Best Museums in Atlanta

Show your love for all things puppets at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Regularly playing host to puppet performances for adults and children, the site is also home to a museum featuring permanent and visiting exhibits. View examples of shadow, rod, marionette and hand puppets as you admire the extensive display of puppetry paraphernalia. Entry to the museum also grants you access to visiting exhibitions as well, perfect for visitors of all ages. After a tour of the museums, be sure to purchase a ticket to one of the center's phenomenal performances (there are shows tailored specifically to adults, too.) The new museum expansion opens November 14, 2015. It will bring the Center's world-renowned collection and the largest collection of Henson's art to a wider audience, and it will continue to make the Center a one-of-a-kind experience within the world of puppetry.

Feel the excitement and spirit of college football fanfare from the moment you step inside the football-shaped building. Your ticket includes high-tech RFID credentials. This microchip-enabled ticket personalizes your museum experience. You see stats, photos and intel about your favorite college football team displayed on walls and kiosks as you wind your way through the exhibits. It also allows you to show off your football experience with friends. Once home, log onto the website to retrieve photos and videos from your visit, such as your ESPN call of the game or your fight-song karaoke tune. The big draw for many visitors is the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl Skill Zone. Kick a field goal, run through a training course, or take the quarterback challenge. After that, make your way to the Game Day Theater, where the energy of college football comes to life.

Explore the history of Coca-Cola in the 60,000+ square foot exhibit. You'll find the world's largest permanent display of Coke memorabilia, a tasting room and a behind-the-scenes look at the bottling process. The tasting includes over 100 beverages from around the world. Plan to spend 1-2 hours at the museum in order to see a show at the 4D Theatre, pose for a picture with the Coca-Cola Polar Bear or take a multimedia journey through Coke's exciting past. The World of Coke is especially fun for those visiting with young children. They will find the tasting room and the possibility of sampling so many varieties exciting. It is also fun to see the history of Coca-Cola from its beginning to how far the company has come today.

Breman Museum of Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum highlights the achievements of Jewish people and promotes justice. When you visit, you might see exhibits on the Holocaust, the history of Jewish people and the exhibits focused on the Jewish community in the Atlanta area. Visitors can learn about the contributions that the Jewish people have made to Atlanta from 1845 to the present. Browse through the family photographs, documents and personal belongings of some of the people impacted by the Holocaust. You can also read about the tour before you go, by reading an online gallery guide. The gallery guide explains the pictures and other items shown in the exhibit.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change honors Dr. King's life and reflects love, justice and peace. Both Dr. and Mrs. King's remains are housed in a crypt on the grounds, with an eternal flame. Freedom Hall houses a foyer displaying African art and exhibits paying homage to Rosa, Parks, Mahatma Gandhi and the Kings. In addition to visiting the center, visitors can tour Dr. King's birth home, which is located in the Sweet Auburn district. A park ranger leads the tour. Also in the area are Ebenezer Church, where Dr. King preached and Firestation No.6, where King played as a boy.

You won't find any other museums in town quite like the Michael C. Carlos Museum. Founded in 1919 and located at Emory University, the Carlos is Atlanta's oldest art museum. Its permanent collection features everything from Egyptian art to Bronze Age artifacts, and the gallery's Greek and Roman art section includes an exceptional portrait of Emperor Tiberius. The museum often hosts specially themed and traveling exhibitions, as well. Don't miss opportunities to engage the kids. Michael C. Carlos hosts monthly story times for children 3-5 years old and workshops for older kiddos. Adults will appreciate the regular film screenings and Doctoral discussions.

The Atlanta History Center has a wide array of exhibits. Visitors can tour the Swan House, located on the museum's grounds. The Atlanta History Center operates the Margaret Mitchell House, which is located on Crescent Avenue. While at the museum, explore the gorgeous gardens or meander at the Signature Exhibitions. Temporary exhibitions and traveling exhibitions provide visitors with a variety of new pieces to see and ideas to explore.

This highly interactive museum provides activities, stories, crafts and performances. Regular interactive traveling exhibits always offer something new. Permanent exhibits include Fernbank NatureQuest, the newest way for kids to explore nature and science through immersive exhibits; A Walk Through Time in Georgia, with a dinosaur gallery and a giant sloth; and Sensing Nature, demonstrating the role our senses play on our interpretation of the environment. Other features in the museum include its floors made of fossils, the star gallery, its forest and rose garden. Fernbank Forest is currently being re-established by the museum, but you can take a guided walk periodically. Check the calendar for details. Don't miss the new outdoor exhibit coming in 2016, separate from Fernbank Forest.

The Center for Civil and Human Rights is a powerful, moving museum that ties the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s with the today's global Human Rights movement. Visitors can tour a number of permanent and temporary exhibits, including the Morehouse College collection of MLK memorabilia, an interactive gallery of the Civil Rights Movement and a human rights exhibit that encourages onlookers to identify with modern-day activists around the globe who are being persecuted in their own countries. Expect to see emotionally raw images and portrayals at this new Atlanta attraction, watching, seeing, hearing and interacting with history in an intimate and modern setting. The Center will stir your emotions, move you to tears, allow you to celebrate how far we have come and recognize how far we have to go.

The High Museum of Art is a fine arts museum that has exhibits displaying artwork from some of the greats. Learn about some of the most influential artists in the world through the High's lectures and events. Children will enjoy the Greene Family Learning Center, with hands on exhibits, family programming and more. Members relish special member-only preview days as well as discounts to shows at Alliance Theatre and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. If you get hungry while art-gazing, find Table 1280 near the front entrance of the museum. Chow down on burgers, steak and other American dishes, or bring a picnic to enjoy on Sifly Piazza.