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Here’s How You Can Meet An Adorable Penguin At The Georgia Aquarium

Author Melanie Day
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 10: A two month-old African penguin chick (R) stands with adult penguins in an exhibit on April 10, 2013 at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, California. The California Academy of Sciences introduced a new African penguin chick to its African penguin exhibit. The chick is the first to be be hatched since the Academy opened following a complete remodel in 2008.

What’s a bucket list if you’re not going to check things off of it? I’ve been lucky enough to cross many things off of mine, even some of the more difficult ones. And this weekend I checked off another dream of mine- to pet a penguin. Yes, you can meet a penguin at the Georgia Aquarium. And yes, it’s well worth the price of admission.

Penguin Encounter

For $69.99 (plus the price of aquarium admission) you can attend a “Penguin Encounter” which is a 30-minute experience. You’ll get to learn about the African Penguins as well as conservation efforts. Then the best part, you get to meet and interact with a penguin. We got to meet a 5-year-old penguin named Baraci and he was as cute as could be. There were 8 participants in our group and we sat on stools around a square wooden ottoman-type box that Bacari sat on. He was there with a trainer who kept him entertained and bribed him with fish which he swallowed whole.

She told us about him in particular, answered questions, and allowed us to observe him up close. From there we were able to pet him on both his back as well as feel his wings or flippers whatever you want to call them. The feathers were much softer than I ever would have guessed. And then finally we got to take photos with our new friend. It was a wonderful experience that I will remember forever! So if that chance to meet a penguin is on your bucket list, you can accomplish that at the Georgia Aquarium.

Penguin

Georgia Aquarium

The rest of the aquarium was fantastic as well featuring sharks, beluga whales, a manta ray, turtles, other rays, and countless species of fish. We spent close to 4 hours there are didn’t even take advantage of everything the aquarium has to offer. Highly recommend if you find yourself in Atlanta!

In addition to the penguin encounter, you can participate in one on one time with other animals including dolphins, sea lions, harbor seals, and sharks and rays.

Gallery: Penguins and The Georgia Aquarium

List: 15 Places To Visit Animals In The Charlotte North Carolina Area

An interesting fact that you may not know is that Charlotte is actually the largest city in the country that doesn’t have a zoo. And there is very little chance we will ever get a true one. But don’t let that get you down, there are plenty of places you can visit with all types of animals in the Charlotte area. The biggest reason we will most likely never get a true zoo is that we are just 1.5 hours from both the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro and Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia.

Both of those zoos make our list and while both are large zoos, they offer different animals. For instance, you can see polar bears in North Carolina and Koalas in South Carolina. Is marine life more of your interest? Don’t worry we’ve got a couple of options for you as well. Other animals include bison, alpacas, farm animals, all sorts of birds, goats are more.

All of the places on this list are a short drive from Charlotte. Most are very affordable to visit so a great family trip as the weather gets warmer. I love animals but I’m not a huge fan of encountering them unexpectedly, so this type of thing is right up my alley. I can’t wait to add several of these to my summer bucket list. Where is your favorite place to visit animals in the Charlotte area? Let us know on social media!

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.

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