Spring break crowds boost Atlanta tourist attractions

Whether it’s the economy or the bad weather, many metro Atlantans are staying close to home for spring break — and indoors.

Several local tourist attractions report higher crowds than usual for the blackberry winter that coincided with spring vacation for metro area schoolchildren this week.

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FILE PHOTO

A crowd gathers to watch the beluga whales swim at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta in this file photo.

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The Georgia Aquarium sees “a little uptick,” according to marketing director Carey Rountree.

Overall attendance at Stone Mountain Park is down, but two of the facility’s main indoor attractions, Journey to the Center of the Earth and the Great Barn, entertained big crowds on Monday, said public relations coordinator Kelley Swann.

Kathy Thomas, 43, of Cumming said she had two reasons for taking her 12-year-old daughter and two sons, both 10, to the aquarium on Tuesday.

“A, it’s the economy and, B, it’s the weather,” Thomas said. We were planning to go to St. George Island, but we heard it was going to be yucky.

“We didn’t want to spend money to be cold on the beach,” Thomas said.

Attendance at the Civil War-themed Cyclorama has been fairly typical for this time of year, according to a ticket office salesperson.

But there appears to be a leap in attendance at the Center for Puppetry Arts.

“All shows this week are sold out,” said Daniel Summers Jr., the center’s marketing director.

That’s after the center added a show to the schedule for every day this week. Summers said a typical spring break day attendance is roughly 450. Tuesday’s attendance is expected to reach 700, he said.

Summers credits the quality of the current show, “Stellaluna,” for most of the bump in attendance.

“The fact is it is spring break and the weather isn’t so good outside,” Summers said. “When it’s this cold you still have to do activities with the kids … and we’re the perfect place to go on a rainy day.”