Well Jenn and I just got back from the GA Aquarium; today was my first trip and it was Jenn's second.
Now, keep in mind I've worked in the industry for the past six years and have sold to, and consulted with, several PAQ's over the years. I am not easily impressed let alone shocked and awed as I've seen and handled most of the species, with the exception of things like the Belugas and Whale Sharks, that PAQ's keep these days.
We found it very easy to get to the aquarium from I-75 and find parking, we were able to park right next to the main elevators and were inside within minutes.
We had reservations but there were no lines when we got there, we simply walked right in. We had an 11am appointment but walked in the door at 10:50 and they were still taking plenty of walk-ins, probably 12 people in line, for the 11am slot. As we were leaving at 3pm, there were no lines for either advanced reservations nor walk-ins. The wait time for season pass photos was only 30 minutes.
Throughout the whole day, crowds were relatively light for a public aquarium. I expected a lot worse judging by some of the negative posts read here and on other forums. The only complaints I had related to crowding was trying to find a seat for lunch. The definitely need more seating for the food court OR they need to police the seating because there were plenty of people just loitering and not eating. It took us about 12 minutes to find a seat for lunch after buying our food.
I found the livestock to be in extremely fine health based on experiences with other PAQ's I've visited and worked with all over the world. Since Jenn was last there, Gasper (one of the Belugas) has put on noticeable weight and lesions are healing very well. Red Snappers deifintely showed signs of scuffing but didn't look as bad as some have made them out to be.
The big reef is growing out nicely and the acroporas seem to be growing in quite well despite how deep they are down in the tank. Yes, there were a lot of
yellow tangs in there but just try diving in Hawaii sometime and you'll see almost nothing but a cloud of yellow. No more diatoms in the reef but there was still some green left but quite a few tangs were picking away at it.
One exhibit was shutdown, the sea nettles, but not sure why.
The interior layout didn't make it feel like it was the largest aquarium in the world. Had I not known ahead of time that there was 8 million gallons of water in there, I would have thought it was much smaller compared to other aquariums I've been in. This really isn't a complaint, I found it very easy to walk around and see everthing.
The only other complaint I have, and the food court seating may be a bit trivial to some, was how the volunteers weren't consitant with their facts and got some things wrong. For example, the first time through Ocean Voyager, the annoucer said the acrylic panel was 29' tall but the second time through a different annoucer said it was 26' tall and that the pilot fish only grew to a foot and a half in size. The last time I checked, they grew to almost 4' in length. There were a few other inconsitancies and incorrect facts overheard.
Overall, I was pleased with the operation here in Atlanta and it's a fine addition to the city. It's only going to get better as time goes on.
My favorite exhibits were probably the cold water australia tanks as I like a lot of the species from this region especially the Red/White Boxfish which was very healthy. I also liked the really fat solerensis wrasse and the big male flame wrasse although the female flames I have in the shop now looked better than their females did. Too bad that there was no
flame angel in the flame angel tank.
No regrets in buying a season pass.
- JT
PS. People who drive strollers should be required to go through training and be licensed. Pedestrians should also be able to hand out parking tickets for strollers as there were plenty left abandoned in the middle of walking areas.
