Georgia Aquarium announces plans for dolphin exhibit

ATLANTA – The world's largest aquarium is getting even bigger.

Georgia Aquarium officials announced Tuesday a $110 million expansion that will feature dolphins. The exhibit, the largest expansion since the aquarium opened three years ago in downtown Atlanta, will include dolphin shows when it opens in November 2010, said philanthropist Bernie Marcus, a co-founder of Home Depot and founder of the aquarium.

"New animals, new fish, are something we believe you have to do if you don't want to become very stale. We want people to come back," he said after a news conference announcing the expansion.

Officials were unsure how much ticket prices at the aquarium would increase with the new exhibit.

Ticket sales from the 7 million visitors the aquarium has had since its opening in 2005 will pay for the project, along with help from a corporate sponsor, aquarium spokesman Dave Santucci said. Officials have not found a sponsor yet, he said.

The dolphin addition will bring another 1.3 million gallons of water to the nearly 8 million gallons of water in tanks at the downtown Atlanta attraction. It's the aquarium's last planned expansion because it has no more land, Marcus said.

The new exhibit means the aquarium's sea lion area will close permanently and the animals will be housed at other marine animal centers across the country, Marcus said.

The initial four dolphins will come from Marineland in Florida. In return, Georgia Aquarium officials will make a $1.5 million contribution to Marineland, which is building a marine animal rescue and research center near its St. Augustine, Fla., home.

Visitors also will have an opportunity to swim with the dolphins as they do with the aquarium's whale sharks, Marcus said.

The aquarium will break ground on the 84,000-square-foot dolphin exhibit this summer. Officials expect it to open by the end of 2010.