Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium

As wonderful as the Georgia Aquarium is, if you're like me, you’ve pretty much steered clear of it because it’s often filled to the gills (pun intended) with children (even though we love the kiddos).

If that's true for you, then you'll be pleased to know about a new quarterly event at the aquarium called Sips Under the Sea!

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (64)

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (37)

Featuring live music, tapas, and cocktails, this ticketed, adults-only event launched on January 23rd and treated a few hundred ticket-holders to a lively happy hour at the Georgia Aquarium, in the heart of downtown Atlanta.

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (4)

From 6pm to 9pm, attendees freely wandered the aquarium’s 60 exhibits, carrying our beverages with us as we enjoyed uncrowded views of otters, octopus, stingrays, clown fish, sharks, and more.

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (28)

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (20)

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (2)

I went with my friend Paul and we had such a great time...

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (15)

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (19)

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (17)

... especially while crawling underneath the penguin habitat, me in my cocktail dresses and unabashedly holding onto my wine.

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (41)

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (3)

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (12)

The penguins were my favorite, given how close we were able to get to them.

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Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (30)

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (32)

Sips Under the Sea - Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta - The City Dweller (63)

The event was a great time to mingle, make new friends, greet old friends, listen to some wide-ranging live music (the playlist included Jessie J, Journey, Warren G, and Ike & Tina Turner, among others), and just all around enjoy a foggy, rainy, Friday night in Atlanta.

I highly recommend Sips Under the Sea! I can easily see this becoming very popular, so when tickets go on sale for the next one, be sure to scoop a couple.

If you’re a member, the ticket is free, but requires reservation so the aquarium has the proper headcount and refreshments. There is a general admission level, as well as a VIP level, so pick your pleasure. And remember, you can pay for your parking at the time of ticket purchase as well, to streamline the evening even further.

Also, because I’ve said the name of this event so many times, I can’t not say it without humming a few bars of “Under the Sea” from the Little Mermaid. Hope it’s in your head now, too. You're welcome, loves.