A spruced-up Fernbank Forest reopened recently as part of the museum—the building and forest are typically seen together, with visitors often checking out the treetop walkway and forest trails after the exhibitions. Tickets are available at the museum box office, but travelers looking for a deal can try the Atlanta CityPASS, which grants access to the museum and four additional attractions for a week or longer.
The museum is in the city outskirts east of Midtown, near Emory University at the corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Clifton Road. From Downtown, it’s an easy 15-minute drive east, mostly along the John Lewis Freedom Parkway. Travelers without wheels can take the MARTA Blue Line to East Lake Station.
Fernbank Museum and the Giant Screen Theater are open daily from 10am to 5pm. The museum is rarely overcrowded, but has fewer visitors during weekdays. Fernbank Forest is also open daily rain or shine, but closes at 4:30pm. Fernbank After Dark and other special after-hours events are held on the second Friday of every month.
Fernbank Forest has been many things: a 19th-century family summer estate, a swath of protected private land, and a living laboratory for the local county school district. Today, the renovated forest landscape is officially part of the Fernbank Museum. Visitors can join guided tours from the museum or take self-guided tours along forest paths, winding through 65 acres (26 hectares) of old-growth American hardwood trees.