The Georgia Aquarium

[Mr.Marc]

Congratulations to the Georgia Aquarium!!!!!

Today the aquarium welcomed it's 1,000,000th customer.

Did the customer get a prize?

[krazeeboi]

I just saw Ludacris on BET hosting a Top 25 videos show from the Aquarium. Of course he got special permission to have it all to himself (and his crew) for the taping of the show. Great publicity for the aquarium, but I think he may have overstated the case by saying that it was the world's largest aquarium.

I can't wait to get down there next week, especially to see the beluga whales. I wish we could have an exhibit as exotic as that at the SC Aquarium down in Charleston, but it's against SC law to hold whales (and dolphins) in captivity.

[Newnan]

It is the world's largest aquarium

[chris holman]

I love the design of the building.

[Martinman]

It is the world's largest aquarium

And at 1 million visitors in 3 months, it doesnt really NEED publicity right now. A lot of locals who were waiting for the initial rush to calm down are still waiting.

[krazeeboi]

It is the world's largest aquarium

Is it really? I could've sworn some foreign aquarium was the world's largest. Well, I stand corrected. At any rate, more great publicity for the attraction never hurts.

[teshadoh]

Is it really? I could've sworn some foreign aquarium was the world's largest. Well, I stand corrected. At any rate, more great publicity for the attraction never hurts.

Try to go on a weekday - Friday afternoon wasn't too bad...

[ironchapman]

Is it really? I could've sworn some foreign aquarium was the world's largest. Well, I stand corrected. At any rate, more great publicity for the attraction never hurts.

The Georgia Aquarium is the world's largest indoor aquarium. There is one in Dubai (Atlantis, I believe it will be called) that will be larger but it will be outdoors. However, it still won't be much bigger than the Georgia Aquarium.

Any help?

[krazeeboi]

^Thanks.

I am planning to go on Friday, so we'll see how it goes.

[ironchapman]

I think it's at least worth mentioning this article from the AJC a couple days ago.

Aquarium spurs Atlanta travel boom

When the Georgia Aquarium opened nearly four months ago, supporters hoped for a haul of 2 million visitors in the first year.

But they landed an even larger catch

[Newnan_Eric]

I think it's at least worth mentioning this article from the AJC a couple days ago.

Aquarium spurs Atlanta travel boom

It's not too much of a surprise really. However, it is good to know thta the aquarium has made such a big splash. Also, going by what the article says, it's not just the aquarium they're going to. They're also going to places like the CNN Center and Centennial Olympic Park (now if only some of Atlanta's other famous attractions were located nearby.)

Any thoughts?

This reminds me about something I've been meaning on posting about.

When my wife, my son, and I were at Centenial Olympic Park a few months ago for ice skating, we had a conversation with a nice young couple from out of town. They had just left the aquarium and had been to Stone Mountain the previous day. They were on their way to the World of Coke (and they had heard of Underground), but wanted to know what else there was to do in town. I suggested the CNN tour since they were right there, and t also suggested Atlantic Station for shopping and maybe a bite to eat.

My point here is this, what would you suggest to someone "off the cuff" for a place to visit here in Atlanta? Keep in mind that this was the dead of winter (though it was a decent day for that time of year) and outdoor venues such as Piedmont Park aren't really an option.

I know that there are other museums and attractions, but this was a young couple that had just gotten engaged. I was trying to think of things that didn't sound too boring, but could be reached without having to drive (they did not have a rental car).

I guess my final point is this...While I don't want Atlanta to turn into Disneyland, we do need to build on the success of the Aquarium. Otherwise, things will surely taper off once the newness wears off.

[atlmangum]

^^^What about Fernbank Museum of Natural History?

[UrbanAtl]

My favorite forgotten Atlanta attraction is the Michael C. Carlos museum. It's something like the fourth highest rated archeological museum in the US.

[Martinman]

Think the aquarium reached 1 million visitors quick?

The Georgia Aquarium says it's on track to have 1.5 million visitors in its first 140 days of operation.

That would quicken the pace for downtown Atlanta's newest attraction. It took the fish tank 98 days to reel in its first million visitors.

Also they are extending the hours (8am-8pm) and reducing the number of visitors allowed in at one time (from 6,000 down to 4,000).

Business Chronicle

[Lady Celeste]

Also they are extending the hours (8am-8pm) and reducing the number of visitors allowed in at one time (from 6,000 down to 4,000).

That is a definite plus. My only complaint was that it was too crowded. Crowds equal success but you also want your paying patrons to enjoy the experience. Once the crowds thin out, we will go again.

[Lady Celeste]

The Georgia Aquarium has welcomed two new arrivals. Alice and Trixie have joined Ralph and Norton at the Georgia Aquarium. There are now four whale sharks swiming freely. Looks like it's time to revisit the aquarium. Which by the way is well on it's way to reaching 3,000,000 visitors in it's first year.

Georgia's population of whale sharks

[chasedodge]

The Georgia Aquarium has welcomed two new arrivals. Alice and Trixie have joined Ralph and Norton at the Georgia Aquarium. There are now four whale sharks swiming freely. Looks like it's time to revisit the aquarium. Which by the way is well on it's way to reaching 3,000,000 visitors in it's first year.

Read more here:

U\UcTYWYWZV&urcm=y]Georgia Aquarium Welcomes Alice and Trixie

Well that's good to hear. I am going to the aquarium for the first time on June 17th(my sister's birthday), so I guess it is a good thing I haven't been yet, since I will be one of the first to see the new whale sharks.

[AubieTurtle]

One of the interesting things about living near the aquarium is that I get to know something big is up before it hits the papers. They normally deliver large animals like these at 2 or 3 in the morning and don't inform anyone. The road is just suddenly blocked as very slow moving trucks creep on in. All the real action happens on the loading docks, so you can't see that part.

I thought about getting a ticket for today to see all four whale sharks swimming around but my air conditioner is not working so I've spent today trying to figure out what's wrong with it.

[Topped Out]

Wow, that's incredible news about two new sharks at the GA Aquarium. I was at the aquarium about a month ago for a company meeting in the ballroom (a very nice facility, by the way). You can watch the beluga whales from the non-crowed side of the tank and the main tank with the whale sharks is visible as well.

The two whale sharks they had when I visited I thought were quite impressive and I was informed that they are not yet full grown. I wonder if these two new whale sharks are about the same size as the two already swimming around in the aquarium.

[chasedodge]

The two whale sharks they had when I visited I thought were quite impressive and I was informed that they are not yet full grown. I wonder if these two new whale sharks are about the same size as the two already swimming around in the aquarium.

The new female sharks are 11 and 14 feet, where I saw somewhere that the male sharks are now 18 feet after being transported to Atlanta at similar lengths as the new female sharks are.

[SkyDave]

It's amazing how popular the Aquarium has become. It is definaitely on my agenda to visit the next time I'm in Atlanta.

[ironchapman]

I just went to the Georgia Aquarium today.

Let me just say I was very impressed by what I saw. So many beautiful exhibits! The whale sharks (as well as their HUGE habitat) and belugas were definitely the best exhibits, but there were somany other great exhibits. I particularly enjoyed the tropical section (probably because I have an aquarium of tropical fish at home), the otters, and the penguins (for some reason, I love those little birds).

Definitely worth the visit.

[Lady Celeste]

Well, the Georgia Aquarium has done it. This week the newly opened facility expects to greet is 3,000,000th visitor. Such a great milestone since the last time an attraction has done this, it was the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago on it's opening year.

To read about this exciting milestone, visit here:

Georgia Aquarium lands big numbers

From the article:

Aquarium officials initially projected the first year's attendance at 2.1 million, but that figure was breached after just 6 months of operation as visitors packed the ship-shaped facility in downtown Atlanta to gaze at its 100,000-plus critters, including beluga whales, sea otters and the only whale sharks outside Asia.

"I think for the first 12 months, we'll probably be around 3.5 million visitors," said Jeff Swanagan, the aquarium's executive director.

For comparison, the Atlanta Braves had an attendance of 2.52 million people last year, up about 200,000 people from the previous year.

Also of interest:

Consultants initially gave aquarium officials a "low-ball" figure of 1.8 million visitors for the first 12 months and a high estimate of 2.4 million, Swanagan said. The facility, however, generated a mountain of publicity and was featured on CNN, ABC, Fox and NBC's "Today" show. Major newspapers have featured it on their travel pages. Reader's Digest named it to the "America's 100 Best" list, dubbing it the nation's "Best Ocean Voyage."

The crowds became so large the aquarium had to extend its operating hours, increase hiring and implement procedures to limit the number of visitors inside the building to about 4,000 at any one time. They have already begun replacing the carpet, worn thin well before its time.

It's great to see this attraction flourish. As many other attractions are added, the downtown area; along with it's growing residential population, will be abuzz with people.

[DruidCity]

Although I'm putting off going there until the crowds back off a little, I look forward to seeing it.

Hopefully, Atlanta will add even more attractions of this caliber.

[Lady Celeste]

I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere in the Atlanta forum but the world's largest aquarium is about to get larger.

According to an article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the aquarium will be increased by 30,000 square feet. This is a much needed addition. Even more important in the article is the statement that the Oceans ballroom will now have a Allen Boulevard entrance. This should alleviate some on concern that the World of Coca~Cola and the Georgia Aquarium turned their backs to the boulevard. This will definitely help keep the urban momentum going in that part of town.

To read the full story, visit here:

World's largest aquarium to get even bigger

Some facts:

The Georgia Aquarium, which opened opened Nov. 23, 2005, originally predicted it would get 2.4 million visitors during its first year. It had its 1 millionth guest in its first 98 days and recorded its 3 millionth visitor on Aug. 23.

The Georgia Aquarium has had the most visitors of any U.S. aquarium since the Shedd Aquarium opened during the World's Fair in Chicago 75 years ago.

The Georgia Aquarium has more than 8 million gallons of marine and fresh water and 120,000 animals of 500 different species.