Georgia Aquarium

Back in February, Zara had another week off school. (They get a lot of weeks off. I only remember getting Christmas and spring break, but I digress.) Being some form of masochist, I decided to take all three kids by myself to the Georgia Aquarium because they were running a special admission deal. We had visited once before before we had kids and I had wanted to visit again to see if purchasing a membership would be worth it. Aquariums are great for when the weather is too cold/hot or rainy and the zoo or park won't do.

 The Georgia Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the country and it does have some very impressive animals (like these beluga whales) and tanks. They even have a dolphin show which was delightful.

But I have to admit that after working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and visiting many others (including the Chattanooga Aquarium recently), the Georgia Aquarium is not my favorite. In part, it is because it is very crowded and not well laid out. It is terribly difficult to navigate with kids and especially when you are a lone parent with three kids and clearly not able to handle them all. But the biggest part is that it feels like a commercial aquarium that cares more about its big flashy displays and corporate sponsors rather than educating the public about marine life. 

I never feel like I come away any wiser about marine life or conservation issues which was the number one focus at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Still, the kids enjoyed themselves and loved to watch the fish. 

 They probably would have stayed there all day if I weren't so burned out and tired from coraling three kids all day. And since the aquarium is so crowded with narrow corridors, I couldn't bring my double stroller which would have made the trip so much easier.

So in the end, I'm glad we came for a visit. At least I have decided once and for all that an aquarium membership is not worth the price.

But watching all those fish swim around in those giant tanks was strangely soothing.