Fernbank Museum of Natural History, in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, is a museum that presents exhibitions and programming about natural history. Fernbank Museum has a number of permanent exhibitions and regularly hosts temporary exhibitions in its expansive facility, designed by

Graham Gund Graham de Conde Gund is an American architect and the president of the Gund Partnership, an American architecture firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and founded by Gund in 1971. An heir to George Gund II, he is also a collector of contempo ...

Architects. ''Giants of the

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...

'', on display in the

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

of Fernbank Museum, features a long ''

Argentinosaurus ''Argentinosaurus'' is a genus of giant sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Argentina. Although it is only known from fragmentary remains, ''Argentinosaurus'' is one of the largest known land animal ...

'', the largest dinosaur ever classified; as well as a ''

Giganotosaurus ''Giganotosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina, during the early Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 99.6 to 95 million years ago. The holotype specimen was discovered in th ...

''. The permanent exhibition, ''A Walk Through Time in Georgia'', tells the twofold story of Georgia's natural history and the development of the planet. Fernbank Museum has won several national and international awards for one of its newest permanent exhibitions, Fernbank NatureQuest, an immersive, interactive exhibition for children that was designed and produced by

Thinkwell Group Thinkwell Group is an experience design and production agency that was founded in 2001 with headquarters in Los Angeles, California. It specializes in the creation and master planning of theme parks, destination resorts, major branded and intelle ...

. The awards NatureQuest has won include the 2012 Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement for a Museum Exhibit and the 2011 Bronze Award for Best Museum Environment from Event Design. The nearby

Fernbank Science Center The Fernbank Science Center is a museum, classroom, and woodland complex located in Atlanta. It is owned and operated by the DeKalb County School System, which announced in May 2012 it was considering closing the facility to cut its annual budget, ...

is a separate organization operated by the

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missour ...

Board of Education and is not affiliated with Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Fernbank, Inc.).

History

In the late 1800s, a nature-lover named Emily Harrison grew up in an area east of Atlanta which she called "Fernbank". Along with others, Harrison created a charter for Fernbank in 1938 and purchased the of woodland on which Fernbank Museum now stands. In 1964, the Fernbank trustees and the

DeKalb County School System The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is a school district headquartered at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, near Stone Mountain and in the Atlanta metropolitan area. DCSD operates ...

created Fernbank Science Center, which led to a desire to share Fernbank's resources with the general public. Fernbank_interior

Following master planning and designs by the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based architectural firm,

Architects, ground was broken in 1989, and on October 5, 1992, Fernbank Museum of Natural History opened to the public. The new building is carefully located behind a row of historic houses, and features a glass-enclosed atrium overlooking Fernbank Forest. Fernbank Museum now stands on of the largest old-growth urban

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forest in the country.

Exhibits

Fernbank Museum offers a variety of exhibits exploring many different natural history topics. Exhibits include: * Fernbank NatureQuest * Dinosaur Plaza * Giants of the Mesozoic * A Walk Through Time in Georgia * Reflections of Culture * Conveyed in Clay: Stories from St. Catherines Island * Curator's Corner * World of Shells *Fantastic Forces The museum also has an area where special exhibitions are cycled through. These exhibits tend to stay open to the public for 2–4 months each.

Outdoor exhibits

In 2016, the museum opened WildWoods, an accessible 10-acre area located directly behind the museum with trails and interactive exhibits. In 2016 Fernbank also opened access to the newly restored, 65-acre

Fernbank Forest Fernbank Forest is a 65-acre (25 hectares) mature mixed forest that is part of Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia. It has some relatively old trees compared to much of the forests in the Piedmont; as such, it has been extens ...

Giant screen theatre

Fernbank is home to the Rankin M. Smith, Sr. Giant Screen Theater. Formerly an IMAX theater, upgrades were completed in February 2017 including a digital 4K 3D laser-illuminated projection system.

Special programming

Fernbank puts on special activities for adults and children including summer camps, lectures, workshops, interactive conversations, family activity days, and storytelling. One of Fernbank's most popular events, ''Fernbank After Dark'' runs the second Friday of each month, January through November, and features movies in the giant screen theater, drinks, food and live music.

F.U.N Volunteer Program

Fernbank Museum of Natural History offers a year-round volunteer program for children aged 13–17. F.U.N. (Fernbank UItimate Naturalist) Volunteers interact with museum guests while working on educational carts throughout the museum, exploring a wide range of natural history topics, including Archaeology, Paleontology, Anatomy, and more.

References

External links

Fernbank Museum of Natural History
{{authority control Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Museums in Atlanta Natural history museums in Georgia (U.S. state) Museums in DeKalb County, Georgia Druid Hills, Georgia Dinosaur museums in the United States Paleontology in Georgia (U.S. state)