I love aquariums. The collage of color, with denizens of the deep flying across an inverse sky. Jovial clownfish who skit through a dense kelp forest, while menacing armored crabs patrol below. And alabaster jellyfish performing a dance macabre against impenetrable darkness. Alright; so that’s a bit too much, but you get the idea. Aquariums bring out the poet in me.
I had the blessing of visiting the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta Georgia a while back. When the aquarium was built in 2005, it was the largest in the world, a title it held until 2012 when it was surpassed by the ‘Marine Life Park’ in Singapore. The aquarium houses over one hundred thousand marine animals and contains over 10 million gallons of both fresh and salt water.
The whale shark is the largest fish in the world. The aquarium has four (two males and two females) These are all still growing. A full-grown whale shark can be over 30ft long and weigh up to 20 tons. They’re actually benign despite the shark name and eat plankton.
The aquarium is located next to the centennial park with ‘The World of Coca-Cola” and the CNN Center within a very short walking distance. The admission for the Georgia Aquarium is nearly $40.00, but there’s a 20% early bird and a 30% evening discount available.