Atlanta’s high-end hotels and restaurants certainly have capitalized on our state’s ever-growing film industry. Seriously, try going to Watershed, Ecco or Antico without either running into someone famous or hearing about their recent visit. Just try.
In similar fashion, the Georgia Aquarium does a brisk business squiring famous people through to visit its finned and fishy residents.
Jennifer Lawrence, who's here now filming the "Hunger Games" three-quel "Mockingjay," and co-star Woody Harrelson both visited while "Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire" was filming here last year. Harrelson shook flippers with one of the dolphins while wearing a casual outfit of sweater and jeans. J-Law, on the other hand, posed for photos in a snappy Georgia Aquarium wetsuit.
When Jennifer Lopez was here last year to perform at Philips Arena with Enrique Iglesias, she made time to take her kids to see the harbor seals. Evander Holyfield and his family visited not long after J-Lo stopped by.
“Thank you to the Georgia Aquarium staff!” the champ tweeted after he and his kids visited the Ocean Voyager area, home to the whale sharks. “My kids had a great time; we will be back again.”
While John Travolta was here filming "Killing Season" with Robert De Niro, his wife, actress Kelly Preston, took their kids to the aquarium, where they had a close encounter with one of the dolphins.
Melissa McCarthy, the Oscar-nominated star of "Bridesmaids," made friends with one of the aquarium's penguins while she was here filming "Identity Thief" with Jason Bateman and Amanda Peet. A couple of years ago, before he started making headlines for screaming at photographers, walking shirtless through international airports and getting clocked at 100 mph on Los Angeles streets, Justin Bieber posed for a cute photo with a beluga whale. He was back this summer, displaying an armful of tatts in front of one of the whale sharks.
More recently, Sheryl Crow and her kids visited while she was in town this summer to perform before the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
So, how do all these celebrities end up making such a splash?
"A lot of times, it's them reaching out to us," said Georgia Aquarium senior public relations specialist Stephanie L. Johnson. "We have certain hotel concierges who are familiar with what we offer. A lot of times, it's last-minute. Sometimes we have a few days' notice."
Good news: Even if you're not famous, you can book a behind-the-scenes tour or animal encounter as if you were. A VIP tour is $550 plus tax in addition to general admission (that price varies by day) for up to six guests; $75 plus tax for each additional guest, with a maximum tour group size of 10. Everyone must be at least 5 years old. Have someone in your entourage call 404-581-4000 or see www.georgiaaquarium.org for more information.
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