One of our favorite places to visit in Atlanta is the Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
With dinosaur skeletons, rotating exhibits, interactive activities, WildWoods at Fernbank Forest, and a fabulous indoor play area — my kids just cannot get enough!
This fall, Fernbank has a lot of great activities going on, in addition to a lot of great safety protocols to keep all visitors healthy and safe.
Right now, Fernbank is limiting capacity, and requiring online, timed reservations. Masks are required for those ages 2 and up.
If you ask us, there’s never a bad time to visit Fernbank, but a visit this fall should definitely be on your to-do list!
Fernbank’s Giant Screen Theater
Fernbank’s Giant Screen Theater is OPEN daily through September 6, 2021. See an exciting lineup of award-winning, science-based documentaries made for Giant Screen and IMAX® theaters.
Here, you’ll find special 25-minute movies on a 4-story tall screen! This fall, they’re showing amazing science-based documentaries in a two-dimensional format (no 3D glasses for now).
Films will be shown with reduced capacity, enhanced cleaning between shows, and physically distanced seating.
Antarctic Dinosaurs
On View October 9, 2021 – January 2, 2021
This fall, Fernbank has another great visiting Dinosaur exhibit that you and your family will love.
Embark on an adventure to uncover never-before-seen dinosaur fossils from one of the most isolated environments on Earth. Antarctic Dinosaurs is an immersive experience, transporting visitors back 200 million years to discover what life was like in prehistoric Antarctica.
NatureQuest
Let the adventure begin!
NatureQuest is an awesome indoor play area that turns kids into adventurers!
In NatureQuest, kids will find lots of hands-on experiences — there is so much to see and do! I could write a whole article about how amazing NatureQuest is, but suffice it to say — it’s a place your kids will love.
My kids’ favorite is shining the flashlights at the “bats” and hearing them squeak, running around the “treehouse,” and finding the fossils hidden in the walls!
Make sure to visit the real baby alligators and turtles while you’re there!
Woodland Spirits
On view September 18 – November 7, 2021
With the amazing fall weather we’ve been having, there’s no better time than now to visit the Woodland Spirits in WildWoods at Fernbank Forest.
Woodland Spirits features a variety of ghostly figures imagined by Fernbank and transformed by Laura Lewis, an Atlanta artist. It is so amazing to see the figures as you’re walking through the forest. It’s spooky — in a good way!
Fernbank will also give everything in WildWoods a spooky upgrade! You’ll find a Monster Garden, Harvest Stories, and the Adventure Outpost will be…Haunted Outpost!
For those who want to immerse themselves in the seasonal feel, Nature Stories has transformed into ‘Harvest Stories’, where scarecrows and pumpkins are spread throughout for the perfect fall experience. For a mini “Little Shop of Horrors” find your way to the ‘Monster Garden’ in Nature Gallery.
New to this year’s iteration of ‘Woodland Spirts’ is ‘Nocturnal Activity: Life After Dark’ which can also be found in Nature Gallery. Explore what goes on when the sun goes down as you discover the lifestyles of nocturnal animals and night-blooming plants. Featured animals include bats, owls, scorpions, raccoons, moths, opossums, frogs, toads and more.
All of the outdoor activities feature Halloween decor, and my kids were huge fans when we saw it last year. They loved everything about it, and we spent a ton of time outside, making sure we didn’t miss any of it!
Supernatural Science Series
Join Fernbank Forest for Halloween fun, all month long!
In October, Fernbank is hosting a Supernatural Science Fest — which includes fun, Halloween-themed activities for every age group.
For all ages, the Woodland Spirits and Ghostly Gatherings are great choices. As we already talked about, a stroll through Fernbank Forest with the Woodland Spirits is a great way to get into the season.
Featured as part of the Supernatural Science Series, ‘Woodland Spirits’ provides daily seasonal Halloween experiences, with additional events and programming to capture the full Halloween vibe, including:
- Forest night walks, where guests can take a guided night-time tour of Fernbank’s outdoor space ‘Fernbank Forest’, with a Fernbank educator. Night walks are available for separate purchase on October 1, October 8 (in conjunction with Fernbank After Dark) and October 23 (in conjunction with Ghostly Gatherings)
- Five family-friendly programming mornings include ‘Sea Monsters’ on September 25, ‘Antarctic Dinosaurs Opening Day’ on October 9, ‘Creepy Crawlies’ on October 16, ‘Bugs, Bats and Bones’ on October 23 and the return of ‘Dino Trick-or-Treat’ on October 30, 2021.
- For souls 21-and-up, ‘Fernbank After Dark: Poisons and Potions’ offers after-hours access to all of Fernbank’s exhibits, including entry to Fernbank’s new special exhibition ‘Antarctic Dinosaurs’. ‘Fernbank After Dark’ is offered from 7pm-11pm on Friday, October 8.
- ‘Ghostly Gatherings’ offers a bewitchingly fun event featuring evening hours at Fernbank, including special access to ‘Woodland Spirits’, as well as themed interactive activities, adult beverages and special snacks for purchase. ‘Ghostly Gatherings’ is offered on Sunday, October 24 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. ($10 for members, $20 for non-members)*
- ‘Fright Night’, for ages 21+, features a costume contest, access to indoor and outdoor exhibits (including ‘Woodland Spirits’), specialty drinks, as well as small bites available for purchase. ‘Fright Night’ will take place Friday, October 29 from 7pm-11pm. ($21.95 for both members and non-members)*
*Prices for events might be higher at the box office if not pre-purchased online.
Disclosure: Thank you to Fernbank Museum for hosting us. Opinions here are our own, as always.
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