there are talks of closing the fernbank science center. at the least it will likely be scaled back quite a bit. just so you know, this is not the fernbank museum of natural history, which we often write about on the website. it’s still a great atlanta attraction though and it would be a shame to see it close.

the fernbank science center is only a mile and a half from our house and is free to the public. it has lots to offer both adults and children, so you can’t go wrong. there are outdoor activities like a huge canopied forrest with paved walkways and a composting area with helpful tips and pointers. there are also indoor activities, including an exhibit hall with the apollo 6 capsule, an observatory and a planetarium!

the exhibit hall and observatory are both totally free! the exhibit hall is open monday through friday from 9am to 5pm and saturday from 10am to 5pm. the observatory is open for public observations on thursday and friday nights from 9 to 10:30pm, weather permitting. an astronomer is on hand to answer questions and position the largest telescope in the southeast. we definitely want to check this out!

the planetarium has adult and children programs from thursday through saturday. there is also a saturday morning program called the night sky, which goes through the current constellations, planets, etc. in the current evening sky. shows are $4 for adults and $3 for children, students, & seniors and free for fernbank museum of natural history members.

although it may not be as exciting as the fernbank museum of natural history, the fernbank science center is both fun and educational and is totally worth keeping open!

check out our post on the fernbank science center from a couple of years ago!

– ryan & gub

fernbank science center

156 heaton park dr.
atlanta, ga 30307
678-874-7113

the fernbank museum of natural history is only two miles from our house, so we try to take clementine any free chance we have. she loves the nature quest area, even though she’s still a little young for a lot of the fun. often she just sits and watches all of the big kids running around doing their thing, which is cute. as you can see, she is also pretty close to being a full time walker these days!

check out our post with clementine enjoying the tabby blocks at the nature quest!

– ryan & gub

fernbank museum of natural history

767 clifton rd ne
atlanta, ga 30307
404-929-6300

clementine’s first trip to the high museum of art was for the modern by design exhibit last august. she was right at home in the gallery with this ellsworth kelly piece.

we also had a lot of fun checking out the new addition to the permanent collection from anish kapoor. This is the same artist that created cloud gate (aka “the bean”) for Millenium Park in Chicago.

– ryan & gub

high museum of art

1280 peachtree st ne
atlanta, ga 30309
404-733-4400

clementine and i recently had a free afternoon so we went on a trip to the fernbank museum of natural history. she is finally getting big enough to enjoy the nature quest area, so there’s a lot more for her to do. she caught story time and totally loved playing with these tabby blocks!

we also walked through the wildlife rescue exhibit, although it wasn’t her first time. clementine likes watching the bird simulation and all of the bright lights.

– ryan

fernbank museum of natural history

767 clifton rd ne
atlanta, ga 30307
404-929-6300

the high museum of art has a great exhibition featuring brooklyn-based artist and designer kaws. the exhibit has sculptures, graffiti & graphic design works, vinyl toys, as well a gridded wall of paintings that is really impressive! down time is “the largest exhibition of KAWS’s work to date” and is only open through may 20th, so don’t miss out.

– ryan & gub

high museum of art

1280 peachtree st ne
atlanta, ga 30309
404-733-4400

here are some fun colorful photos from fernbank! based on the results, it’s kind of a ‘make-your-own indie-rock album cover’ activity!

– ryan & gub

i was messing around with a plasma ball at fernbank and took this photo. i loved these things when i was a kid! gub thinks the photo could be a journey album cover!

– ryan

clementine recently went to the fernbank museum of natural history for the first time. it’s never too early for some fun with science! we are very fortunate that this amazing museum is only a couple of miles from our house. now that we have a family membership, we will be there all the time!

fernbank has some impressive dinosaur fossils as you enter the main building. they are on par with those in jurassic park. there are also lots of amazing dioramas in the permanent exhibitions and a special exhibition area with rotating exhibits.

mythic creatures was the current special exhibit and was really awesome! it covered various mythic beings, from dragons to the lochness monster to bigfoot to unicorns, and tried to explain their possible scientific origins. although clem was probably too small to fully enjoy the exhibit, we could tell she had a blast! the bright colors on the various creatures were definitely eye candy for her.

be sure to check out our previous post on the fernbank planetarium, which is only a few streets over from the natural history museum.

– ryan & gub

fernbank museum of natural history

767 clifton rd ne
atlanta, ga 30307
404-929-6300