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DEL.ICIO.USVisitors’ cash flows freely
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Acworth mother Deryl Heflin, 47, opened her arms, and Georgia Aquarium T-shirts, plush versions of aquarium mascot Deepo, a stuffed beluga whale, magnets and stickers spilled out onto the gift shop counter.
“She’s already got two bags in her hand,” Heflin’s husband, Bob, 57, noted before handing over his credit card to add $66.69 to his tab.
“This is our second trip,” Deryl Heflin said gleefully.
From $10 parking to $6.99 Deepo toys and $2 bottled water, patrons have been plunking down fistfuls of credit cards and cash since the world’s largest aquarium opened Monday. Already, about 28,000 visitors have experienced Atlanta’s newest attraction and spent untold thousands of dollars there.
“Hey, we gotta pay for the place,” joked Dwight Friday, a 55-year-old chiropractor from Smyrna, as he entered the aquarium’s gift shop. “It’s like Disneyland — maybe a little bit high, but I guess you have to pay for the ambience.”
Although philanthropist Bernie Marcus and some of Atlanta’s elite corporations have funded the construction cost, annual operating expenses estimated at more than $40 million will be covered by ticket sales, ballroom rentals and a percentage of souvenir and food sales.
Between marveling at otters, whales, sharks and other sea life in the $290 million attraction, thousands of visitors are shopping for souvenirs and stopping for lunch.
On Tuesday, Suwanee mother Jessica Brumer, 39, carried a tray of two cheeseburgers, french fries, three drinks and two desserts through a crowd as son Max, 8, followed with his own tray of fried chicken fingers, an orange drink, two Oreo ice cream bars and a lollipop.
With a 20 percent discount granted to all annual pass holders and the novel approach of buying only kids’ meals for herself and her husband, Brumer paid only $20.91 for lunch.
“That 20 percent was quite a savings,” Brumer said as she sat down to eat with her husband, son and daughter. “But I was disappointed that it was $10 to park.”
An aquarium spokesman declined to say how much of the money generated by concessions — which are operated by outside vendors — is returned to the aquarium. Judging from the long lines at Cafe Aquaria and the Beyond the Reef gift shop — which everyone must pass through on the way out — few seemed concerned about where the money might be going. After all, many already had spent hundreds of dollars for annual passes and the chance to view the attraction before the general public, who will be able to visit the aquarium starting today.
Mohamed Khan, a 42-year-old hospital nurse from Kennesaw, paid $324.50 for annual passes for himself, his wife and four children. He spent an additional $100 on movie passes, lunch and souvenirs Tuesday. “We’ll be back right after Christmas,” he said.
Randy Grimes, a 45-year-old UPS manager from Kennesaw, pulled out $14 from his pocket to pay for tickets to the aquarium’s 3-D movie before he and his sons entered. But after Mitchell, 6, and Jonathan, 8, said they didn’t want to wait in line for lunch and neither found much in the souvenir shop, Grimes walked out having spent only $31.50. “I had anticipated spending 100 bucks,” he said.
Most families were planning to pay for parking, lunch and souvenirs during their first visit to the facility, and few were complaining about the somewhat elevated prices.
“It was worth it to me to get to share this place with him and Amanda,” Alpharetta resident Linda Stovall, 65, said of her daughter and grandson Ben, 5, who was clutching two plastic whale sharks Stovall had bought for $15.98.
“You just kind of pull out all the stops when it comes to spending time with your family,” she said.
Of course, some people did leave the aquarium empty-handed. Tom and Greer Broadwater of Tyrone said they didn’t have any grandchildren for whom to buy presents. Besides, Greer Broadwater, 56, said: “We don’t need any more junk.”
— Staff writer Jim Tharpe contributed to this article.
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Comments
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By latrice
November 23, 2005 04:59 PM | Link to this
The entire facility is absolutely beautiful..however $10 for parking is crazy…Downtown Atlanta parking truly overcharges…
By Jon
November 28, 2005 01:35 PM | Link to this
Simply Outstanding! But if downtown wants visitors, then they’d better lower the parking costs.
By Matt
November 29, 2005 03:47 PM | Link to this
I can’t wait to come back to the aquarium! I would have spent more money if crowds were more sparse. I went to Ted’s for dinner and spent my money there.