10 Best Museums in Atlanta
Where To Find Interesting Exhibits in Atlanta
Museums in Atlanta range from family-friendly and interactive spaces to unusual landmarks, historical galleries, and cultural exhibitions. Art aficionados can check out museums like the High Museum of Art, Hammonds House Museum, and SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion and Film.
Family-friendly museums in Atlanta range from the Fernbank Museum of Natural History to The King Center, Delta Flight Museum, and the Center for Puppetry Arts. Great historical exhibits can be found at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Atlanta History Center and music lovers can immerse themselves in local culture at the Trap Music Museum.
1. National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Learn about civil rights history
Good for: Families, History
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. Read more
Location: 100 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313, USA
Open: Thursday—Friday from noon to 5 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday from noon to 5 pm (closed Monday—Wednesday)
Phone: +1 678-999-8990
National Center for Civil and Human Rights
2. Atlanta History Center
Discover the history of the city
Good for: Families, History
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. Read more
Location: 130 West Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305, USA
Open: Tuesday—Sunday from 9 am to 4 pm (closed on Mondays)
Phone: +1 404-814-4000
Atlanta History Center
3. Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Explore the museum after dark
Good for: Couples, Families, History
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.
Location: 767 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30307, USA
Open: Daily from 10 am to 5 pm
Phone: +1 404-929-6300
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
4. The King Center
See rotating exhibits on famed civil rights leaders
Good for: Families, History
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. Read more
Location: 449 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312, USA
Open: Daily from 9 am to 4.30 pm
Phone: +1 404-526-8900
The King Center
5. High Museum of Art
Peruse diverse art exhibits from global artists
Good for: Couples, Families
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. Read more
Location: 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA
Open: Tuesday—Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday from noon to 5 pm (closed on Mondays)
Phone: +1 404-733-4400
High Museum of Art
6. Delta Flight Museum
Discover the wonders of flight
Good for: Families, History
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. Read more
Location: 1220 Woolman Pl, Hapeville, GA 30354, USA
Open: Thursday—Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm (closed Monday—Wednesday)
Phone: +1 404-715-7886
Delta Flight Museum
7. Hammonds House Museum
See masterpieces of African American art
Good for: Families, History
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. Read more
Location: 503 Peeples St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Open: Hours vary by event
Phone: +1 404-612-0481
Hammonds House Museum
8. Center for Puppetry Arts
Explore a quirky puppetry museum
Good for: Families, History, Unusual
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.
Location: 1404 Spring St NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA
Open: Thursday—Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday from noon to 5 pm (closed Monday—Wednesday)
Phone: +1 404-873-3391
Center for Puppetry Arts
9. SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion and Film
Discover the major influencers in the fashion world
Good for: History, Unusual
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. Read more
Location: 1600 Peachtree Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA
Open: Thursday—Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm, Sunday from noon to 5 pm (closed Monday—Wednesday)
Phone: +1 404-253-3132
SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion and Film
10. Trap Music Museum
Experience themed music spaces
Good for: Nightlife, Unusual
The Trap Music Museum explores the musical genre of trap music, as well as the gritty realities that have inspired it. Founded by Atlanta rapper T.I., a forefather of trap music, the museum is an immersive experience delving into the lives of the genre’s artists.
Within the museum’s themed rooms, you’ll find everything from designer clothes and a Grammy Award to a replica drug den, a jail cell, and a walk-in closet filled with weapons. The museum also features an homage to 2 Chainz’s infamous Pink Trap House, as well as a full bar and an escape room game. Read more
Location: 630 Travis St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA
Open: Friday from 4 pm to 10 pm, Saturday from noon to midnight, Sunday from noon to 10 pm, Thursday from 4 pm to 10 pm by appointment only (closed Monday—Wednesday)
Trap Music Museum
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