ATLANTA — It's getting to be very hot in Atlanta this week, and (for a couple more weeks, at least) kids are out of school. Few places offer accommodations to those two factors as well as the Georgia Aquarium.
The Georgia Aquarium is one of the jewels of Downtown Atlanta's tourist district, the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere and a staple both for summer camp groups and families from around the region, as well as visitors from around the world.
Naturally, that also makes it a magnet for summer crowds.
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If you're looking to maximize your experience and make it as smooth as possible, here are some tips we'd recommend.
Georgia Aquarium peak times
We reached out to the aquarium for a sense of when you can best map out a visit, and they told us that peak attendance time is usually between noon and 4 p.m.
The good news is that there are large windows when you could go outside those midday hours. The Georgia Aquarium is open from 9 a.m.-9 .m. Monday-Thursday, and 8 a.m.-9 p-.m. Friday-Sunday.
"We highly recommend guests plan their visit during our morning or evening hours, as the afternoon tends to be our busiest entrance and exit time," the Georgia Aquarium told us.
They also specified that to make things easiest, it's best to purchase tickets in advance and make pre-reservations for shows like the Dolphin Show and Sea Lion Show. Those are free with ticket purchases but seats can fill up fast on busy days.
Georgia Aquarium parking
The aquarium has one main garage on site, costing $20 as a general rate that you can purchase in advance here.
The main issue with parking isn't so much accessibility - the entrance is pretty easily reachable on Luckie Street, and it has seven levels with lots of spaces near elevators. But with the huge summer crowds, there can come a crunch for spaces.
Keep in mind there are more than a few paid parking lots in Downtown Atlanta within a short walk of the aquarium, and taking MARTA to the Georgia World Congress Center/CNN Center stop would also drop you off within a reasonable walk's distance.
If you're parking in the Georgia Aquarium garage and find yourself struggling to find an open spot, also remember - keep moving. There are a lot more spaces than you realize, and even if you have to park on one of the upper levels, the elevator availability means you'll have an easy route in and out.
Georgia Aquarium ticket information
Worth remembering - a single-entry ticket costs $47.99 if you buy it the day you're going to the aquarium, but if you purchase in advance it's discounted to $42.99.
If you're a resident of metro Atlanta or the broader Southeast region, also keep in mind a yearly pass is $95 - meaning if you're planning to go twice or more in a year, it makes a lot of sense to just go with the membership. It's also discounted to roughly $80 per person if you get passes for a family of four at $320.
Other tips
If it is really crowded when you visit, don't panic. There are five main exhibit halls - Ocean Voyager, Cold Water Quest, River Scout, Tropical Diver, and Sharks! Predators of the Deep, plus the underrated Aquanuts zone, and you swing through all of them easily in a couple of hours on a less-busy day - meaning if it's not a less-busy day, you'll still have plenty of time to see everything.
There's also the Dolphin Coast and Sea Lion Theater areas for those shows, plus the cafe area if you need to stop for lunch.
If you're looking to really savor the big notes, Ocean Voyager will bring you through the underwater tunnel and iconic main tank viewing room, Cold Water Quest takes you to the beluga whales and penguins, and Sharks! Predators of the Deep features, well, sharks.
We'd add though that the jellyfish and tropical tank viewing room in Tropical Diver and the alligator viewing area in River Scout are well worth your time, also.
