City: Atlanta, GA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (404) 929-6300

Address: 767 Clifton Rd. NE

Description: The very popular Fernbank Museum is the largest natural history museum in the Southeast. Since it opened in 1992, more than 3 million visitors have flocked to Fernbank. Permanent exhibits include A Walk Through Time in Georgia, 17 galleries that explore landform regions of Georgia and the chronological development of life on Earth. Highlights include Origin of the Universe, a high-definition video that projects the drama of Earth’s formation. Giants of the Mesozoic in the Great Hall features seven life-size dinosaurs and three massive murals of the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic eras. First Georgians teaches about the prehistoric inhabitants of the region including a 17-foot-long canoe made from a pine tree more than 300 years ago.Fernbank boasts Georgia’s first IMAX Theater, with a five-story screen to accommodate the largest film format in the world. IMAX’s special curved screen and powerful digitally recorded sound system draw you right into the action. Other permanent exhibits include the McClatchey Gallery, Reflections of Cultures, which houses a significant jewelry collection donated by Mrs. Dorothy McClatchey, a prominent resident of Atlanta. The World of Shells features shells from around the globe and a Caribbean coral reef saltwater aquarium. Sensing Nature presents 65 interactive exhibits that help visitors understand the scientific principles of light and sound. This gallery brims over with computers, colored lights, video projectors, and lasers. For everyone from brainy science nerds to the scientifically impaired, this popular gallery features activities that can be experienced at several intellectual levels. Some are simple; others are high-tech. The museum is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Friday evenings (except in May and December) are reserved for Martinis and IMAX, where a full bar serves refreshments before special showings of the films at 7 p.m. Admission costs $15 for adults, $14 for students and seniors older than 62, and $13 for children 3 to 12. Fernbank members and children younger than 3 get in free. IMAX Theater admission only is $13 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, and $11 for children 3 to 12. Combination IMAX and museum tickets cost $23 for adults, $21 for students and seniors, and $19 for children 3 to 12.