fish viewed through one of the world’s largest viewing windows.

Georgia Aquarium Habitats

The aquarium currently has seven main galleries, each reflecting specific ocean environments. Dive in for an adventure through the seas!

Ocean Voyager

Ocean Voyager is the Georgia Aquarium’s largest exhibit. This exhibit has the world’s largest indoor aquatic habitat, a 100-foot underwater tunnel, and one of the world’s largest viewing windows. This exhibit alone contains more than 6.3 million gallons of water and is home to more than 50 species.

This is where you’ll find the whale shark habitat, giant manta ray, and other large fish.

The Georgia Aquarium is the only aquarium outside of Asia that houses whale sharks. Naturally, the whale shark exhibit is one of the major attractions.

Just hop on the moving sidewalk an let it take you on a conveyor belt ride through the underwater tunnel while the whale sharks and other giant creatures swim above you.

Dolphin Coast

Dolphin Coast features the aquarium’s pod of common bottlenose dolphins. You can view the dolphins through the viewing window in the lobby and during a show in the dolphin theater.

The dolphin show is a live training demonstration that will educate you on the aquarium’s efforts in dolphin preservation and plenty of fun marine facts. The show is included in your admission ticket, but seating is first-come, first-served. Show times vary, but each show lasts about 20-30 minutes and seating fills up fast.

Sharks! Predators of the Deep

Sharks! Predators of the Deep is the aquarium’s newest exhibit. It’s one of the largest shark exhibits in North America with 1.2 million gallons of water measuring 20 feet deep. You’ll come face-to-face with the ocean’s most recognizable, and most misunderstood, apex predators.

Cold Water Quest

Cold Water Quest is a look at the aquatic animals of the arctic. Here, you can see sea otters, beluga whales, harbor seals, and African penguins. Crawl through tunnels under the penguin exhibit to take a selfie with the penguins!

River Scout

All water from rivers eventually finds its way into the ocean. In the River Scout gallery, you’ll explore the animals found in the rivers of Africa, South America, Asia, and nearby in Georgia. Animals on view include alligator snapping turtles, archerfish, Asian small clawed otters, piranha, and more.

Tropical Diver

The Tropical Diver gallery is a colorful exhibit arranged like a gallery of living art. There are more than 200 species of coral on display with over 90 species represented, including garden eels, colorful reef fish, seahorses, fairy basslets, and jellyfish. This gallery contains one of the largest living reef exhibits in the world.

Aquanaut Adventure

Aquanaut Adventure: A Discovery Zone is a fun exhibit that teaches you what it takes for animals to survive and thrive in the Earth’s harshest environments. This exhibit is kid-centric (but it’s not just for kids!) with a rope bridge, plenty of interactive exhibits, and more than 15 species.

Things to Do at the Georgia Aquarium

Discover more things to do on your visit to the Georgia Aquarium.

See a Show

The Georgia Aquarium has a Dolphin Presentation and a Sea Lion Presentation. These educational shows are fun and informative. Both shows are included in your admission, but seats can fill up fast, especially for the dolphin show, so you should reserve your seat on the day of your visit.

Have an Animal Encounter

Encounter your favorite marine animals. The aquarium offers encounters with dolphins, penguins, sea lions, sharks, and rays.

You can also go for a dive and swim with whale sharks and manta rays, or do a shark cave dive.

Go Behind the Seas

Take a backstage tour behind the scenes where you get to see the inner workings of the aquarium’s most popular exhibits and come close to the aquarium’s animals from the topsides of the galleries.

Attend Special Events and Programming

The Georgia Aquarium hosts a number of special events and programs throughout the year. You can book a Sleepover and sleep with the fish. There are special family and educational events like Yoga By the Water and Camp H20. And there are adult-only events like Sips Under the Sea.

Shop at the Gift Shop

The aquarium’s gift shop offers all kinds of apparel, accessories, toys, souvenirs, and sustainable gifts. The gift shop is open during museum hours and is only accessible with admission to the aquarium.

Eat at Café Aquaria

Café Aquaria is the aquarium’s dining hall. They offer combo meals with chicken tenders, pizza, or a cheeseburger. You can also grab-n-go a selection of packaged wraps, sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, cheese pizza, snacks beverages, and desserts.

The café opens 30 minutes after the aquarium opens and closes 1 hour before the aquarium closes for the day. There is also a Rotunda Bar that opens at 12 p.m. daily and closes 30 minutes before the aquarium closes.

Visiting the Georgia Aquarium

Address: 225 Baker St NW, Atlanta, GA 30313

Admission: Tickets to the Georgia Aquarium cost $47.99 when bought the day of your visit, or $42.99 when bought in advance. Tickets are the same price regardless of age, but children ages 2 and under are free.

Get discounted tickets using the Atlanta CityPASS.

Admission to the Georgia Aquarium requires you select an arrival time. You have a 1-hour grace period from your selected arrival time.

Access to the Dolphin Presentation and the Sea Lion Presentation are included in your admission. You can make a reservation for a show on the day of your visit.

Hours: The aquarium is open Mondays through Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Parking: The Georgia Aquarium parking deck is accessed via the entrances on Luckie Street or Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Parking for aquarium guests costs $12 with a pre-paid parking pass, and general parking costs $17.

Georgia Aquarium FAQ

| Save on admission to Atlanta’s top attractions using the Atlanta CityPASS.

• A Weekend in Atlanta with the Atlanta CityPASS: Itinerary
• Atlanta on a Budget: 10 Tips for a Cheap Trip
• 10 Top-Rated Museums in Atlanta You Must Visit
• 2 Days in Atlanta, Georgia: The Perfect Weekend Itinerary

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Ready to visit Atlanta, Georgia? Plan your trip with these tips.

• Get Familiar With the City: Check out my Ultimate Guide to Atlanta to help plan your trip!
• Book Your Flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
• Find Accommodation: You can find top hotels in Atlanta using Booking.com.
• Save on Attractions: Save 42% on admission to Atlanta’s top attractions using the Atlanta CityPASS.

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Cheers!

Paige

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