Atlanta

I had on my wide-angle lens, and I still couldn’t get that monster in one shot, but that’s not surprising since it’s the largest dinosaur to ever walk the earth: an Argentinosaurus. And those are my people – tiny, between its feet. Also pictured: Gigantosaurus

Note: This column was published in the Barrow Journal on October 2, 2013.

Last month we were busy going places when both my boys had their birthdays. My seven-year-old picked the Fernbank Natural History Museum as his location of choice because he wanted to see their IMAX movie “Age of the Titans,” which featured one of his favorite animals, the woolly mammoth.

We had a great time visiting this museum again, and I felt a little guilty stating in one of my columns that we liked the Tellus Science Museum better than the Fernbank. I said this because I remembered some of the exhibits looking, well, kind of old, and that remains to be true. But for kids, it’s a great introduction to natural history, and my boys love it. And on this visit to the museum we found some areas we had never seen before.

We were thrilled to find their newly renovated kids section, the Fernbank NatureQuest. It is fantastic. There’s a ton of hands-on activities, a full size tree and tree house that the children can climb through and explore, and interactive videos and stations where children learn about the animals who live in trees. There’s an under-the-ocean exhibit, a place where kids can pretend they are archeologists digging for artifacts and a virtual waterfall. There are real animals on display too.

Fernbank NatureQuest is an awesome hands-on area for kids.

Giant Treehouse

Under the Ocean exhibit at Fernbank NatureQuest

We were also able to explore some areas of the museum that we didn’t get to see on previous visits. Reflections of Culture wasn’t interesting to the young boys, but my husband and I enjoyed this room filled with clothes from many different cultures around the world, including jewelry and body art.

World of Shells is a small room showcasing shells from the Georgia coast and around the world. Everyone has collected shells, but I bet you’ve never seen such a variety of big and impressive shells as this.

The shells were so beautiful!

Sensing Nature is an exhibit that “playfully demonstrates the role of our senses in interpreting our environment.” Think of it as a room full of sensory illusions. It was a little above the heads of my children (and me too sometimes), but we had fun exploring this room.

As usual when we visit a big museum, we don’t try to see every exhibit they have. We didn’t see A Walk Through Time in Georgia this time, and we also skipped Conveyed in Clay: Stories from St. Catherines Island, which showcases Native American pottery, culture and history.

Let’s all roar like a dinosaur! Oh please, Daddy.

The Fernbank usually has temporary exhibits that you can learn about on their website. I recommend the IMAX theatre too. This was our first time seeing a movie in it, and it was great fun. The “Age of Titans” is no longer showing, but now they have Penquins and another show titled Hidden Universe where you can take a tour of deep space!

Visiting the museum and seeing a show in the IMAX theatre isn’t cheap for a family of four, and as I’ve written before, we have taken advantage of family memberships to save money. Without a membership, admission price for adults is $17.50 and children 3-12 is $15.50. Tickets to the IMAX is extra: adults $13 and children 3-12 $11.

The Fernbank is located at 767 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA, and you can view its website at www.fernbankmuseum.org.