As mentioned last week, I wanted to take a break from the normal format of this website to discuss a recent opportunity I had to visit the Georgia Aquarium. After having seen nearly all that the aquarium has to offer, I wanted to share my thoughts on it for those who may be considering visiting. Last week, I ran down the main areas of the aquarium, talking about what they offer in terms of wildlife and entertainment. Then, at the end, I talked about what I thought of the theme of the aquarium and how much I was entertained over all. If you would like to see my full thoughts on these subjects, you can check out the previous post here. Anyway, this week I wanted to discuss the educational aspect of the Georgia Aquarium, focusing specifically on what they teach, who they appeal to, and how well they teach it.
What Do They Teach?
The Georgia Aquarium teaches guests about a multitude of different marine subjects, ranging from conservation efforts to interesting facts about the animals they have. There was certainly a lot to learn from at the aquarium, and the information they provided was easily understandable for both adults and children. I will be splitting this section up into two parts: the first focusing on what they teach about their animals, and the second about conservation efforts. Let's start with how the aquarium teaches guests about their animals.
About the Animals
Over all, the Georgia Aquarium shows guests a good deal of information about their animals. Each tank in the aquarium was accompanied by a plaque or screen detailing which animals were in the tank, what their scientific name was, and even some characteristics about them. Take this picture on the left for instance, showcasing the dispar anthias. The screens gave nice tidbits of information that let you know just enough about the fish to distinguish it without overloading the guest. However, while the screens were a nice addition, they had some problems as well. Because only one animal synopsis can fit on the screen at a time, a guest will often have to wait a long time to learn about the particular fish they are interested in. When I went, this caused a little bit of crowding around some of the screens.
Additionally, the screens did not always provide the information I was looking for (like where some of these animals live). However, these two issues were minor, and I was overall impressed with the presentation of the information. What I really liked, however, was that the aquarium had staff positioned around the exhibits to answer guests' questions. This was really nice, as they were all very knowledgeable about the animals, and could answer pretty much any question you wanted to ask. My family and I also saw various QR codes scattered throughout the exhibits that provided more information, but we did not have good enough internet connection to make use of them.
Conservation
I was, however, a little disappointed with the information the aquarium provided about conversation efforts. They did have quite a lot of information about their own conservation actions, like their beluga whale and whale shark research. I may be biased, but I would have liked to see more information about what visitors to the aquarium can do to help. The information that I did see about this was fairly vague. While the Georgia Aquarium does have a ton of conservation information on their website (which you can check out here), I would have like to see more of this information displayed in the aquarium itself, as not every guest has a chance to visit their website.
Who do they appeal to?
I found during my visit to the Georgia Aquarium that most of the educational information they provided was directed towards children, which I think is a great idea. After all, it is usually families that come to aquariums, and providing children with information they can understand is a great way to cultivate new interests. My family and I saw multiple children's sections throughout the aquarium, that contained activities like animal trivia and other fun facts about various species.
One of the main children's sections we saw was called "Deepo's Hideaway". Strange name aside, the section had fun, interactive video and screens that would certainly keep a child interested. The aquarium also had an awesome section called Aquanaut Adventure, which I omitted in my last post specifically because I wanted to talk about it here.
Aquanaut Adventure
Aquanaut Adventure really impressed me when I first saw it. Essentially, it is a long tunnel-like section that winds around the aquarium filled to the brim with interactive games and activities for children. The area covers a wide variety of different subjects, from shark identification to even volcano geology, all presented in bite-sized games that even young children can understand. And, I have to say, even as a teenager, I still found some of these games to be pretty interesting, not to mention informative. If you are planning to take a child to this aquarium, I would definitely make sure to stop by this section, as it was fun, informative, and much less crowded then other areas. It's a great place to get some peace and quiet while still getting your money's worth.
Classes
On top of the education they provide through general admission, the Georgia Aquarium also has numerous experiences for school groups. They have many different options, each geared toward different types of groups. While I cannot personally speak for the quality of these classes, as I have never taken one myself, if the aquarium puts as much effort into them as they do for the rest of their programs and exhibits, I can imagine they would all be well worth your money.
Conclusion
Over all, I was pretty impressed with the amount of education this aquarium was able to provide. I would have thought that, with their focus on entertainment, vital education elements would have been lost, but it seems the Georgia Aquarium has been able to strike a nice balance between entertainment and education for all ages. I found that I was having a lot of fun while still learning things about animals I had never heard before. While it may have a few flaws, the educational aspects of the Georgia Aquarium certainly do not disappoint.
However, there is still one part of the aquarium that I have yet to discuss: the dolphin show. And, next Wednesday, I will be discussing in detail what I thought of the show, and how it compares to others that I have been to. Then, I will share my final thoughts about the aquarium as a whole, and give my verdict on whether or not it is truly worth a visit. As always, thanks for reading.
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