Georgia Aquarium - worth visiting?

[RandyWatson13]

It is nice and glad it is here but it didn't blow me away at all. I never felt compelled to go back.

[atlantagreg30127]

Two reminders first:

First, don't insult other's opinions.

Second, if someone insults someone else, don't quote their post and reply to it. Report it and move on, please.
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That said, my own personal opinion:

My vote goes to Chattanooga. Their layout is a bit more up-close and interactive with the mini-habitat areas, and you don't get bottlenecked into narrower viewing areas like you do in some particular spots in the GA Aquarium. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Chattanooga facility is on a really nice riverfront park area with a lot of restaurants around it, an arts area, and pretty much ZERO panhandlers asking you for money as you stroll around the immediate area, too. You can eat at a decent restaurant, walk to the Aquarium (without again, being panhandled), take a riverboat ride, and sit by the water eating lunch. It makes for a much nicer day.

The GA Aquarium isn't "bad" - everyone should see it once. It's just that having 8 million gallons of water might make you the largest tank(s) in the world, but it doesn't make you better. Even reviewers who did stories on it when it first opened mentioned design flaws in the building that caused crowd control to be less than optimal. It's also not at all a secret in the Atlanta scene that while Bernie has indeed been very generous with charities, he also is said to have the common uber-wealthy attitude of, "If I want it, I'm going to get it, and be remembered for it", too. It WAS a nice facility to give the city, but one does have to wonder how much of it was a pure gift as opposed to simply a way for a billionaire to immortalize himself, too. This isn't a knock on him personally - the super rich regularly do things like this, and even if ego is involved, the City's tourism benefited from his regardless.

There is of course also the controversy of keeping "intelligent" animals cooped up in tanks as well (Belugas, soon Dolphins, and even super-large Whale Sharks. The largest tank at the Aquarium is 6 million gallons. Sounds like a lot and it is, but once you stuff four animals that will reach a size of 50 feet EACH in that tank, along with tons of other smaller fish, it's kind of like putting four people in a 20x40 foot room and telling them they have to spend their entire life in there - not very appealing. And while there is certainly interaction between the Belugas and human in the out-of-site areas of the facility, my guess is it's not nearly on the same interactive level as they would get at a more specialize facility like Seaworld.

Above controversy/debate aside however, on a personal "touristy" level, I still prefer the Chattanooga facility not just for the facility itself, but for the entire environment it's in and surrounding it.