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The Tennessee Aquarium isn’t just the most recognizable silhouette on the Chattanooga skyline; it’s a symbol of everything that’s gone right for the city over the past decade. Built in 1992, the freshwater aquarium was the catalyst that transformed downtown. Once a decaying witness to Chattanooga’s diminishing manufacturing base, downtown now anchors a tourist economy pumping $600 million a year into county coffers.

So you’ll forgive citizens’ consternation when the world’s largest aquarium opened two hours away in Atlanta, hometown of a quarter of the Tennessee Aquarium’s one million annual visitors. The Georgia Aquarium—the $290 million brainchild of Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus—opened its doors in November, just months after the Tennessee Aquarium unveiled a $30 million saltwater addition as part of a sweeping waterfront renovation. Describing his vision for the aquarium, most of which he funded, Marcus explained it would not be “cute” like Chattanooga’s.

It’s different, certainly—three times as large and with a bold, Disneyesque vibe that’s in marked contrast to the Tennessee Aquarium’s calmer, more ethereal atmosphere.

That difference keeps both institutions viable, says American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s Jane Ballentine, who compares them to the expansive Brookfield and intimate Lincoln Park Zoos in Chicago. The greater determinant of success, she says, is an aquarium’s immediate locale. Baltimore’s National Aquarium has thrived because of the commensurate flowering of the surrounding Inner Harbor; New Jersey State Aquarium foundered when hoped-for development did not materialize.

With restaurants, retail and other attractions within walking distance, “when you walk out of the Tennessee Aquarium you feel like you’re still on vacation,” says marketing director Cindy Todd. Now a “destination city,” Chattanooga seems to have secured its tourist base; three-quarters of its visitors—including Atlantans who see their smaller neighbor as a getaway—stay two or more nights. John Morey, who conducts market research for cultural attractions, says the impact of the Georgia Aquarium likely hinges on one number: Atlantans who would “day trip” to Chattanooga just to see the aquarium.

The Tennessee Aquarium’s statistics have borne that out. The number of Atlanta visitors dropped 30% after the Georgia Aquarium opened, Todd says, “but that was more than offset by the numbers coming from Nashville, Birmingham, Huntsville and Knoxville,” and overall attendance was 25% higher than in 2004.

While it will take years for the numbers to settle out, Todd says, the aquarium may be facing less a decline in attendance than a shift in visitor demographics. That’s a trend Chattanooga can live with.

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