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13 grown-up ATL field trips

ITP and OTP museums that will help you rediscover your inner child

Photo credit: Eric Cash/CL

Robert C. Williams Paper Museum - Atlanta

By Gavin Godfrey Sunday December 27, 2020 04:00 am EST

Next to recess, the best memories of our grammar school education probably involve field trips. That sense of adventure, exploration, and excitement of learning shouldn’t fade in adulthood. Though we’re not making treks to museums and history centers in a big yellow bus anymore, there are plenty of opportunities around town — and beyond — to get reacquainted your childlike wonder.

College Football Hall of Fame Museum

Gridiron devotees can explore the new Downtown hall's exhibits filled with historic memorabilia, learn about their alma mater’s football legacy, and throw the pigskin on an indoor football field at the College Football Hall of Fame. The three-story museum, which has relocated from South Bend, Ind., ... | more...

Fernbank Museum of Natural History Museum

Discover a world of WOW at Atlanta’s science and nature experience. Travel around the world and back in time as you discover live animals, amazing places, ancient fossils, prehistoric cultures and new science discoveries. Throughout the year, new exhibits, movies and experiences offer more to explor... | more...

Gone With the Wind Museum at Brumby Hall Tourist Attractions

The Marietta 'Gone with the Wind' Museum at historic Brumby Hall is a walk back in time. A refreshing must-see stop for all fans of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and Academy Award-winning movie. The museum is often mentioned as one of the top stops for tourists wanting to explore the South's ant... | more...

High Museum of Art Art Museum

Located in the heart of Atlanta, Ga., the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Pri... | more...

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum Tourist Attractions

Presidential Library system and museum with special exhibitions and a permanent collection that features photographs and historic memorabilia from the Carter administration. | more...

Michael C. Carlos Museum Art Museum

The building, designed by star-chitect Michael Graves, houses the Southeast's largest collection of ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Rome and Central America. | more...

Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia Art Museum

An important collecting and exhibiting institution for a vast pool of regional art, this beautifully conceived space gives the work of contemporary Georgia artists its due. | more...

Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) Tourist Attractions

A Smithsonian-affiliated gallery that has featured shows on artist-designed furniture, Japanese product design, lunch boxes and eco-friendly architecture. MODA is the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to all things design. | more...

Oglethorpe University Museum of Art Art Museum

An intimate 7,000-square-foot space that focuses on a diverse roster of international work centered on everything from Tibetan art and 18th-century Italian landscapes to Russian painting. | more...

Robert C. Williams Paper Museum Museum

The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking is an internationally renowned resource on the history of paper and paper technology. In addition to more than 2,000 books, the museum features a remarkable collection of over 10,000 watermarks, papers, tools, machines, and manuscripts. The museum’s mis... | more...

Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History Tourist Attractions

The Southern Museum opened in 1972 as the Big Shanty Museum in Kennesaw, Georgia. It showcased the famous General locomotive and was dedicated to telling the story of the April 12, 1862 "Great Locomotive Chase," an event that briefly elevated the engine and the City of Kennesaw to prominence during ... | more...

Spelman College Museum of Fine Art Art Museum

A venue for cutting-edge contemporary and often socially relevant work. Features such well-known artists as Carrie Mae Weems, Iona Rozeal Brown, David Hammons and Gary Simmons. | more...

Zuckerman Museum of Art Art Museum

A $3 million, 9,200-square-foot addition to Kennesaw State University's arts district that opened in spring 2014. The ZMA showcases work by local, national and international contemporary artists, and displays the work of late sculptor Ruth Zuckerman, the museum patron's wife. | more...

The list above first appeared in the 2015 CL Cityguide and was updated by CL Staff recently.