10 Best Museums in Atlanta

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a museum that explores the Civil Rights movement within the USA and the international human rights movement. The Center is located in downtown Atlanta, near the Georgia Aquarium and Centennial Olympic Park.

Three main exhibits include “Voice to the Voiceless: The Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection,” “Rolls Down Like Water: The American Civil Rights Movement,” and “Spark of Conviction: The Global Human Rights Movement.” The center also houses various temporary exhibits and educational workshops, lectures, programs, and community initiatives.

The Atlanta History Center is a history museum located in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. The Museum’s campus includes a collection of historic buildings and gardens and a research center.

A variety of the permanent exhibitions at the Atlanta History Center range from folk art collections to indigenous lands and Native American tribes, railroads, and the American Civil War. Historic buildings include an antebellum farmhouse and farm, the Swan House, Wood Family Cabin, and two miniature playhouses. A large collection of gardens include native and formal gardens, ornamental gardens, forests, and water features.

The Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a museum in Atlanta that explores regional and global natural history. Visitor favorites at Fernbank include some of the largest dinosaur fossils ever classified, from a 123-foot long Argentinosaurus to a Giganotosaurus.

Exhibitions range from collections on dinosaurs to cultural collections, our planet’s history, forces of nature, and a large interactive space for children. Outdoor exhibits include a 10-acre forested area with interactive exhibits, WildWood. The museum also houses a giant-screen theater featuring a 3D projection system. Fernbank After Dark events are held regularly for adults, with live music, drinks, and movies in the theater.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change is a center focused on research and education on the philosophy and methods of Kingian nonviolence. Also known as The King Center, the non-profit organization works on a domestic and international level and operates a museum and historical sites in downtown Atlanta.

Freedom Hall is The King Center’s exhibition space, with various permanent and rotating exhibits year-round. Permanent exhibits include collections on Dr. and Mrs. King, Rosa Parks, and Mahatma Gandhi. The museum complex includes the crypt of Dr. and Mrs. King, as well as Dr. King’s Birth Home.

The High Museum of Art is an art museum located in Atlanta, in the Midtown area. Several international museums partner with the High Museum of Art, including the Louvre, the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure.

Expansive gallery spaces within the High Museum house permanent and temporary exhibits ranging from African art to decorative arts and design, photography, folk art, and modern and contemporary art. Highlights of the museum's vast collections include works by Dorothea Lange, Claude Monet, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Clarence John Laughlin, and Chuck Close.

The Delta Flight Museum is an aviation museum that explores the Delta corporation. The museum is located near Delta’s headquarters in Atlanta, close to Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.

Housed within two aircraft hangars dating from the 1940s, the museum's collections include an array of historic and restored aircraft, memorabilia, and historical exhibits. You’ll also find a flight simulator, archives and library, rotating temporary exhibits, and a branded store on site. The Delta Flight Museum also hosts a variety of events and activities throughout the year.

The Hammonds House Museum is a historic house museum dedicated to African American fine arts. The museum is located in the West End, in Atlanta, in the former residence of the late Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, an Atlanta physician and patron of the arts.

A diverse collection of fine arts within the Hammonds House Museum explores the culture and history of artists of African descent. Notable highlights of the museum’s collection include multiple works by Romare Bearden, Robert S. Duncanson, James Van Der Zee, Elizabeth Catlett, P.H. Polk, and Sam Gilliam. The museum also hosts events, workshops, and artist talks year-round.

The Center for Puppetry Arts is a museum and exhibition space dedicated to the art form of puppetry. The center is located in downtown Atlanta and is one of the few puppetry museums in the world. Within the complex is a museum, performance theaters, and rooms for workshops.

The museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts houses permanent and temporary exhibits, ranging from a large collection of Jim Henson artifacts to puppets from The Dark Crystal, The Lion King, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Center also presents a diverse collection of family-friendly shows and performances year-round.

SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion and Film is a museum dedicated to the fashion in film, located in downtown Atlanta. The museum is within the Savannah College of Art and Design and contains collection galleries, a film theater, a media lounge, and fashion resource rooms.

Permanent exhibits within SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion and Film include garments from Diane von Furstenburg, Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld, Pierre Cardin, and Ulyana Sergeenko. Temporary exhibitions have featured costuming for films and television like Black Panther and The Handmaid's Tale, to couture costumes, historical garments, and period pieces.