Atlanta Travel Forum

Our family will be going to Atlanta in September for a mini-vacation:) So I've started to plan our trip...as when I go somewhere I have to be a total tourist!! I would like to take in the Georgia aquarium while we're there. We are looking at going on a Thursday of Friday, if that matters. Anyway I was wondering about how much time should we allow for the aquarium? I realize this varies from person to person but am looking for a ballpark guess so we can plan accordingly. According to their website they will be open from 10am-5pm. Would it take from opening to close to see it all or could we do it in 3-4 hours? We are looking at getting a package deal on the aquarium and some other attractions. Hubby really wants to see the Titantic exhibit(we'll be there about a week before it's scheduled to close) but the package we're looking at only includes general admission...would we be able to upgrade? Also any idea if they have any patches/badges for scouts to earn/purchase while we're there? My daughter is in girl scouts and it would be neat for her to be able to earn something on vacation. Also would it be easy to manuever a stroller around the aquarium? Would we also be able to fit in the world of coca-cola or should we save that for another day? Sorry for so many questions and thanks in advance for any help/advice you can offer!!

You won't need to be there from open to close, but I would allow for at least two hours. I haven't seen the Titanic exhibit yet (would really like to!), but I imagine you might want to tack on an extra hour for that. So, maybe three hours. You should be fine with a stroller. We took our daughter in a stroller, and it was fine. Especially if you're there during the week, since it will be less crowded.

You could probably fit in the Coca-Cola Museum if you start in the morning. Personally, that would be way too much touring for me! But if you've got the stamina, go for it!

Sorry, don't know anything about Girl Scouts!

Hope you have fun!

I was just at the aquarium a week ago, it was so awesome. very easy to navigate around with or without a stroller. you should probably contact her scout leader to find out about a badge. my son is in boy scouts and they can earn stuff by going places and being able to tell facts about the critters and sometime a follow up report or something. atlanta does have some type of city pass you can get, but not sure about a package deal on the aquarium itself. possibly try getting a yearly membership for one person not sure though.

http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/visitus/premiumpluspass.aspx found this for you

I'd say that 3-4 hours for the aquarium is enough time to take it in in a leisurely fashion. Add another hour or so for the titanic exhibit and you should be fine. As Moira stated, strollers should not be a problem anywhere. Where they have stairs, they also have ramps or elevators. I know that they do have some interaction with scout organizations but I don't know the extent that they actively work with them on badges. They also have several behind the scenes types of tours available as well as overnight programs. Several of the overnight programs mention scouting badges. Here is an excerpt from their overnight descriptions:

"Ocean Odyssey"
This program is designed for grades 2-5. Let the Georgia Aquarium staff take your group on a cruise aboard the “SS Star” through the deep waters of the ocean and its coral reefs. The program focuses on the aquatic animals and habitats including sharks and whales and what you can do to help preserve these wonderful resources. Get ready to explore the Aquarium through a variety of special activities, tours, animal encounters and more!

Special programs for Brownies, Junior Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts are also available.

"Ocean Lights"
This interactive program designed for middle school students, grades 6-8, takes your students on a scientific journey exploring geological oceanography, which focuses on the topographic features and physical makeup of the ocean floor; meteorological oceanography, which pertains to the study of the ocean’s interaction with the atmosphere and the effect on weather and climate; and biological oceanography, which concentrates on deep ocean animal life. This program is also perfect for Boy Scouts earning their Oceanography badge.

The URL is: http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/visitUs/sleepover.aspx#adult

Here are a couple more links for city or multi-passes involving the aquarium:
http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/exploreTheAquarium/programs.aspx
http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/acb/stores/1/Special-Offers-C10.aspx

Hope this helps you some. :-)

(as for world of Coke? That is about a 1-2 hour thing unless you want to explore every nook and cranny in the place. If you do that, then you will want to plan a full day between it and the Aquarium. They are literally right next to each other so if you're interested in it at all, I'd recommend planning on both at the same time. It is also very close to the CNN building so you could make a full day of the three locations.)