See a Shark as Big as a School Bus!
Happy mid-winter to our Northern Hemisphere friends! We had the opportunity travel to Atlanta this weekend for an amazing adventure with Delta airlines. We are going to share more about that next week. This week, we thought we’d take you to see a shark as big as a school bus! Join us for an underwater adventure at the Georgia Aquarium.
The Biggest Aquarium in the World (until 2005)
As you know, Stephen and I are “zoothusiasts”. But we are also aquarium enthusiasts – “aquathusiasts”, I guess. So we are rather versatile! You may remember our trip to Osaka in 2023, where we first saw a whale shark. If not, be sure to catch a peek here when you have a few minutes.
We got to Atlanta early Friday and had the whole day with no specific agenda. Once we got lunch, our thoughts turned to the eternal travel question, “what’s next?”. It only took us a few moments to think of the Georgia Aquarium and and to check out their website. Not only is it one of the biggest aquariums in the world, it is the only one in the USA with whale sharks! $100 later, we were making our way through the massive lobby.
Inside the Georgia Aquarium
Our first “holy cow” of the day came when we walked through the entrance and saw the amazing concourse. Most of these amazingly colorful archways lead to natural exhibits. But visually, it felt like a huge mall, or maybe an amusement park.
Sharks! Predators of the Deep
With all 7 halls before us, we quickly decided our first stop would be to see the sharks. I mean, after all, why wait to see the stars of the show?
Right outside the exhibit is the jaw of a megalodon, a prehistoric shark. As you can see, their jaws can open widely enough to swallow a standing man. However, they were SHORTER than a full grown whale shark by more than 10 feet!
Once inside, we were treated to a massive tank, filled with all sorts of wonderful sharks. Just past that, we saw an even LARGER tank. It was our second “holy cow” of the day. The tank holds more than 3 million gallons of water, giant mantra rays and TWO whale sharks. (The whale sharks caused multiple “holy cow” moments.)
Next Up…River Scout
This exhibit starts out with piranhas, moves to rivers otters and ends with alligators. I mean, WHAT??
Dolphins and Beluga Whales
The Beluga whales are part of a cold water exhibit that includes sea otters and giant Japanese spider crabs. We think it was feeding time when we first got there because all the whales were bobbing like sticks, with their heads above the water. After a few minutes, we were treated to at least six whales swimming all around the tank.
Jelly Fish and Octopus
These wonders of the sea were up next and best of all, the octopus was VERY active. He (or she) squished their way through the red straps and netting before heading to the back of its enclosure. And the jellyfish? Well, they are always spectacular!
Moray Eels a Plenty
There was a tank that held what looked like the remains of a ship. Out of one of the pipes, was the guy on the left. His tail was a good six feet away from where we saw his smiling face. And the guy on the right was making his way through a horizontal pipe. I had no idea they would be SO GREEN.
All the Vibes
Even the spaces “in-between” the main tanks were spectacular. Well worth the price of admission and the two hours we spent with our aquatic friends. (Had Stephen NOT lead the way, I may still be there!)
Join us next week as we unpack our amazing adventure with Delta airlines at the Road Warrior Experience. If you dig cute animals, fun spaces, running stories and craft brews – join our tribe! And for peeks of our adventures in real time, follow us on Instagram at The__Travel__Oracle.
