Over the past few years several people recommended this museum to us and our children. I honestly was a bit disappointed; I expected it to be bigger and have more exhibits. With the giant dinosaurs in the atrium and out front I expected there to be more about specific dinosaurs, but that was pretty much it. Much was about the ecosystems and how they evolved - while important, just not something I (or my kids - ages 9 and 13) found interesting. That said, they still enjoyed some of the exhibits and learned something.
I'm a bit biased, having come from the north where you could go to the Museum of Natural History in New York City and for $20 less in admission (for a family of 4) you can spend a whole day and see a lot more variety of exhibits. But even down here, I'd say the Tellus Museum offers more for a cheaper admission.
There were some very nice things including the children's areas on the third floor - but I'd say they are targeted for children under 10. Nature Quest was a very neat area where kids could run around and explore and just maybe learn a thing or two, but this area was for kids 9 and younger. There was another area where the kids could build a "satellite" or "spaceship" and then test its construction.
We also really enjoyed the live animal encounter, which I would recommend. Unfortunately, we were not able to explore the outside area as it stormed an hour after we got there. So perhaps that might have made it more worthwhile. We also did not view the 3D movies.
We're sorry to hear your first visit didn't meet your expectations.We'd love to hear more from you. Please email us at social.media@fernbankmuseum.org so we can better understand what would appeal to your family and your 9 and 13 year olds. We have a new exhibit opening later this summer that might appeal to them and would enjoy hearing your family's thoughts. Thanks!
I grew up going to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History as a child. On a recent family trip to visit friends in Atlanta, I was lucky enough to take my husband and six-year-old daughter. Not only did she love the Dinosaurs, but she loved exploring all around the outside of the museum on all of their nature trails. While it's not the largest museum inside, it truly is a great family experience, and a must see if you're in Atlanta.
What a great story! Thank you for sharing. We love hearing about guests who themselves first visited as children and returned to share the Fernbank experience with their own children. We're so happy you visited and had a great time.
Very nice building and exhibits. Wild woods is cool. Great pic opportunities. Apollo 11 was amazing. Almost like you're watching it live. Atlanta is such a well kept city filled with culture.
We're so happy you enjoyed your visit to Fernbank and had great experiences with the exhibits, WildWoods and the Apollo 11 movie on the 4-story-high giant screen! If ever there was a movie made for our giant theater, it's this one! It's always great to hear kudos from our guests--thank you for visiting and thanks for sharing your review.
Although we were underwhelmed by the exhibits compared to other natural history museums we've visited (Houston and Oklahoma City for example), the "A Wallk Through Time in Georgia" exhibit is worth a walkthrough. Furthermore, this museum is well worth the cost of admission just to access the beautiful outdoor hiking trails and the Nature Quest play area on the upper floor. My kids could have played and explored all day.
Thanks for sharing your feedback! It's great to hear how much you enjoyed WildWoods, NatureQuest and A Walk Through Time in Georgia. We agree that we are a slightly different type of natural history museum, especially with the 75-acres of outdoor nature trails, exhibits and experiences. While we might not be as large as some of the older museums (we opened in 1992), we strive to bring the very best exhibits, movies and experiences in science, nature and human culture to our guests, and are thrilled that you spent the day with us. We open a new STEM exhibit, Fantastic Forces, later this summer and hope you'll come back to check it out!
Awesome Dinosaur exhibit and a kids exploration area that appeal to all children....the outside adventure area is a bit of a climb but I loved every minute.
We're so happy to hear you enjoyed your visit! Thanks for sharing.
