Sorry it’s taken forever for me to write, but here’s part two of our trip we took to Atlanta.
Our trip to Atlanta didn’t end at IKEA. (Although honestly it could have- you can get lost in that place). We still had more things we planned on doing, and so much more we want to do.
Thursday evening I went to the Botanical Gardens with my older brother, and Friday we visited the Atlanta Aquarium. I thought I’d share my experiences with each, and a few tips I learned for next time.
THE BOTANICAL GARDENS
I love nature and flowers. Flowers happen to be one of my favorite things to sketch, and I am a big fan of wandering around a new area.
We went while they were hosting an event. I knew it was going to be fun from the minute we bought the tickets. If you were wearing anything floral themed, you got a discount on your ticket price. I was thankfully wearing a floral tank top, and have a floral purse and wallet. I thought it was cool that they were offering that with the event, and it was a creative way for them to build hype and promote their event.
And the event was amazing.
Unfortunately, we arrived a bit later so we didn’t get to participate in all of the activities. But there were still so many neat things to do and so many beautiful things to see.
They had live music, bouquet arranging demos, flower crown making (which we didn’t get to do, but maybe next time), and even make your own fizzy drinks. Not only did they have all of those activities, but it’s a beautiful garden.
There are trails you can walk down; places to sit and read or draw; beautiful flowers and plants; and little nooks to explore. It’s a serene environment, and a great place for getting inspiration. I look to nature and the world around me for inspiration. It’s a great place for brainstorming, people watching- I find that helpful in creating realistic fictional characters, sketching and watercoloring, and photography. There is so much beauty in nature, and to be in an environment where you are surrounded by it- you can’t help but feel that beauty, and learn something from it.
A few tips I learned:
- Since it’s mostly an outdoor experience, it’s better to get there a bit earlier so you can enjoy it for as long as possible. There isn’t a lot of recess lighting, so once it gets dark, it gets dark.
- Check to see if there’s an event going on. Like I said, with this event, they offered a discount for anyone wearing floral attire. I didn’t know that, and happened to be wearing something floral. But if you can check before you go, you can make sure to show up in your florals, or enjoy all of the fun involved.
- Bring a bottle of water. Yet again, since it’s an outdoor garden, it’s a good idea to keep hydrated. Make sure you bring your water and a snack if needed.
- And lastly, bring your creative weapons. Take your camera with you, your notebook, pens, watercolors, whatever you love to do. I did so much sketching in the short time we were there. So make sure to take those with you so you can do something with the inspiration you are bound to find.
ATLANTA AQUARIUM
So I didn’t take as many pictures for this one, and there’s a reason why.
I’ve been pretty candid about my struggle with my anxiety and vision issues, and to be honest, the aquarium was triggering for both.
I enjoyed a lot of what I saw, but it was a lot harder for me than the gardens.
First things first, it didn’t really feel like an aquarium; it felt more like an amusement park, or a feature that you’d find at Disney World. I know that we went on a weekend and that weekends are always busy, but it was also the environment I struggled with.
I also had such a hard time visually. I had to pull my cane out, not only because it was dark, but because without it, I was getting trampled on. People can be rude, and it’s hard when you literally cannot see them. I have no peripheral vision on my left side, and that proved to be a problem here. So I whipped out my cane, and just hoped for the best.
After I had done that, I noticed that everyone around me was more respectful. I feel like that is a good thing and a bad thing, because not every visually challenged person has a cane, or needs one. It wasn’t until I pulled mine out that people respected my space a bit and helped me out.
Also, with my anxiety, I found this place to be triggering. It was loud and dimly lit, and crowded. So. Many. People. Once I took some homeopathic medicine to help my anxiety, I was able to push on a bit. Yet, I still struggled the whole time I was there, mainly because of the people and the atmosphere. It didn’t feel like an aquarium to me, and it was hard to get past that.
I’m not trying to be overly negative here, because I had a good time and really enjoyed some of the features included. But I think that it’s important for me, as someone who struggles with these issues, to inform others about what to expect. I’m used to a more traditional aquarium, where the focus is on seeing the fish and learning about them, and it’s not as flashy or loud.
That being said, I really enjoyed seeing the penguins, and that you could crawl under this area to see them up close. I wanted to pet him so bad!!! I also enjoyed the tour of the area, where we saw how they take care of the animals and the equipment they use. There is a lot involved in caring for these animals, and I think it’s important that we learn about this, since we share this earth with them. I am a huge animal lover, and honestly love animals more than people. It was nice to see how well they take care of the animals that are living there, especially since that isn’t always the case.
Another good thing is that I was finally able to start making some real progress on this stupid book of mine. It’s pretty frustrating to write this, make sure that it makes sense, and then think if people will like it. I laugh when people say to just finish it. Yes, it’s that easy to write a novel and build a whole universe filled with unique people, technology, societies, and organizations. I don’t know what is going through their minds when they say that, so I just laugh since any true book writer will tell you that it is a hard and often terrible process but you love it anyways. (Sorry for the rant, back to our regularly scheduled program)
While we waited on some of the attractions, I was able to write a bit of Jake’s storyline, and determined where his story starts. So if anything, I at least got that accomplished.
A few tips I learned:
- Don’t go on a weekend. I think that is part of why it was so crowded. The weekends are going to be the busiest time to go, so yeah, that was a mistake on our part.
- Speak up if you need to. I have a hard time with this if I’m anxious. But like I said, not everyone has a cane or a clear way for people to know that they are visually impaired. So if people start to be rude or are just trampling over you, speak up. For me, once I gave them a clear sign that I could not see them, the atmosphere changed greatly. So speak up. If you need people to give you more space, tell them. You have a right to be treated respectfully and to have your visual needs taken care of.
- Bring something to help calm your anxiety. I cannot stress how much I have benefitted from using homeopathic medicine to relieve my sudden anxiety. I don’t think I could have gotten through the rest of that day if I hadn’t taken it. The ones that help me are sepia, ignatia, silicea, and argentum. I also carry a small baby Groot in my bag to squeeze and look at when I am feeling bad, because baby Groot makes everything better. You may have something else you carry with you to keep you grounded, but whatever that might be, keep it with you.
- Don’t go there by yourself. Another reason I was able to survive, and ultimately enjoy, that day was because I had my mom and brother there to support me and cheer me on. My mom is my biggest cheerleader and biggest advocate. Because I had her there to reason with me, and I had my brother to help guide me (and provide much needed help on where to start Jake’s storyline), I was able to end up having a great time. So don’t go there alone. Take a friend or some family, that way you have that support and have someone who can make what could be an anxious disaster a fun and amazing adventure.
- Find the tiny door. This is another reason we have to go back to Atlanta. Throughout the city are these tiny doors- think a fairy garden size door- and you can find them located at various locations in Atlanta. The one in the aquarium is the only one you have to pay to get to see, since it is located inside. You can find it near the ocean encounters area, right below a pillar at the entrance to that area.
I hope that you enjoyed this post, and I also hope that it was helpful. Never be afraid to advocate for your needs, or to ask for help when you need it. And don’t forget to see the beauty in everything around you. We live in a pretty beautiful world, filled with wonderful gardens, beautiful flowers, and hilarious but kind animals. That’s the main thing to take away from all of this. That being out in nature, that’s when you see how wonderful and lucky we are to get to live on this planet. And even in a rough situation, to see how the animals interact with each other, and how majestic or goofy they each are, is a privilege to observe.
Well, that concludes our Atlanta trip! We had a lot of fun, and still have so many things left to see.
What are some of your favorite spots in Atlanta, Georgia? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time 🙂
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