Griff’s favorite animal is the whale shark. He has been obsessed with sea animals for a couple years now, and most of his birthday and Christmas presents have included some sort of whale, shark or fish stuffy.
Due to his love for sea creatures, we have made a point to visit a bunch of aquariums over the last few years. Every visit has been a blast, and has helped encourage his love for all things under the sea.
When we heard that the Georgia Aquarium has an actual whale shark named Yushan, we knew that a visit there HAD to happen. Unfortunately life kept getting in the way, and our planned visits were continuously put on the back burner.
Thankfully we managed to make it happen over Griff and Owen’s Fall Break last week, and boy am I glad that we did! Now I’m going to share the trip that Adam planned, which was key in making our visit to the Georgia Aquarium a success.
We left around noon to head to Atlanta, and arrived right before dinner time. Traffic in the city wasn’t exactly our friend, but it was key to arrive the night before our visit.
Adam planned for us to stay at the Hyatt Place Atlanta/Centennial Park Hotel. The price wasn’t too bad when we booked via a third party site, and it included a free continental breakfast. But the best part about this hotel is that it is directly across from the aquarium.
Our room actually overlooked the aquarium, so the boys could look out the window and get excited about our upcoming visit.
The hotel is also within walking distance to a couple restaurants, so once we parked the car we could just walk everywhere. That evening we walked to Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks and had the best cheesesteaks of our lives. And that is huge coming from Adam!
After dinner, we just had to walk to the ice cream shop across the street. The Yard Milkshake Bar was absolutely divine! Not only do they have the most delicious ice cream, and the craziest concoctions, but the boys also got to take home these adorable Halloween-themed glass jars.
After a satisfying dinner and dessert, we went straight to bed to rest up for our aquarium adventure the next morning.
This is key, so listen up! We went to the aquarium within the first thirty minutes it opened. This ensured there were zero lines and almost no patrons at the exhibits. I highly recommend this tactic!
As the first couple visitors we got to see Yushan up close and personal, with almost no one around. Let me tell you…it was absolutely magical. Watching him, the other sharks, the stingrays and all the fish swimming in their giant tank without any obstructions made our entire visit worth it.
We got to walk through a tunnel almost alone to explore the sea creatures in their tank, and then could sit in a giant auditorium for a large movie screen-like view with only like twenty other visitors. It was a humbling experience to see these giant sea animals swimming around.
Afterwards we went straight to touch the stingrays. Apparently they are more likely to let you touch them in the morning before more patrons arrive, and you don’t have to fight anyone for a spot in front.
Owen was a little skittish at first, but after deciding to be brave he put his finger in the water and felt the smooth velvet of the stingray. I was so proud of him and he was so proud of himself!
Thankfully we were able to make it to a few more exhibits before the crowds of school children on field trips took over and made the experience less enjoyable.
We could have stayed there all day but decided to duck out after we saw all the things and the crowds got bigger and bigger. But before we left we were able to take in the Dolphin show, which was definitely worth it.
The lights, the effects and the music were on point! We even got to see Halloween skeletons ride on the dolphins! We absolutely loved the show and couldn’t believe all the wonderful tricks that the dolphins had to share. I highly recommend!
In summary, always say yes to the Georgia Aquarium. It was a magical experience and is fun for all ages!
Although we enjoyed it tremendously, I’m not sure we will be back. There are just too many other experiences on our bucket list! But I would love to visit again someday with grandkids if that is in the cards…just had to throw that into the universe.
Have you been to the Georgia Aquarium? If yes, what additional tips can you share?
