Georgia Aquarium Presents AT&T Dolphin Tales

There is big news at the Georgia Aquarium – the dolphins have arrived and they are ready to delight the masses.  After two years and dollars in the multi-millions, AT&T Dolphin Tales is dedicated to creating memorable connections between humans and animals.

While walking to the new exhibit you cannot help but be in awe.  “The new gallery includes a soaring, naturally-lit entrance lobby featuring an underwater viewing window, through which guests can first glimpse the dolphins. The lobby leads to the AT&T Dolphin Tales theater, a state-of-the-art enclosed facility designed as the perfect backdrop for a powerful theatrical performance highlighting the strong emotional bond between dolphins and humans.”  Not only does the performance show how talented and beautiful the dolphins are but is incorporates live human actors, dramatic costuming and special effects including rain, thunder, lightening and stars.

This is not a regular aquarium viewing event.  The AT&T Dolphin tales is a story about a seafaring adventurer who travels across the ocean.  There is music, special effects, singing, animal trainers dressed in fun wet suits, and dolphins.  The list of people who have worked on this show include Emmy-winning producers and directors, a team of talented individuals from TV, film and Broadway, and some of the world’s most accomplished animal trainers.

My daughters and I saw one of the first AT&T Dolphin Tales performances and we were amazed and in awe.  Being able to catch a sneak peek of the dolphins in the viewing tank before the show immediately made us yearn for more.  My daughters are young (3 and 4) and I wish I had brought earplugs for them since it was loud in the theater.  The special effects were incredibly neat but the fighting scene with loud thunder and rain left my three-year-old with small tears running down her face because she was scared.  It was very easy to distract her with the anticipation of seeing another dolphin.  The dolphins were amazing and you could see how much the trainers enjoyed their jobs and loved the dolphins while watching the show.

Be warned: if you sit near the front it is possible that you may get splashed.  The dolphins can jump high, which means they can splash!  When the show was over the trainers/performers sat on the  tank wall and waved to everyone as they exited.  To my three-year-old these wet suit wearing men and women were equivalent to Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Buzz Lightyear.  She high-fived two of the performers and had stars in her eyes for the next 10 minutes.  She told me that she was never going to wash her hand again.

We went to dinner after our trip to the Georgia Aquarium and my girls told every-single-person who we encountered all about the “dolphin show.”  The highlights for them include the water that turned purple and pink, the dolphins somersaulting in air, the girls riding in the noses of the dolphins, and the boy who uses two dolphins as skis.  They now want a dolphin as a pet!  We will definitely be back to see this show again.

AT&T Dolphin Tales gallery and show opened April 2, 2011. While the gallery and viewing window will be open to all general admission guests periodically throughout the day, a theater ticket is required to view the show. To ensure your entry to this spectacular production, plan your visit in advance. Special bookings are available for groups and events. To purchase tickets, click here.

Disclaimer:  We were invited by the Georgia Aquarium to view the AT&T Dolphin Tales show.  All opinions expressed in this review are completely honest.  While we did receive free admission to the aquarium and Dolphin Tales show, compensation was not received for this post.