Fernbank Museum of Natural History offers something unusual in the middle of a big city: dinosaurs and an old-growth forest on the same campus. It sits at 767 Clifton Road NE, east of Midtown near Emory University, at the corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Clifton Road. For anyone who lives in intown Atlanta, it is a standing invitation to spend a morning indoors with fossils and an afternoon outdoors under tall trees. This guide covers hours, tickets, the Giant Screen Theater, the forest trails and the evening events that make Fernbank a year-round favorite.
All details below come from Fernbank's own pages, opened while writing this guide. Titles, showtimes and prices can change, so double-check the museum's site before you plan your day.
What Should You Know Before You Go?
Fernbank's plan your visit page keeps the essentials in one place, and a few details are worth knowing in advance.
Hours
The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fernbank Forest closes at 4:30 p.m. so that visitors have time to return to the museum before it closes. The page also lists holiday extended hours on November 27 and 28, when the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the extra time included in general admission. That makes Thanksgiving weekend an easy time to bring out-of-town guests.
Tickets
The tickets page lists online general admission prices in two tiers. Adult tickets for ages 13 to 64 are $25.95 on value days and $27.95 on standard days, senior tickets are $24.95 and $26.95, and child tickets for ages 3 to 12 are $23.95 and $25.95. Value pricing applies Monday through Friday with a few exceptions around Thanksgiving and the end of the year, and standard pricing applies on weekends. Members are free, and children 2 and under are free with an adult. Tickets bought at the Admissions counter or by phone cost $3 more per ticket.
General admission includes daytime access to all exhibits, the outdoor experiences, one film in the Giant Screen Theater and free parking. Additional films cost $5 each.
Parking and getting there
Parking at Fernbank is free, but the museum says space is limited. Overflow parking is available on South Ponce de Leon Avenue, and parking is not permitted on Clifton Road. The directions page also describes a MARTA route: take the North/South rail line to the North Avenue or Decatur station and connect to bus 2 on Ponce de Leon Avenue, asking the driver to stop at Clifton Road. On weekends and holidays, allow extra time to park.
What Is Playing in the Giant Screen Theater?
The museum's Giant Screen Theater page describes award-winning, science-based documentaries made for giant screen and IMAX theaters, shown with digital laser projection in 2D and 3D. One film is included with general admission, subject to availability on a first-come, first-served basis.
Now playing
Guardians of the Wild follows scientists, rangers and conservationists working to bring endangered species back from the brink, from giant Galapagos tortoises to black rhinos. Its run time is 45 minutes, and showtimes are listed through November 13. Call of the Dolphins, also 45 minutes, closes November 10.
Coming soon
America the Beautiful shows November 11 through November 25 and is narrated by Kelsey Grammer. American Amazon opens November 14, 2026 and travels across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and the Carolinas to look at what the film calls the deep South's last unseen wilderness. If a particular film matters to you, check the page for showtimes, since the museum notes that titles, dates and showtimes are subject to change.
Why Is the Forest Worth the Walk?
The museum's outdoor experiences page describes two connected spaces that together make up the part of the visit many people remember best.
WildWoods
WildWoods is a 10-acre woodland area immediately behind the museum, reached from the museum terrace. It includes a canopy walk, outdoor exhibits, walking trails and nature play areas, and the paths and experiences are ADA-accessible. It is an easy first step outdoors for visitors of any age.
Fernbank Forest
Past WildWoods is Fernbank Forest, a 65-acre old-growth forest. The page says visitors can watch seasonal changes and look for native birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. It also says the forest and WildWoods come alive with yellows and oranges as the leaves change each November, so you do not have to drive north to see fall color. In winter, the evergreen trees and shrubs stand out.
Champion trees
The page notes that the campus is home to champion trees, meaning the biggest individual specimens of a species in a city, region or state. It lists an eastern hemlock, a pignut hickory and a northern red oak, and says the champion eastern hemlock is over 99 feet tall and one of the champion loblolly pines is over 148 feet tall. Look up as you walk.
Guided programs
WildWoods and Fernbank Forest are open daily for self-guided walks. Fernbank also offers drop-in Meet A Ranger programs of 30 minutes in the Kendeda Pavilion, Family Nature Walks of 30 minutes with a Fernbank educator, and guided morning or evening forest walks with themes such as birds, native plants and nocturnal animals. Dates are on the museum's calendar of events.
What About Evenings at the Museum?
The Museum Nights page describes after-hours events held throughout the year.
Fernbank After Dark
This event for ages 21 and over takes place on the second Friday of every month from 7 to 11 p.m., which puts the next one on November 13. The museum describes it as an after-hours experience with exhibits, live music, full bars and science. The tickets page lists admission at $23.95 for nonmembers and $18.95 for members, with live bands, small plates and hands-on science activities included.
Teen Night
Teen Night is held on select nights from 6 to 9 p.m. for ages 13 to 17, with exhibits, a film in the Giant Screen Theater and activities led by Fernbank educators. The page says more information is coming soon.
Where Can You Eat?
The plan your visit page says Bean Sprouts Cafe replaced the former Fernbank Cafe and opened September 23. The cafe accepts credit and debit cards only. Outside food and beverages are not permitted in the museum, WildWoods or Fernbank Forest, so plan your snacks accordingly.
How Could You Plan a Half Day?
Because admission bundles the exhibits, one film and the outdoor areas, it helps to put the pieces in a sensible order. Here is one way to do it using only what the museum's pages describe.
Morning
Arrive near 10 a.m., when the museum opens, since parking is free but limited and weekends can take extra time. Pick a film showtime first, because the Giant Screen Theater runs on a set schedule and film seats are first-come, first-served. Showtimes on the theater page start at 10:15 a.m. for Guardians of the Wild.
Midday
Spend the middle of the day in the indoor exhibits and, if you want a break, a stop at Bean Sprouts Cafe. Remember that outside food is not permitted inside the museum or the outdoor areas.
Afternoon
Save the forest for the afternoon and head out well before 4:30 p.m., when Fernbank Forest closes. If you are visiting on a Saturday or Sunday, the standard weekend pricing applies, so buying online ahead of time is the better value according to the museum's pages.
Return trips
If one visit is not enough, a return trip for Fernbank After Dark or a Thanksgiving weekend afternoon during the extended hours on November 27 and 28 gives you a different side of the museum. The forest also looks different every month, which the outdoor page describes in terms of yellow and orange leaves in November, evergreens in winter and wildflowers in spring and summer.
What Does Fernbank Say About Living in Intown Atlanta?
A natural history museum with a 75-acre forest behind it is a rare amenity for an urban neighborhood. It means a weekday lunch break can include a canopy walk, and a Friday night can include live music among the exhibits. The mix of indoor and outdoor options also makes it easy to use Fernbank in every season, from November leaves to evergreen winter walks.
If you are curious about how everyday places like this shape life in intown Atlanta, The Agency Atlanta is glad to talk through the neighborhoods around Midtown and beyond and what each one offers day to day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Fernbank's hours?
The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fernbank Forest closes at 4:30 p.m. On November 27 and 28 the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Is parking free?
Yes. The museum says parking is free but space is limited, with overflow parking on South Ponce de Leon Avenue and no parking on Clifton Road.
Are the forest and WildWoods included with admission?
Yes. General admission includes daytime access to all exhibits and the outdoor experiences, plus one film in the Giant Screen Theater.
When is Fernbank After Dark?
It is held on the second Friday of every month from 7 to 11 p.m. for ages 21 and over. The next one is November 13.
Conclusion
Fernbank rewards a slow visit. Start with a film, wander the exhibits, then step out onto the museum terrace and into WildWoods and see how far the forest trails carry you before 4:30 p.m. Come back for an evening event or a holiday weekend visit later this month. If a neighborhood with this kind of green space and culture close at hand sounds appealing, reach out to The Agency Atlanta to start a conversation about living in intown Atlanta.
