Are you visiting Atlanta, Georgia, and want to learn about sea creatures and other wildlife? If so, the Georgia Aquarium is a fun place to learn about wild aquatic life up close. The Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. It's also home to some of the most memorable aquarium shows. From the Georgia Aquarium dolphin show to the sea lion presentation, there's no limit to the aquatic animals showing off their uniqueness.
The following are eight impressive Georgia Aquarium exhibits you must experience. This guide will walk you through the top exhibits to see on your next visit to the Georgia Aquarium.
8 Can't-Miss Aquatic Exhibits at Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium features so many marine animals and global habitats that you can make multiple visits and have a new experience each time. Eight Georgia aquarium exhibits feature different replications of various aquatic habitats worldwide.
Let's dive into the top exhibits in Atlanta's most popular aquarium that you can't miss.
1. Dolphin Coast: Admire Dolphins Both in Lobby and Theater
Dolphin Coast is home to the Georgia Aquarium's pod of common bottlenose dolphins. You can see the majestic creatures in the gallery or watch the aquarium's thrilling dolphin show. You can even get wet if you sit in the "Splash Zone," where there's a chance you could get sprayed.
The dolphin trainers will show off their relationship with the dolphins, and you can witness how special their bond is. And if you're interested in touching or feeding the dolphins, you can opt for a face-to-face dolphin encounter experience.
2. Aquanaut Adventure: Discover Animal Survival
Aquanaut Adventure is a 45-minute learning adventure for all ages. You will want to take advantage of this interactive exhibit, especially if you have kids. You'll get a first-hand look at how the researchers study the extreme habitats in which some of the world's aquatic life lives.
You'll get a hands-on lesson in the science and technology that go into studying marine life. After the experience, you can earn a certificate of achievement and become a real-life Georgia Aquarium Aquanaut.
3. Cold Water Quest: The Iciest Waters
Cold Water Quest is an exhibit highlighting how marine life thrives in the coldest waters of the oceans across the planet. You can find beluga whales, penguins, sea otters, sea lions, and more.
The exhibit features a large crawl tunnel with windows to play peek-a-boo with some of the wildlife. You'll watch the African penguins swim around and see the exquisite horned puffins dive down from their perch.
You can also purchase animal encounters here to spend intimate moments with the beluga whale, penguin, or sea otter.
4. Ocean Voyager: Giant Acrylic Tunnel View
Ocean Voyager is the Georgia Aquarium's biggest exhibit and home to the largest fish in existence today, the whale shark. This exhibit features a 100-foot-long acrylic tunnel that allows visitors to observe the wildlife in this gallery from many different angles.
You'll also get to witness other giants, including the goliath grouper, the giant grouper, the blacktip reef shark, and more. Some smaller but still note-worthy species in this grand exhibit include sting rays, green sea turtles, and several colorful fish species.
5. Sharks Gallery: Exciting Experience
SHARKS! Predators of the Deep is one of the newest additions to Georgia's Aquarium. This exhibit is home to some of the world's greatest sharks in a 20-foot-deep tank with a floor-to-ceiling view for visitors to observe. You'll see the great hammerhead shark, silky shark, tiger shark, silvertip shark, and sand tiger shark.
A shark and ray interaction is also available if you want to get in the water and swim around with the animals in the gallery.
6. River Scout: Explore the American Rivers
River Scout is a freshwater gallery featuring wildlife from various rivers in Africa, Asia, South America, and locally in Georgia. The River Scout gallery holds over 90,000 gallons of water. This habitat features logjams, waterfalls, and an overhead North American-style river.
Some freshwater creatures to see here include the Asian small-clawed otter, fire eel, black-spotted piranha, giant puffer, and various turtles. There's also a glass-bottom alligator exhibit where you can watch a white alligator and other American alligators in their natural habitats.
7. Tropical Diver: Discover the Indo-Pacific Coral Reef
You can explore the colorful coral reef in the Tropical Diver exhibit. In this recreation of a coral reef, you'll witness thousands of Indo-Pacific tropical fish and over 200 species of living coral.
You'll see something in every color: a blue-spotted stingray, translucent moon jelly, a bright big-bellied seahorse, an orange clown anemonefish, a sea green moray eel, and many other colorful underwater creatures.
8. Truist Pier 225: Enjoy the Sea Lions
Trust Pier 225 is a replica of a California pier. Here, you'll interact with the highly social California sea lions. These sea lions have been rescued, and you'll learn why their natural habitat is threatened.
You can get free Georgia Aquarium photos taken with a species of pinniped and enjoy educational arcade games. Animatronics designed by Jim Henson perform classic 80's and 90's music as part of this exhibit.
If you are interested in a sea lion encounter, you can spend 30 minutes touring the sea lion facility, get a training session with the animal trainers, and interact with the sea lions up close.
Enjoy Your Georgia Aquarium Visit at a Discount With a CityPASS® Ticket
Now you know what to expect at the Georgia Aquarium, but did you know that the next time you visit Atlanta, there's a way to enjoy it even more? You can get discounted tickets to the Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, the World of Coca-Cola, and more when you bundle and save with Atlanta CityPASS® tickets. You can enjoy Atlanta's top things to do without spending a fortune.
Lodging in Atlanta
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Booking.comHeader Image Courtesy of Georgia Aquarium