If your family is experiencing the Jurassic Era at home, marked by dinosaurs everywhere, T-Rex facts at the dinner table, and playground dates that inevitably include you reminding Junior to “make sure they know you’re a nice dinosaur, not a scary one,” then we’ve got the perfect playbook for your next summer adventure. From digging for dinosaur bones to marveling at life-size replicas, Atlanta dinosaur activities abound. Keep reading for our favorite ways to please your pint-sized paleontologist.
Fernbank Museum & 3D Theatre
Fernbank exhibitions and programming about natural history are hard to beat, but its permanent exhibitions—including Giants of the Mesozoic that has a 123-foot long Argentinosaurus and a Giganotosaurus—comes pretty close. The permanent exhibition, A Walk Through Time in Georgia, tells the twofold story of Georgia's natural history and the development of the planet, including the era of dinosaurs in today's Georgia.
767 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA
404-929-6300
Online: fernbankmuseum.org
Dinosaur Explore
Extinct from Earth for millions of years, some Jurassic giants have made their way to Stone Mountain Park. This captivating creature collection features 20 life-size dinosaurs with special effects allowing them to move and roar just like their ancient ancestors. Begin your adventure with a trip through a time machine portal to find yourself among some of your pre-historic favorites including the giant T-Rex, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Brachiosaurus, and more. Families will also enjoy interactive paleontology tents, fantastic photo ops, and a dinosaur feeding wall.
1000 Robert E. Lee Blvd.
Stone Mountain, GA
800-401-2407
Online: stonemountainpark.com
Tellus Science Museum
Stare into the mouth of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, catch a glimpse of a saber-tooth cat and discover how life on Earth began in the Tellus Fossil Gallery. This walk through history will take visitors past millions of years of dinosaurs, reptiles, and giant mammals that dominated the land, sea, and air before becoming extinct. Follow up a tour of this gallery with a visit to the Fossil Dig. For an enhanced learning experience, download and print your own Fossil Hunting License and bring it with you to identify your finds.
100 Tellus Drive
Cartersville, GA 30120
770-606-5700
Online: tellusmuseum.org
Photo via iStock.
—Shelley Massey
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