With summer break over, it’s time to put the focus back on studying and learning new things.
Luckily, metro Atlanta families don’t have to travel far to combine an educational outing with loads of fun.
From flying high above the ground on obstacle courses to cruising along the Chattahoochee River in a canoe, to looking up at some of the largest dinosaur fossils in the world, options abound at many metro Atlanta attractions that promote learning and exploring in creative ways.
Here’s a look at some Atlanta area spots worth a visit.
Chattahoochee Nature Center
A sunny day with blue skies forms the perfect backdrop for the rich hues that adorn the maples, birches and oaks that make up the woodlands at the Chattahoochee Nature Center.
Both kids and adults can sharpen their environmental knowledge by visiting interactive booths and exhibits. Naturalists show off some of the center’s resident animals.
This center protects 127 acres of native plants and gardens with trails totaling just under 3 miles. Along the trails, you will see habitats for rescued and rehabilitated wildlife, including red-tailed hawks, vultures, eagles, owls and a beaver. (You can have an up-close experience with one of the rehabilitated animals during an Animal Encounter.) Hop on a canoe and paddle your way around the center’s Beaver Pond. The center hosts programs that can teach adults and children how to paddle a canoe and learn some basic outdoor skills such as knot tying and outdoor cooking.
Recurring activities include the annual “Flying Colors Butterfly Festival” in June. Live butterfly releases and encounters along with more familiar activities such as face painting will keep the little ones happy while they learn. $12 for non-members.
“River Canoe Trips” let you take an urban adventure and experience wildlife through a two-and-a-half-hour-long paddle down the Chattahoochee River with knowledgeable river guides. Chattahoochee Nature Center provides all equipment for participants. Ages 6-adult; $30 for non-members.
Reservations are required at least two days in advance. To make reservations, call 770-992-2055, ext. 237, or e-mail: scheduling@chattnaturecenter.org. Or book online: chattnaturecenter.org/families/canoe-programs/.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Adults, $10; seniors (65 and older) and students (13-18), $7; children (3-12), $6; children 2 and younger, free. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. 770-992-2055, http://chattnaturecenter.org.
Atlanta Monetary Museum
See historical artifacts and a complete collection of coins stamped from Georgia gold at the Dahlonega mint in the 1800s. Explore the story of money from barter to modern times, and learn about the turbulent history of banking. Then watch the bank’s cash-processing operations as workers count, sort or shred millions of dollars as part of the Fed’s role in ensuring the currency in circulation is good enough quality to be recirculated rather than destroyed.
You can also view the bank’s automated vault and see the robotic transports that do the heavy lifting of standard Fed secured containers.
All this and more await you at the Atlanta Fed's Monetary Museum. (To whet your appetite, take a virtual tour of the collection in "The Story of Money" (www.frbatlanta.org/about/tours/story-of-money.aspx). Sure, it's educational. It's also fun — and free.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Free. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 1000 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-498-8777, www.frbatlanta.org/about/tours/museum.cfm.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
The Fernbank Museum of Natural History brings to life the history of Earth from its formation and prehistoric times to modern day. A prehistoric battle unfolds in the permanent exhibition “Giants of the Mesozoic,” with the exhibit re-creating life in the badlands of Patagonia, Argentina, where fossils from the largest dinosaurs in the world were unearthed. The two-story display includes replicas of a 123-foot-long, plant-eating Argentinosaurus, a meat-eating Giganotosaurus and two species of flying reptiles, an Anhanguera and a Pterodaustro. The fossils, soaring reminders that dinosaurs once roamed the Earth, command center stage in the museum’s Great Hall.
Even so, while dinosaurs may be the biggest things at Fernbank, they certainly aren’t the only attractions. Other exhibits and programs focus on Georgia natural history, Native American and international culture, and Fernbank Forest. There is also an Imax theater. Recurring activities include a “Fernbank Forest Bird Walks” and “Tadpole Tales” (for preschoolers). Both events are free with museum admission.
Check out current and upcoming exhibits on their special exhibitions page.
Current and future Imax films are featured here.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History only: adults, $18; seniors (65 and over), $17; children (3-12), $16; free for 2 and younger; free for Fernbank museum members.
Imax tickets only: adults, $13; seniors (65 and over), $12; children (3-12), $11; museum members, $8; free for children 2 and younger.
You can save money if you buy the museum admission and Imax together as a value pass.
Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-929-6300, www.fernbankmuseum.org.
Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center
At this 700-acre oasis of nature with more than 10 miles of trails, it is easy to explore and learn about the peaceful surroundings of the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center by walking, running, biking — or swinging as high as 55 feet above the ground. Treetop Quest, an adventure obstacle course, includes a selection of six courses weaving through the lush flora, past looming trees, some of which are supporting the shaky rope bridges, tree stands and more. The Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center offers exhibits exploring everything from Civil War history and STEM activities to activities at its historic McDaniel Farm site, which teaches families about life on a Depression-era farm, complete with a look at tools and information about chores such as milking cows, feeding chickens and collecting eggs.
Exhibits tend to focus on water, conservation, nature and environmental issues. There's also a focus on Gwinnett history, including all the way back to preshistoric times. There are plenty of hands on opportunities.
Exhibits are included with admission.
Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; also open 1-5 p.m. on the last Sunday of each month. Adults, $10., Children (3-12) and seniors, $7, children 2 and under free. Add $3 to those prices for non-Gwinnettians. There is an additional cost for Treetop Quest activities. Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center, 2020 Clean Water Drive, Buford. For a complete listing of pricing, www.gwinnettEHC.org or call 770-904-3500.
Tellus
Tellus, located in Cartersville, just off I-75 at Exit 293, features eye-popping exhibits like an 80-foot-long Apatosaurus and a replica Wright flyer. Children will have a blast conducting hands-on experiments with light, sound and magnets. Dazzling gems and minerals, such as a 7-foot-tall amethyst geode, Georgia gold, and much more sparkle and glow alongside interactive exhibits demonstrating how the Earth moves and changes.
Tellus features four main galleries: the Weinman Mineral Gallery, the Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and the Collins Family My Big Backyard. Also at Tellus are a 120-seat digital planetarium and an observatory with a state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope.
Guests can also enjoy a walk-in fossil dig and a hands-on gem-panning experience.
Check out current and future special exhibits on their special exhibits page.
There are always upcoming special events in astronomy and paleontology and other scientific disciplines.
Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily (except for major holidays). Adults, $14; children (3-17), $10. Tellus Science Museum, 100 Tellus Drive, Cartersville. 770-606-5700, www.tellusmuseum.org.
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