Trailblazing Unleashed

Over the weekend Trace and I visited the rest of the family and met up in Atlanta for my sister’s birthday! This was a super exciting trip for us and let’s just say we learned a lot about Trace’s capacity for long car journeys (this was his longest ride yet!) and how we handle large, loud, and exciting places.

I have lots of thoughts and feelings about the Georgia Aquarium as it pertains to the disabled experience, so let’s jump into it!

My Experience

Overall, I’d give this experience a 6.5 out of 10. It was pretty positive, but there were a lot of hiccups along the way. When we first arrived, we traveled through the parking deck and into the aquarium (which took about 10-15 minutes). There were no places for Trace to use the restroom from this point forward.

There were also five flights of stairs, and crazy long elevator lines, so we chose to brave the stairs. This worked out well for us, but if you’re someone who needs more mobility assistance, add that elevator wait time into your trip agenda!

After we got to the entrance, we walked through a metal detector and electronic gate. Fortunately for us, we had no issues here. There was a bit of a line maze which thoroughly confused Trace, but we made it in ok.

After we got inside, it was smooth sailing for the first two hours or so! We walked through several exhibits and galleries, including the tunnel through their largest tank, and a few large tank rooms. We also checked out the touch tanks with the Sturgeons and Cownose Rays which was super fun! All of these had ramps and clear walkways, so it was pretty easy for us to get around. It was dark in a few spots, so we had to keep a closer eye on Trace, that way no one would step on him.

An added bonus was the floor level viewing spots for a few of the tanks, Trace loved these!

A Few Hiccups and Comments

One thing to note about the Georgia Aquarium is the lack of Service Dog Relief Areas. There was nowhere for Trace to use the bathroom from the time we left the hotel to the time we left the Aquarium. This was about five hours, and we didn’t end up seeing the whole aquarium. It was also incredibly over stimulating for Trace, so he had an accident while we were there. Fortunately, I had clean up supplies with me, and we were able to report it to staff quickly.

If you are going to bring your service dog with you for your visit, I would recommend planning some additional potty breaks where you can leave the aquarium and reenter every few hours.

Additionally, people will be people wherever you go. We had several people run up to Trace and try to pet him. Placing yourself between the other visitors and your dog can help create a physical barrier, but people will often try to move around you to say hi to the dog. Always be aware of your surroundings and ready to tell people no! My dad was great at running defense on this one.

Know Before You Go

Just a quick review here if you got lost in all the text up top.

1. There are no service dog relief areas in the aquarium. Make sure you plan for this in advance.
2. There are hilariously long lines for the elevators. Plan for this too!
3. Many of the exhibits and galleries get more overstimulating as the day goes on. Plan to visit the aquarium earlier in the day if this is a problem for you, or plan to go over several days to break up the experience.
4. Bring snacks and water bottles with you! I brought in both, and it really helped me keep moving during our visit.

Have fun and Trailblaze on!

— Kaya and the Trailblazing Unleashed Pack