Fernbank Museum of Natural History
767 Clifton Road NE, Druid Hills, Atlanta, GA, 30307
A classic field-trip experience for local kids, the Fernbank Museum holds dinosaur skeletons and natural science exhibits in the heart of Fernbank Forest, a restored old-growth forest in northeast Atlanta. Highlights include a saltwater aquarium, live animal habitats, a giant-screen theater showing science-based documentaries, and outdoor features including an elevated forest walkway called WildWoods.
The basics
A spruced-up Fernbank Forest reopened recently as part of the museum—the building and forest are typically seen together, with visitors often checking out the treetop walkway and forest trails after the exhibitions. Tickets are available at the museum box office, but travelers looking for a deal can try the Atlanta CityPASS, which grants access to the museum and four additional attractions for a week or longer.
Things to know before you go
- The museum is ideal for kids, but also hosts after-hours events for adults.
- Fernbank After Dark offers after-hours exhibits, music, drinks, tapas, science displays, and more on the second Friday of each month.
- One film screening is included with admission on a first-come, first-served basis.
- All experiences inside the museum and within WildWoods meet ADA standards.
- Museum amenities include Wi-Fi, restrooms, a store, and café.
How to get there
The museum is in the city outskirts east of Midtown, near Emory University at the corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Clifton Road. From Downtown, it’s an easy 15-minute drive east, mostly along the John Lewis Freedom Parkway. Travelers without wheels can take the MARTA Blue Line to East Lake Station.
When to get there
Fernbank Museum and the Giant Screen Theater are open daily from 10am to 5pm. The museum is rarely overcrowded, but has fewer visitors during weekdays. Fernbank Forest is also open daily rain or shine, but closes at 4:30pm. Fernbank After Dark and other special after-hours events are held on the second Friday of every month.
Atlanta’s old-growth forest
Fernbank Forest has been many things: a 19th-century family summer estate, a swath of protected private land, and a living laboratory for the local county school district. Today, the renovated forest landscape is officially part of the Fernbank Museum. Visitors can join guided tours from the museum or take self-guided tours along forest paths, winding through 65 acres (26 hectares) of old-growth American hardwood trees.
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