Fernbank Museum has announced a successful $27 million capital campaign that will be used to transform how visitors experience science, nature, and human culture.
The renovation includes a landmark permanent exhibit, expanded galleries, interactive learning spaces, and significant accessibility improvements across the 120-acre campus.
“This represents the most ambitious expansion in Fernbank’s history,” Jennifer Grant Warner, its president and CEO said in a release by the museum. “We’re not just adding new exhibits—we’re fundamentally reimagining how people of all ages connect with the natural world around them.”
The campaign received major support from The Gary W. Rollins Foundation, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, and more than 80 other funders, with eight gifts exceeding $1 million, the release said.
“Fernbank’s unique approach to programming aligns perfectly with our commitment to science education,” said Kathleen Rollins, executive director of The Gary W. Rollins Foundation. “We’re proud to support Atlanta’s premier destination for science and nature experiences.”
The centerpiece of the renovation is Changing Earth, Fernbank’s largest permanent exhibit, which will showcase Earth’s interconnected systems through cutting-edge technology and hands-on experiences, the release said.
Visitors will manipulate tectonic plates using the interactive “Tectonic Dashboard,” explore biodiversity through the “Tree of Life” experience, and witness Earth’s 13.8-billion-year story unfold in the immersive “Rollins Rotunda.”
“Guests are part of natural history, and we’re engaging them in that conversation across the entire museum experience,” Warner said. “Every element connects — from our old-growth forest to our 3D theater to these new interactive galleries.”
Details about the installations:
• Our Place in the Cosmos (Opening late 2025): The renovated Star Gallery will feature expanded content about solar system and universe origins, combining the existing fiber optic star ceiling with new cinematic media and custom video content.
• Orkin Discovery Zone (Opening 2026): A hands-on learning environment where visitors become scientists, exploring live animals, authentic specimens, and interactive displays. Highlights include microscope stations connected to WildWoods discoveries and a “build-a-bug” spinning activity.
• Changing Earth Signature Exhibit (Opening 2027): The museum’s most ambitious permanent installation, featuring real specimens, touchable objects, and sophisticated technology that reveals how Earth’s water, land, air, and life systems influence each other.
• New Temporary Gallery (Opening 2027): An additional rotating exhibition space adjacent to Changing Earth will house both traveling exhibits and museum-curated displays, providing fresh experiences for repeat visitors.
• Enhanced Accessibility (Ongoing): New elevator installation and additional automatic doors will improve access throughout the building and to the WildWoods nature area.
This expansion continues Fernbank’s recent growth trajectory, following the successful 2019 opening of the Fantastic Forces exhibit, the 2020 STEAM Lab launch, and the 2016 creation of WildWoods, which physically connected the museum with Fernbank Forest.
“We’re experiencing tremendous growth in membership and attendance,” Warner said. “This expansion ensures we can continue creating modern, relevant experiences that inspire the next generation of scientists, conservationists, and curious minds.”
Fernbank Museum, according to its website, after nearly 100 years of inspiration and decades of planning, broke ground in 1989 for a natural history museum to serve as “school in the woods” and inspire future generations of naturalists and scientists.
It officially opened to the public on Oct. 5, 1992, featuring a variety of permanent exhibitions, Atlanta’s largest IMAX® screen, a selection of traveling exhibits and science programming.
In 2003, Fernbank received accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums — a recognition awarded to fewer than 5 percent of museums nationwide.
In 2001, Fernbank became the first museum to display the world’s largest dinosaurs in the permanent exhibition Giants of the Mesozoic and in 2004, was selected as the permanent home The St. Catherines Island Foundation and Edward John Noble Foundation Collection, which includes more than one million Native American and European artifacts from Mission Santa Catalina de Guale.
In 2009, Fernbank added Dinosaur Plaza near the museum’s entrance, offering the first-ever recreation of Lophorhothon atopus with three bronze dinosaur statues.
