Fernbank Museum set to embark on $27M transformation

Following a successful fundraising campaign, one of Atlanta’s most cherished institutions, Fernbank Museum, is gearing up for its largest renovation and upgrade since it opened in 1992. 

Fernbank leadership announced this week that $27 million raised from donations will “revolutionize the guest experience” with a series of new exhibits and learning galleries spread across all three floors of the eastside facility. 

The museum’s goal is to reimagine how guests engage with content, connecting indoor and outdoor offerings at the 120-acre education campus that includes a 3D theater and nature experiences in Fernbank Forest and WildWoods.

The additions are set to open in phases over the next two years. They will include a landmark new signature exhibition called Changing Earth, an interactive science discovery area, expanded Star Gallery, and more temporary exhibit gallery space. 

Improved accessibility throughout the museum, in terms of physical spaces and content connectivity, will be another focus, per Fernbank leadership. The latter work will include the addition of an elevator and more automatic doors. 

As museum attendance and memberships continue to grow, Fernbank aims “to offer layered experiences that connect guests more holistically to science, nature, and human culture, providing opportunities to engage all ages of learners in relevant and entertaining ways,” said Jennifer Grant Warner, Fernbank’s president and CEO, in an announcement. 

As the main new draw, Changing Earth will be Fernbank’s largest permanent exhibit, with a goal of showcasing the planet’s dynamic systems, beauty, phenomena, and diversity. That will include interactive and immersive features (see: the “Tectonic Dashboard” and biodiversity “Tree of Life”), touchable objects, and real specimens.

Contributors to Fernbank’s fundraising campaign included The Gary W. Rollins Foundation, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, and more than 80 other funders, with eight donations totaling $1 million or more each, per officials. 

In addition to Changing Earth, new aspects coming to Fernbank as part of the $27-million initiative are described by museum leadership as follows, edited for length:   

OUR PLACE IN THE COSMOS

The Star Gallery, which features a fiber optic ceiling mapping the stars and constellations of the evening Georgia sky, will see a transformation with expanded content about the solar system and origins of our universe, as well as cinematic media. Guests will explore how humans have connected to the constellations over time and how we are using science today to reconstruct our planet’s 13.8-billion-year story.

ORKIN DISCOVERY ZONE

The new Orkin Discovery Zone will feature a hands-on, active learning environment on the museum’s third floor. Guests of ages will step into the role of a scientist and hone their observation skills while they explore authentic objects, live animals, and interactives, learning about biodiversity, classification, communication, and more.

Highlights include the opportunity to peer through scopes to discoveries in WildWoods, see examples of biodiversity through real specimens, observe live animals in terrariums, and build a bug using a spinning activity that combines the traits of different insects. 

ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY GALLERY

The new temporary gallery adjacent to Changing Earth will allow the museum to curate its own temporary exhibits and feature traveling exhibits to delve deeper into natural history themes. 

Fernbank’s schedule calls for opening Our Place in the Cosmos in late 2025. 

The Orkin Discovery Zone is expected to open in 2026, and Changing Earth is anticipated to debut in 2027, alongside the temporary gallery space and expanded accessibility.

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