By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

At the Georgia Aquarium, children of all ages can get an up-close and personal look at African penguins as well as sea otter, sea lions and beluga whales in the Cold Water Quest gallery.

The Georgia Aquarium has been high on my list of places to visit since it opened in 2005, but I purposely waited until now. Although Brianna might have enjoyed it a little sooner, I think age five is the perfect age for first time visits to a lot of attractions—especially ones that cost $20 for children. So, a few Saturdays ago, we made the visit.

I must admit I’m not a big fan of aquariums. I visited the Chattanooga aquarium a number of years ago and thought it was a step in the right direction, but the Georgia Aquarium is inspiring—miles of glass, millions of gallons of water and hundreds of thousands of fish and animals. It’s laid out in pod-like areas around a huge food court and open area, which gives it a much more unclaustrophobic feeling than other aquariums. (more…)