The Georgia Aquarium
I remember when my school decided to take a field trip to the Georgia Aquarium. We spent all day taking tours around the massive habitats, seeing everything from whale sharks to piranhas to penguins. It was truly a special day. I was filled with so much wonder as I gazed into the walls of glass that held back seas of creatures. We got to pet tiny sharks and rays in the center room before exploring the different sections.
River Scout
The first section I ran to was River Scout. Partly because it grabbed my eye and party because I was (and still am) a huge fan of the 2009 documentary series “River Monsters” with biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade. This section is decorated with earthy greens and browns, and is dark and humid. a stark contrast from the rest of the bright blue aquarium. All around there are fish. There’s bass and gar and piranha, and everything else you could find at the bottom of a river. The main attraction, however, are the river otters. These mammals are so adorable; they dance and play all day long, making everyone’s hearts melt.
Tropical Diver
Probably the first section visited by most guests of the aquarium, this section catches the eye with its color and breadth. The fish in this exhibit are exactly what I would have expected the deep blue ocean to look like after watching Finding Nemo. The best way to describe this exhibit is wonderful, as in full of wonder. The moment I stepped into this exhibit I appreciated how beautiful the natural world is. The jellyfish near the entrance glow a beautiful purple, the fish were made up of vibrant yellows and oranges, and the coral lit up like a rainbow in front of the huge lights beaming into the water mimicking a warm summer’s day.
Cold Water Quest
A fan favorite among just about everyone on my middle school field trip, Cold Water Quest is packed with so many cute animals.
What could be better than an exhibit full of whales, seals, otters, and penguins? clearly not much, as I never wanted to leave this amazing place. The seals and sea otter were just so cute, I just wanted to hop in the enclosure and give them a big hug. I didn’t though, because I was a good rule abiding boy who also had no means to get inside of the locked enclosures.
The beluga whales were absolutely breathtaking. They danced around gracefully in their huge take as they smiled down on all of us. They seemed as fascinated with us as we were with them.
You can’t talk about the Georgia Aquarium without talking about the penguins. Before my field trip group got to the penguin exhibit, we saw a vet taking care of a baby penguin. This was the cutest little bird, and the cuteness didn't stop when we reached the main penguin exhibit. We all got to stand up in this glass dome which let us look face to face with these antarctic birds. Disney world can go to [heck], this was truly a magical experience.
Ocean Voyager
Ocean Voyager sits at the back of the aquarium, as it is best saved for last. This exhibit is Georgia Aquarium’s magnum opus. The aquarium’s website says that “This exhibit was specially designed to house whale sharks, the largest fish species in the world. Schools of predatory trevally jacks, squadrons of small and large stingrays, enormous goliath grouper and several sharks all ply the waters of this ocean habitat.”
There really is nothing like cruising down the moving sidewalk in the ocean voyager tunnel, with manta rays swimming overhead, and schools of fish swimming along. As the website claimed, this habitat is home to whale sharks. That makes this building the only place outside of Asia where you can see a real whale shark behind a piece of glass, and you will never fully appreciate the size of these fish until you see one face to face.
