Atlanta Adventures, Part One: Georgia Aquarium

For the past few years, every time DH and I have traveled to Atlanta, it has been either a work trip or a trip focused around a sporting event. We have long wanted to plan a trip up to see the Georgia Aquarium, and do a little shopping. This past weekend was a perfect time, as we both ended up with Friday, Saturday and Sunday off work.  It’s rare for us to both be off at the same time with the DH in town – so we snatched up our opportunity and headed out on Friday afternoon.

We really wanted to stay at the W Hotel in Buckhead, but since this was a last minute trip, it was booked solid. Our second choice was the Westin in Buckhead, but it was also booked. We ended up at the Embassy Suites in Buckhead, which is a great hotel and a nice central location. I loved being within a mile of the MARTA station, and great shopping at both Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza!

On Saturday, we took MARTA to downtown and went to the Georgia Aquarium. Being lovers of all things sea-themed and beach-related, this was a perfect destination for us. It’s one of those places we’ve wanted to see for years, and had never made the time. WOW is all I can say – I’m so glad we finally went.

The Georgia Aquarium is amazing. There are so many things to see – the beluga whales, the whale sharks, albino alligators, the penguins, the coral, the sea otters…I could go on but you get the point. Of course, I was most impressed with the huge whale sharks and the beluga whales. We also took in the dolphin show, which only lasted about 30 minutes but it was fantastic. The dolphins just make you smile - letting the trainers ride them, waiving to the crowd, jumping in the air, kissing the trainers. I was trying to think about the last time I personally saw a dolphin show…I’m pretty sure it was at Sea World in Tampa when I was a child. That’s been a long time! (Note – unless you want to get wet, sit at least 10 rows up from the show – we were about halfway up and it was perfect – no water touched my hair)!

Of course we dressed for the occasion – I wore my Lilly Pulitzer Westerly Dress in the Touchy Feely print, and DH wore his Lilly Pulitzer Jett Half-Zip in Shorely Blue. I got so many compliments on my dress at the aquarium – people were saying “Oh, what a perfect dress to wear here”! You’ll notice there are no pictures of us together, and no full body shots of either of us. It was so crowded – I suppose because it was a Saturday – that taking pictures was somewhat of a challenge.  (More advice: if you’re going without children, try to visit the aquarium on a weekday).

After the aquarium, we walked next door to Legal Seafoods in downtown Atlanta. I should stop here to say, I know some people don’t like Legal Seafoods because it’s a chain restaurant. However, we love it. It’s so different from our seafood restaurants on the Gulf Coast, so it’s a nice treat for us.

I enjoyed a Legal Sangria, and the DH had a Blue Moon. (Well, maybe we had two of those – after all, we weren’t driving).  We also had delicious Lobster Rolls – another treat you don’t find on the Gulf Coast.  One of my high school girlfriends picked us up, and drove us back to the hotel. This was a blessing because I really don’t like riding MARTA – it just takes so long to get anywhere. Ugh. We were planning to call a cab but Wendy really wanted to see us, even if just for a few minutes. Wasn’t that nice of her? She saved us a cab ride and probably a $40-50 fare, so we paid her in Clam Chowder from Legal Seafoods. Fair trade, huh? Plus I got to see my friend, which was an added bonus to the trip!

In the next episode of Atlanta Adventures, we’ll talk about the shopping. I left town thinking “Why don’t we come up here more often”!?!?!?

Have you been to the Georgia Aquarium?