After a day dedicated to learning all about Georgia’s gold rush (Part 1), we turned our attention to two places in Atlanta for more science education.
Our first stop was The Fernbank Museum of Natural History. This place had 3 floors of fun, plus so many acres of trails to explore outside, that we didn’t even see it all!
The third floor was outstanding for smaller kids, although the tweens enjoyed it too. There was a jungle forest playscape, a cultural exhibit, and an interactive sensory exhibit.
The play area had a few different animals set up throughout it. Alligators, salamanders, turtles, and snakes were just a few.
The play area had so many areas to explore, with lots of interactive sections and information stations.
The bridges were a favorite area to hang out on.
Playing with bubbles in the interactive sensory room.
Learning about electricity.
Playing with the green screen, pretending to be meteorologists…or severed heads.
The second floor housed the theatre, where we watched the Oceans 3D movie to prepare for our upcoming aquarium trip. It also had a walkthrough of Georgia’s natural history. Rocks, minerals, wildlife, ancient sea life, fossils, archaeology finds, Native American history… it included everything!
They had so much information up on the walls. It would have taken two days to read every single thing, even longer to sit down and discuss it all!
The marine area of Georgia’s past as an ancient sea.
Seeing the dinosaurs were one of my favorite parts.
Life finds a way.
The first floor had their cafe, and was the entrance to the outdoor area. We didn’t have time to walk any of the trails, but we ventured far enough to hit their outdoor playscape built for the older kids.
Family portrait time under the dinosaur’s ribs.
Another dinosaur to stop at before we venture into the outdoor paths.
The rope bridge in the outdoor play area for older kids.
We spent 4 hours there, including eating lunch, and the 45 minute movie. We could have easily spent the entire day there, especially adding in walking trails and the other 3D movie available to see.
We had to leave though, and cross town to Atlantic Station. Apparently there’s a lot of shopping there, but I was focused on one thing only; The Bodies Exhibit! It did not disappoint!
You couldn’t take pictures inside the museum part itself, but the time and dedication it took to display these real bodies is jaw dropping. Blood vessels, muscles, differences between healthy and damaged organs, it’s really a once in a lifetime feeling if you don’t plan on going into the medical field. It can be scary though. The thought of real bodies overwhelmed the 8 year old to tears towards the end, but she understood that this was a learning experience.
The outside of the building had the windows covered in huge pictures of some of the things you can see inside.
The museum was laid out to go over each body system respiratory, circulatory, digestive, skeletal, reproductive, muscular, with lots of interesting facts and displays that were amazing to see.
Whether you are just a curious person, studying anatomy, going into the medical field, or even an art student, just about anyone can benefit from seeing this exhibit.
Our aquarium adventure will be coming up soon!
~Holly