I always feel so bad, but I honestly love the Georgia Aquarium - it's so peaceful. Not to mention a ton of their animals are rescues that cannot safely function in the wild. Atlanta's aquarium is one of the largest in the world, so it's so cool getting to see all the animals inside. I always love viewing the whale sharks in the large gallery, and the beluga whales always take my breath away. My absolute favorite show is the sea lions, but no photography's allowed because it can distract them. They get close enough for you to touch and they're so sweet. I also never pass up the opportunity to crawl through to see the penguins. And if you're ready to get wet, sit within the front 10 rows during the dolphin show - we were in row 8 and left soaking wet.

Fun note: The sea lions only perform if they want to. They are treated with positive reinforcement, but never negativity or punishment. The sea lions housed at the aquarium are all rescues with unique stories and cannot survive in the wild.








Honestly, the zoo is another place that makes me sad for the animals in captivity, but I'm also torn because I want to see the animals - it's a terrible dilemma. It's definitely an interesting place to be. We went on a Monday, which was so lovely - because almost no one else was there. The animals were so beautiful to watch. There's also a newer exhibit for the snakes, turtles, and creepy-crawlies. It's like another aquarium in itself. We definitely enjoyed walking through seeing all the creatures (the turtles are my favorite!), and the AC didn't hurt either, since it was in the 80s that day. My favorite animals to watch were the primates - I could seriously stare all day.

Fun note: There's currently a one year-old gorilla baby that is so cute!






















The Fernbank was my least favorite of them all. A lot of the exhibits focused on Georgia history and the animals shown in the exhibits (stuffed) I've been able to see alive and well - so that was kind of a downer. Honestly, it seemed a bit outdated and I feel like some renovations could do the place some good. I enjoyed what we viewed of the outside forest feature and walks, but we didn't do the entire thing because we weren't necessarily prepared with the right shoes and whatnot. More than anything I was really hoping for more dinosaur stuff. I guess I had expectations that it would be more like some of the bigger natural history museums in the country, and I was let down a little bit. It seems super cool for an elementary school field trip, but not as exciting as an adult.

Fun note: The top floor has a ton of fun science-y things (see the giant bubble I'm creating below), so you definitely don't want to miss that section, if you go.











While not part of the CityPass, we definitely grabbed some yummy grub at The Vortex in Little Five Points. While there's also another location in Midtown, I really like the L5P location - but honestly, either is great. We opted for their fried pickle spears (seriously one of my favorite things in the world), and I got the Pickle Rick (which is only for a limited time and not on the menu). It's a burger topped with pimento cheese, bacon, fried pickle spears, and Szechuan sauce. Ugh - so good. We also got a couple two dollar surprise shots, which actually weren't so bad. But maybe we just got lucky?






While it was definitely a bummer we didn't get to take our trip to NOLA, we definitely had a blast staying home and enjoying time together for our two-year anniversary. I definitely recommend checking out CityPass whether you're staying home or travelling. It's available in several cities.