After shooting three weddings in nine days, it was time to take advantage of spring break with the kids! We packed up and headed to Atlanta to frolic with grandparents and cousins and took in some big-city fun. Having worked for the South Carolina Aquarium as a new mom, I’ve been wanting to check out the supersize Georgia Aquarium, but we didn’t want to brave the crowds over a holiday visit the past few years. Finally, we made it, and it is impressive!

Eight million gallons of water, and almost as many people. Still, the new AT&T Dolphin Tales show, the belugas, the colorful tropical fish, whale sharks and the impressive tunnel o’ swimmers made for a successful field trip. We purchased the Dolphin Combo tickets with a 10am entry time. After waiting in the Will Call line for 40 minutes, we made it to the 11am Dolphin Show with 15 minutes to spare. Pro: we snagged good seats on the aisle; Con: the kids had to sit still another 25 minutes before seeing any action (show started late, and they’d been standing in line with the masses). My kids handled the waiting okay, but I sympathized with the families toting their babies and toddlers into the dark, occasionally loud show that included a few Broadway-style numbers and some scary storminess. My first-grader really enjoyed it, and my four-year-old looked a bit overwhelmed during parts of the show but gave it “two thumbs up” afterward. My mom and I were very impressed and recommend it!

We made it to several exhibits before popping into Cafe Aquaria to grab some lunch. My veggie wrap was tasty, but the lines were long. Cute cupcakes helped us forget the lunch room traffic and supplied energy for the last two exhibits. We headed out by 2:30 and exited the garage using our prepaid parking pass. I’ll order online next time, too, but I’ll print out the tickets in hopes that skipping Will Call will save some time at the entry. Here are some highlights from our visit: