Best Museums for Families in Atlanta

The magic of museums is that they ignite curiosity and deepen knowledge. From the world-renowned collections at the High Museum of Art to special interest destinations like the Marietta Fire Museum, there’s no limit to what you’ll find when visiting Atlanta’s museums. Whether you are exploring something new or diving into an area of passion, you will find a museum (or three!) to love.

Atlanta History Center

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Atlanta History Center

Encompassing 33 acres of historic buildings, exhibits and gardens, permanent exhibits at Atlanta History Center include “Cyclorama: The Big Picture,” “Gatheround: Stories of Atlanta,” along with rotating special exhibits. For younger visitors, the Goizueta Children’s Experience has immersive activities and displays themed around Atlanta, including a mini Fox Theater, Tiny Toddler Town and The Varsity Silly Scent Station. After playing, enjoy a PB&J at Souper Jenny. More to explore: Visit the working Smith Farm, the Goizueta Gardens, Swan House and Woods, and the Margaret Mitchell House. Kid-friendly events include monthly Toddler Storytimes, camps and classes, annual Easter Egg Hunt, Juneteenth celebration and more.

High Museum of Art

More than 20,000 works of art are in the collections of this world-class museum. On display you’ll see modern art, folk art, photography, decorative arts, American and African art and more. Kids love the spiral ramps that surround the four-story open atrium. Rotating exhibitions feature everything from Ryoji Ikeda: data-verse (through August 10) and quilts to Dutch art and pottery. Wander the permanent and rotating art installations on the grounds of the museum and in Sifly Piazza. For families, the Greene Family Learning Center has art and art-making activities. Family Saturdays, held monthly, have special programming, tours, artmaking and more. Toddler Thursdays and Saturdays explore a new theme each month; on UPS Second Sundays, admission is free and includes family-friendly programming, performances and activities.

Children’s Museum of Atlanta

Designed for kids ages 8 and younger, this is truly a hands-on, immersive place to play and explore. At “Fundamentally Food,” kids can visit the farm, grocery store and café. Travel the globe at “Gateway to the World” or get creative in the art studio at “Let Your Creativity Flow.” Toddlers can explore the treehouse and fishing pond at “Leaping into Learning.” “Step Up to Science” has interactive STEAM elements and, at “Tools for Solutions,” kids can test their problem-solving skills, build bridges and use simple machines. Special exhibits feature favorite characters like Wallace & Gromit and PAW Patrol. The upcoming exhibit, “Scooby Doo: Mansion Mayhem,” (May 17-Sept. 7), encourages kids to use their problem-solving skills. Don’t miss daily programming at the Science Bar and CMA Stage, Preschool Playtime and more; special events include cultural programs and holiday celebrations.

Fernbank Museum

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Nature, science and history come together at Fernbank! The museum offers a wide range of experiences for families, all on one campus. Indoors, see the world’s largest dinosaurs, walk through the natural history of Georgia, and visit the Star Gallery. Kids can be explorers and adventurers in NatureQuest, with interactive exhibits, live animal exhibits and educational activities. See science-based movies on the Giant Screen and Imax Theaters, including “Desert Elephants” and “T.REX 3D.” Take the elevated walkway to WildWoods and get a treetop view of nature. Outside in Fernbank Forest, explore two miles of paths and see plants and animals in their native habitats, go on a canopy walk and see special exhibits and outdoor installations. Special events included with admission include live animal encounters, dino talks, storytimes and family nature walks.

College Football Hall of Fame

Chick-fil-A Fan College Football Hall of Fame

A visit to the Hall is a fun way to learn about college players, team history and much more through giant touch screens, a playing field and displays. Families can experience football in a setting that is the next best thing to being on the field. See a wall of 760 football helmets – one for each college team in the country. Choose your favorite team and it will be highlighted throughout your tour. Kick a field goal or dive into the end zone on the large indoor football playground, and use the interactive touch screens and kiosks to see photos and videos or sing your team’s fight song. In the Hall of Fame rotunda, see all the inductees and use the touch screens to see pictures, bios and videos. It’s a high-tech experience for all ages!

Tellus Science Museum

Located north of Atlanta in Cartersville, a trip to Tellus is a great way to get kids excited about science. Current exhibits in three galleries include “Fury: The Power of Nature” and “Patents: The Engine of Invention.” The museum also has an observatory and the Bentley Planetarium, which takes visitors on a tour through the solar system to the edge of the galaxy. Fossils on display include a T-Rex, Triceratops and a Brontosaurus; in the transportation exhibit, see a Ford Quadricycle replica, an Apollo command module, antique motorbikes and more. Kids will love digging for gems and gold and exploring the interactive “My Big Backyard.” Regular special events at Tellus include model rocket building workshops, Lunch and Learn sessions, RockFest and Heavy Metal in Motion.

Center for Puppetry Arts

This one-of-a-kind museum has captivated kids and adults since 1978. At the Worlds of Puppetry Museum, explore the world of Jim Henson and his Muppets, including characters from the Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street. The Global Gallery explores puppetry around the world; special exhibits change regularly. The Center puts on more than 600 performances per year, from adaptations of stories like “The Adventures of the Gingerbread Man” and “The Cat in the Hat” to original productions and experimental puppet theater. After the show, get creative at a Make-a-Puppet Workshop. On Sketchbook Saturdays, try your hand at drawing items in the galleries; on Cereal Saturdays, enjoy two hours of classic puppet TV shows and, of course, breakfast!

Michael C. Carlos Museum

Located on the campus of Emory University, the Carlos Museum focuses on art and culture and is home to collections from around the world. In the Egyptian gallery, see mummies and coffins, masks, statues, jewelry and more. The Art of the Americas gallery has artifacts that are 4,000 years old, as well as more recent American and Indigenous textiles and tools. Other galleries feature Greek, Roman, African and Asian artifacts. To make the most of a visit with kids, pick up a SmARTy Pack, a tote bag with guides and art activities for ages 5 and older. An activity sheet guides you through the collections and has hands-on activities related to the artworks. On monthly Sunday FUNdays, admission is free and the museum has drop-in activities and a themed art project. The museum’s Artful Stories program has storytelling for ages 3-4 and 5-6. More family-friendly events include Pajama Concert: Musical Bedtime Stories and a Family Concert Series.

The Southern Museum

Many visitors come to see The General locomotive, the train used in the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862 in North Georgia, but the Southern Museum has much more. The exhibit “Lifelines of the Civil War” has history and artifacts that focus on the impact of railroads during and after the Civil War. See a reproduction locomotive assembly line and explore the “Post-Civil War Perspectives,” which examines the changing views of the Civil War. At the Jolley Education Center, visit interactive learning stations with puzzles, a train simulator and books. Kids can also play with model wood trains and send receive Morse Code messages. For toddlers, there’s a climb and crawl foam train set and other activities. The Mommy and Me toddler program meets weekly; their popular event, Trains, Trains, Trains!, with model train layouts and train-themed activities, occurs in January.

Booth Western Art Museum

Howdy, pardner. On a visit here, kids can explore a gallery based on a working ranch, view contemporary Western art, and see authentic stagecoaches. Plan to spend a while—it’s the second biggest art museum in Georgia.

Museum of Design Atlanta

MODA (Museum of Design Atlanta)

This museum, across the street from the High Museum of Art showcases how design can be found everywhere in the world. Visit for temporary exhibitions which focus on engineering, crafting, 3D printing, and robotics. Check the calendar for family STEAM classes and programs throughout the year.

National Center for Civil and Human Rights

A visit to the Center is a powerful opportunity to learn about the United States Civil Rights movement and human rights movements around the world. Rooted in the history of Atlanta, exhibits such a “Roll Down Like Water” connect civil rights history to the ongoing struggle for justice and equality. Learn about non-violent protests and participate in a lunch-counter sit-in, hear the voices of the 1961 Freedom Riders, and view a portrait gallery of human rights defenders who championed freedom, from Nelson Mandela to Eleanor Roosevelt. The newly renovated museum has two new wings featuring a Family Gallery with interactive experiences for ages 12 and younger (opening in April), an exhibit on the Reconstruction Era, classrooms and outdoor event space.

More Not-to-Miss Museums

For a deep dive into local history, science, computers and more, these museums are worth exploring!

Jewish History and Culture
The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum connects visitors to Jewish history, culture and arts. Current exhibits include “Absence of Humanity,” with artifacts and stories of Atlanta-area Holocaust survivors. At the Museum of History and Holocaust Education the “Never Forget” exhibit is designed just for younger audiences.

The Digital Age
At Mimms Museum of Technology and Art, formerly known as the Computer Museum of America, explore the technology of the past, present and future through fascinating exhibits, including a collection of supercomputers, STEAM timeline, an enigma machine and more.

Inspired by Science
Located at the CDC Headquarters on Clifton Road, exhibits at the David J. Sencer CDC Museum focus on a variety of public health topics, including the history of CDC and its work in combating modern health threats.

Firefighting
Visit the Marietta Fire Museum to see antique firefighting apparatus, trucks, tools and gear. The Roswell Fire Museum has historic photography and artifacts as well as a 1947 Ford American LaFrance Pumper.

Local Interest
At the Marietta History Center, learn the fascinating history of the area through exhibits on Native American culture, early gold mining, a military gallery and 19th-century home life (mariettahistory.org). The collections at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art focus on Georgian and American art from the 18th century to the present.

Georgia History
The Millennium Gate Museum’s monumental arch is an Atlantic Station landmark. This fascinating museum explores Georgia’s history, art and culture through indoor galleries, outdoor gardens and a rooftop conservatory.

Aviation and Flight
At Marietta’s Aviation History & Technology Center, explore 15 military and civilian aircraft and climb into a C141B Air Force transport. At the Delta Flight Museum located near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, learn about aviation history through interactive exhibits and historic planes (the museum’s main hangar exhibit is closed through April 7).

Trains and Transportation
Home to all things train, the Southeastern Railway Museum has locomotives, cabooses, mail and freight cars, and artifacts. Ride on a historic train car, see the 1927 Marco Polo Pullman car that carried Franklin Roosevelt, and learn about the history of rail travel in the Southeast.

The Art of the Automobile
The Savoy Automobile Museum in Cartersville is a must-see destination for car enthusiasts – in the 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall, you’ll find art, artifacts and a collection of cars, from a rare 1903 Oldsmobile to a modern-day Ford Fusion NASCAR racer.

A Presidential Legacy
Learn what it’s like to be president in “A Day in the Life of a President” at The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. Also on display is a replica of the Oval Office and artifacts from the Carters’ time at the White House.