Way back when school was starting up in late August I saw the advertisement for the Dolphin Show at the Georgia Aquarium. I decided that it was something that Samantha and Hailey would really enjoy and started checking the calendar to see when the girls would have a long 4 day weekend. Well that arrived with the Martin Luther King holiday and we were off on Saturday morning January the 19th.. The drive down, which included a quick stop at Wendy’s took us to a Ramada Inn outside of Atlanta and 20 minutes from the Zoo and Aquarium. Greta and James arrived shortly after we did for one night and to see the Aquarium and Dolphin show then headed for home. The girls had a fabulous two days though exhausting for us all. The first stop at the Aquarium was the Frogs and then a short 3D movie which the girls got a big kick out of. They loved the sprinkle of water and the air blowing around them and laughed and giggled through the entire show. Then we were off to explore more of the Aquarium before we connected up with James and Greta for the Dolphin Show. The Dolphins were fantastic and another big hit with the girls … Though the show had a hokey story line, the girls didn’t notice. They were too enthralled with the dolphins themselves. After the show we found a quiet place for lunch (yeah there was such a place) and James and Greta headed off on their own to lunch and then home.
We found a table in a special party room that was empty for a while and enjoyed our lunch and watched the beluga whales. The girls took part in a hoola hoop contest … Sammy took first place in her third grade level and Hailey came in second for the kindergardeners. The video inside the Aquarium isn’t the best because of the lighting but at least you get the general idea of how much fun the girls were having.
On Monday we headed to the Zoo and found it really chilly and windy. We would have been ok if we hadn’t had the wind as the sun was out and it was 55. The girls as usual raced from exhibit to exhibit so they wouldn’t miss a thing. Unfortunately the Zebras and a few other animals were not out because of the cold weather. Some we found in special warmed enclosures to keep them comfortable. Po the baby panda they saw 18 months ago is now full grown and awaiting his trip to China. The most touching thing was him leaning up against the glass and putting his head right where the girls were standing. Then we were off for more animals and eventually a long time in the petting zoo, a carousel ride and a train ride (the Merry Go Round was longer than the train ride). Then it was Tuesday and a 5 hour drive home. Another great trip with Samantha and Hailey.
