Can I tell you that I’ve been fiending a trip to the Atlanta Aquarium for 3 years? But this summer I fiiiinally made it there along with my daughter and beau who were visiting from California. On the first attempt, we we almost wrecked the car into a sign that said, “All tickets are sold out for the day.” Arghhhhhhh! Can you imagine my disappointment? That was painful. And the little parking attendant said to me, “I know you’ve had dreams all your life of being a mermaid… but not today!” I looked over at Jay and said, what the hell? We chucked wondering if he had come up with that all by himself, and just how many times he had said that this day, lol.” (He seemed “ a little slow.” Annnyhowwwww, we made a U-turn and was forced to go to with plan B. Determined to come back bright and early (ish) the following day, we opted on purchasing the tickets online ahead of time to insure entry. The little parking attendant dude redeemed himself by giving us a break on our parking. God bless him! Pschhhhe, “Dreaming of being a mermaid…” INDEED, Don’t let these young good looks fool, ya… I am in my 50’s. Plus, I can’t even be sure who he was looking to, he had something going on with his eyes… just kidding, lol.
The parking deck was packed, we finally found a spot, after about 15 minutes. Old as I am, I had to refrain from trotting to the entrance. I was feeling like a kid in a candy shop, eyes wide and looking in every direction at once. Coming into a very wide-open round space, a cross between a multi-level Mall “food court” and a movie theatre, every direction was calling… so many interesting things to look at and experience. SeaWorld in San Diego, CA and “Shamu” were the last Waterworld attraction I’ve seen and that was in the 1980’s. (Shhhhh, I' don’t want to hear it, yes it’s been quite a while.) But it was outdoors, by the ocean… lt’s pretty much like being on a different planet. Still, Atlanta’s Aquarium is bright, fresh looking, and elegant with modern architecture (just as good if not better than the previously mention sea life attraction.)
There are many rooms that are set up like a zoo, having animals, turtles, and fish behind thick glass there were some open tanks such as the sting ray petting exhibit and my favorite, the curiously beautiful Albino Alligators. One was lying underneath the heat lamp, palms up, soaking in the artificial sun. Whenever the orator spoke his name, he opened one piercing pink eye for the briefest of moments to say “Yo, what’s up.” Now, I’m not real proud of it but I did wonder what albino alligator skinned shoes, a belt and a purse might look like…I know, I know, how terrible! They were rare and sooo beautiful… so I quickly shook the thought from my mind. Oh don’t look at me like that, I’m quite sure I wasn’t the only diva who thought so. Moving on…
My second favorite attraction was underneath the huge tank. I’ve never seen a people mover-conveyor belt like the one at the airport used in this way before. On-lookers glide through a tunnel UNDER the huge tank, spaced and without bumping into one another, what a brilliant idea! . What a wonder it is to see the sea life in this way. It felt like you could just reach out and touch their under bellies. It was like a 2-lane highway, except all the traffic, strollers and clogging was in lane 2. If I had to choose one favorite “fishy animal,” said my inner child… it would be the giant Manna Ray.
On the way to my top pick, I made a pit stop to the jelly fish exhibit. The area was very dark but lit up by the iridescent glow of the mesmerizing and fluid phantom looking fish, that inflated and deflated, floating up and drifting down continuously while onlookers oogled and ahhed. Why I though of the cartooned Will Smith in Shark Tale (Dreamwors, 2004) lol, idk… I could’ve stood there for hours more in a trance staring at the colors, marveling at the movement and wondering what the shock of touching them feels like. The creativity of our God, smh. But I had one more visual feast to get to…my top pick!
The Biggest biggest, clearest tank I’ve ever experienced, the home of the 3 Whale Sharks. My first thought was, outside looking in is a much better deal … a shark swam past my face, his eyes locked with mine for an infinitesimal second and it chilled me to the bone. Oooooo, yep that is why I struggle with the idea of snorkeling. And then like a huge floating bus came one of the 3 whale sharks, massive, toothless, and intimidating. So much to look at… Baluga whales, hammerhead sharks, manna rays and various types of fish, including a school of silver fish whose formation was continuously dispersed and re-aligned after intruding sharks and others swam through their ranks (reminded me of “Finding Nemo” and Dory.)
And I loved it all. If you should make your way here to Atlanta, The Aquarium is a must see for families and individuals. If you are not a fan crowds, like myself, let me suggest an off-season weekday.