Best Bets | Feb. 26 - March 5

The must-do events around Atlanta for the week, weekend
The skeletons of a male and female sperm whale and models of other marine life are among the highlights of the new Fernbank Museum of Natural History exhibit, "Whales: Giants of the Deep."

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

The skeletons of a male and female sperm whale and models of other marine life are among the highlights of the new Fernbank Museum of Natural History exhibit, "Whales: Giants of the Deep."

FAIRS, FESTIVALS, ETC.

UniverSoul Circus. Through March 2. $27.85-$38.85. Turner Field's Green Lot. 755 Hank Aaron Drive S.E., Atlanta. www.ticketmaster.com.

“Orchid Daze: Lasting Impressions.” Through April 13. $18.95; $12.95 ages 3-12. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

“Whales: Giants of the Deep.” The exhibition  also takes a look at New Zealand’s Maori culture. Through Aug. 24. Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-929-6400, fernbankmuseum.org.

“Seamus Heaney: The Music of What Happens.” Through May 7. Free. Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle. 404-727-6861, bit.ly/emory-heaney-exhibition.

Atlanta Blooms. March 1-April 30. $18.95; $12.95 ages 3-12. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

Beer Bourbon BBQ Atlanta. 2-6 p.m. March 1; VIP noon-6 p.m. General admission $45, $35 in advance. VIP admission $85. Designated driver tickets $25. Atlantic Station, 171 17th St. NW, Atlanta. www.beerandbourbon.com.

MUSIC

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Violinist Hilary Hahn joins the orchestra for Nielsen's Violin Concerto. Guest conductor Marc Piollet makes his ASO debut. Feb. 28 and March 1. $24-$75. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. www.atlantasymphony.org.

Johnny Mercer Celebration. 8 p.m. Feb. 28. $34-$65. Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St. N.W., Atlanta. rialtocenter.org.

Alton Brown. 8 p.m. Feb. 28. $36.50-$56.50. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. www.foxtheatre.org.

Graham Colton. Feb. 28. $12 in advance. Smith's Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-875-1522, www.smithsoldebar.com.

Shovels & Rope, Hurray for the Riff Raff. 8:30 p.m. March 1. $18; $16 in advance. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. NE, Atlanta. www.variety-playhouse.com.

Peter Buck and Alejandro Escovedo. 8 p.m. March 1. $25-$28. The EARL, 488 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-522-3950, www.badearl.com.

Julie Gribble, Catatonic. 8 p.m. March 1. $5, plus a canned food item for the Sandy Springs Community Assistance Center. Hungry Ear Coffee House, 1025 Mount Vernon Highway N.W., Sandy Springs. www.juliegribble.net.

Freddy's Finest. March 1. $10 in advance. Smith's Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-875-1522, www.smithsoldebar.com.

Emblem3 and MKTO. 7 p.m. March 1. $29.50-$37.50. Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. N.W., Atlanta. tabernacleatl.com.

Pink Martini, the Von Trapps. 7 p.m. March 2. $32.50-$72.50. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. www.atlantasymphony.org.

WRFG Benefit Concert. With Francine Reed, Matt Wauchope, Diane Durrett Trio, Timo Arthur Trio and more. 1 p.m. March 2, $10. Red Light Cafe, 553 Amsterdam Ave. N.E., Atlanta. redlightcafe.com.

Switchfoot. 7:30 p.m. March 2. $25; $22 in advance. The Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-885-1365, www.thebuckheadtheatre.com.

Guy Davis. 8 p.m. March 2.  $20-$27. Eddie Owen Presents, Red Clay Theatre, 3116 Main St., Duluth. 678-892-6373, www.eddieowenpresents.com

Switchfoot, the Kopecky Family Band. 7:30 p.m. March 2. $22. The Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-843-2825, www.thebuckheadtheatre.com.

Two Cow Garage. March 2. $10 in advance. Smith's Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-875-1522, www.smithsoldebar.com.

NRBQ. March 5. $12 in advance. Smith's Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-875-1522, www.smithsoldebar.com.

Emory University Symphony Orchestra with Isabel Bayrakdarian, mezzo-soprano. 8 p.m. Mar 6. Free. Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 1700 N. Decatur Road, Atlanta. 404-727-5050, arts.emory.edu.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: "We'll Always Have Paris." Jeffrey Khaner is the soloist for the ASO debut of Jonathan Leshnoff's Flute Concerto. The orchestra will also perform works by Debussy, Ravel and Mozart. 8 p.m. March 6. $24-$75. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. www.atlantasymphony.org

PERFORMING ARTS

"Romeo & Juliet." Through March 30 (in repertory with "Taming of the Shrew" and "Much Ado About Nothing"). $15-$36. The New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-874-5299, www.shakespearetavern.com.

"Much Ado About Nothing." Through March 28 (in repertory with "Taming of the Shrew" and "Romeo & Juliet"). $15-$36. The New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-874-5299, www.shakespearetavern.com.

"The Taming of the Shrew." Through March 29 (in repertory with "Romeo & Juliet" and "Much Ado About Nothing"). $15-$36. The New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-874-5299, www.shakespearetavern.com.

"Weather Rocks." Through March 23. $16.50. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-873-3391, www.puppet.org.

"Wall Street Wedding." Through March 1. $15-$25. Pinch 'n Ouch Theatre, 1085 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta. www.pnotheatre.org.

“Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.” Through March 9. $10-$40. Synchronicity Theatre at 14th Street Playhouse, 173 14th St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-484-8636, synchrotheatre.com.

"Tuesdays With Morrie." Presented by the Polk Street Players. Through March 1. $12.50-$20. The Stellar Cellar Theatre, St. James' Episcopal Church, 161 Church St., Marietta. 770-218-9669, www.polkstreetplayers.com.

"Making God Laugh." Through March 9. $18-$25. ART Station, 5384 Manor Drive, Stone Mountain. 770-469-1105, www.artstation.org.

"Great Expectations." Through March 2. $25. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-873-3391, www.puppet.org.

"Race." By David Mamet. Through March 23. $15-$45. True Colors Theatre Company at Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road S.W., Atlanta. 1-877-725-8849, www.truecolorstheatre.org.

Robert Kelly. Through March 1. $20. Atlanta Improv Comedy Club, 56 E. Andrews Dr. N.W., Atlanta. 678-244-3612, www.theimprovatlanta.com.

Chris Franjola. Through March 2. $23-$28. Laughing Skull Lounge, 878 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 1-877-523-3288, laughingskulllounge.com.

"Boeing Boeing." Through March 22. $12-23. OnStage Atlanta, 2969 E. Ponce De Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-897-1802, www.onstageatlanta.com.

"Tamer of Horses." This drama examines teen violence and the role of education in realizing a young person's potential. $15. Aurora Theatre, 128 East Pike St., Lawrenceville.  678-226-6222, www.auroratheatre.com.

“Shrek the Musical.” Through March 16. $20-$35. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. 404-733-5000, alliancetheatre.org.

“Love Letters.” A.R. Gurney’s acclaimed play tells the story of two lives through letters that the pair exchanged. Through March 2. $8-$14. Newnan Theatre Company, 24 First Ave., Newnan. newnantheatre.org.

Erin Foley. 8 p.m. Mar 6- Mar 9, $15.00 - $25.00 . Laughing Skull Lounge, 878 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. (877) 523-3288, laughingskulllounge.com//index.cfm

Michael McDonald. 8 p.m. Mar 6- Mar 8, $20.00. Atlanta Improv Comedy Club, 56 E. Andrews Dr. NW, Atlanta. (678) 244-3612, www.theimprovatlanta.com/comedy-calendar/

Southern Ballet Theatre: "Rapunzel." March 7-9. $14.50-$18.50. Gwinnett Performing Arts Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. www.gwinnettcenter.com.

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Presented by the Capital City Opera Company. March 7-9. $30-$40. Oglethorpe University's Conant Performing Arts Center, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta. 678-301-8013, www.ccityopera.org.

"The Money in Uncle George's Suitcase. "March 7-30. $12-$15. Act1 Theater, 180 Academy St., Alpharetta. 770-663-8989, www.act1theater.com.

VISUAL ARTS

“Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional & Contemporary.” Through March 9. $5. Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-364-8555, museum.oglethorpe.edu

Atlanta Photography Group Push Pin Show. Opening 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21, $10. Through March 9. Atlanta Photography Group Gallery, 75 Bennett St. N.W., Suite B-1, Atlanta. www.apgphoto.org.

"Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things." Through May 11. $10 general admission. Museum of Design, 1315 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. www.museumofdesign.org.

Sheila Pree Bright: "Invisible Suburbia." Through Feb. 28. Free with regular tour admission. Barrington Hall, 535 Barrington Drive, Roswell. 770-992-1731, www.roswellroots.com.

"Go West! Art of the American West from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West." Through April 13. $12-$19.50. High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. www.high.org.

"Rendering Atlanta." Through Feb. 28. Free. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. www.atlantahistorycenter.com.

"Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition." Ongoing. $16-$24; $16 ages 4-12; $22 senior citizens; $30 combo ticket with "Bodies … The Exhibition." Premier Exhibition Center, Atlantic Station, 265 18th St., Atlanta. 866-866-8265, www.atlanticstation.com.

"Bodies … The Exhibition." Ongoing. $16-$24. Premier Exhibition Center at Atlantic Station, 265 18th St., Atlanta. 866-866-8265, www.atlanticstation.com.