Fernbank Fall Exhibits (sundays)

From the venue:

Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas

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On view Oct. 4, 2025 – Jan. 11, 2026

Dive into a treasure trove of underwater exploration.

Journey beneath the waves with Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas, an immersive exhibition that unveils the hidden discoveries beneath the Mediterranean Sea. Focusing on a selection of submerged landscapes that surround the island of Sicily and the Italian coastline, this exhibit is brought to life through modern video capabilities that transport the visitor below the surface on a voyage to retrieve ancient artifacts, buried treasures and historical evidence.

Guests will discover real artifacts like jewelry, amphorae (large storage jars), coins, ingots, helmets, and ship pieces and models, that were recovered from ancient shipwrecks. They can also explore the techniques archaeologists use to locate, excavate, and restore these remarkable relics. Developed in collaboration with Italy’s foremost underwater research organization, the Regione Siciliana - Soprintendenza del Mare di Palermo, Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas transports you beneath the surface with high-definition video explorations, showcasing the breathtaking process of underwater excavation. Through vivid storytelling, visitors will witness the rediscovery of the past as modern equipment brings history to life.

Exhibit Page

X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out

 
Opens Jan. 11, 2025

A Fish Exhibition That’s Bone Deep.

X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out invites guests to peek beneath the scales to explore the intricate bony skeletons of fish, stingrays, eels and seahorses through dramatic, black-and-white x-rays. Discover the secrets of fish evolution, anatomy and the impact of environmental changes on aquatic species in a level of detail reminiscent of fine engraving. Guests will learn about these creatures' evolutionary changes and the important role they have played in shaping our world.

Exhibit Page

Lost in Sight: In Search of the Flint’s Headwaters

On View Aug. 30 – Nov. 17, 2025

The Unseen Story of the Flint River

Beneath the tarmac of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, unknown to most people, flow the headwaters of one of the most scenic rivers in the Southeastern United States—the Flint. In Lost in Sight: In Search of the Flint’s Headwaters, photographer Virginie Drujon-Kippelen traces the nearly invisible origins of the Flint River as it flows through the hills of the Georgia Piedmont all the way to the Florida Panhandle.

Told through a series of telling photographs taken at varying distances from the headwaters of the Flint River, Drujon-Kippelen provides visual and symbolic identity to a river that has been buried—physically and culturally. By focusing on the obscured and often forgotten headwaters rather than tracing the river’s full course, she uses imagery to draw attention to the fragile origins where its meaning is most vulnerable. Her work weaves poetic visual storytelling with a deep environmental awareness, urging viewers to consider human impact on the natural world.
 

Extinct and Endangered: Insects in Peril

On view Aug. 9 to Nov. 2, 2025.
 

Buzzing into Fernbank this fall.

Extinct and Endangered: Insects in Peril is an evocative photography exhibit that brings attention to the urgent extinction crisis threatening insect populations while showcasing the beauty and significance of these often-overlooked animals. A story told through stunning large-format macrophotographs by Levon Biss, this exhibit highlights 19 endangered or extinct insect species. Biss’ breathtaking photographs, measuring 6 ft. wide by 4 ft. tall, reveal intricate, often unseen details of these fascinating creatures. Each photograph in Extinct and Endangered is created from up to 10,000 individual images using special lenses, capturing microscopic detail. Biss adapted traditional techniques to create a photographic process that reveals the minute details of insects in a resolution and scale never seen before. The collection offers a new perspective on their vital role in ecosystems and details the risks these insects face.

From bees to beetles, insects play a critical role in maintaining the health of ecosystems across the globe. Guests will encounter incredible photos of insects like the Blue Calamintha Bee, Elderberry Longhorn Beetle and Louisiana Eyed-Silkmoth, and be able to explore the profound impact insects have on our planet through pollination, decomposing waste and sustaining food webs. Extinct and Endangered: Insects in Peril will inspire visitors to recognize the crucial role of these remarkable creatures and develop a deeper appreciation for the insect world.

Giants of the Mesozoic

 
Ongoing Exhibit

Stand beneath some of the world's largest dinosaurs as you enter this snapshot of life in prehistoric Patagonia (145-165 million years ago). Take in a scene of an epic dinosaur battle between Giganotosaurus and Argentinosaurus with a flock of pterosaurs scattering away.

Play the role of a paleontologist as you examine the terrain to discover buried and trace fossils of other plant and animal species, such as dinosaur tracks, an Araucaria tree, a crocodile and a turtle shell.*

Exhibit Page

Star Gallery

 
Ongoing Exhibit

Each star was carefully plotted on the ceiling, forming an illuminated star chart. The fibers used to create the stars vary in diameter, allowing them to shine with 22 varying degrees of brightness. More than 6 miles of fiber optic wires accurately portray the 542 stars twinkling above.

SkyWatch screens provide daily programming about constellations, planets and astronomical events.

Visitors can find the stars in the Star Gallery using the following guide:

• Stand facing the doors to the Giant Screen Theater, which is toward the south, to recognize the constellations in the appropriate direction.
• Antares in Scorpius and Arcturus in Bootes are located near the World of Shells exhibition.
• By moving away from The World of Shells exhibit toward the Great Hall, which is eastward, visitors will pass under stars visible in the early evening in the spring, summer, autumn, winter and spring again.
• Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) is easily recognized over the double doors to the Great Hall.
• Andromeda is near the center of the room.
• Orion nebula (M-42) is just below the belt stars of Orion.
• Aldebaran (in the constellation Taurus) and Betelgeuse (in Orion) are found among the winter stars on the side near the Great Hall

Exhibit Page