Fernbank Museum of Natural History

What Fernbank Museum of Natural History does

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) natural history museum, Giant Screen Theater, and 75-acre outdoor campus located in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1992 at 767 Clifton Road NE near Emory University, the museum serves families, K-12 school groups, adults, and teens through indoor exhibits, a 4-story immersive theater, and outdoor experiences including WildWoods and a protected old-growth Fernbank Forest. Its core assets are world-class natural history collections (notably the largest dinosaurs on display, live animal collection, and Georgia archaeology holdings), the Giant Screen Theater showing IMAX-style documentaries, and physical programming such as Fernbank After Dark adult events, summer and spring break camps for ages 5-10, and birthday party packages. The museum also maintains an active research program in archaeology, paleontology, ecology, and geology, and is NAGPRA-compliant.

Fernbank operates a diversified nonprofit revenue model across six primary streams: general admission tickets ($23.95-$27.95 with weekday value pricing and $3 online discount), annual memberships starting at $79, charitable donations and an annual fund, facility rentals for corporate events and weddings (up to 2,500 guests), educational camps and field trips, and special-event tickets. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via website and on-site box office, supplemented by group sales, CityPASS bundling with four other top Atlanta attractions, and partnership-driven channels including a new MARTA transit partnership. The museum explicitly does not receive governmental funding and is supported instead by a mix of earned revenue, corporate sponsorship (Delta Air Lines, Truist, PNC, Cox Enterprises, Georgia Power Foundation), and foundation grants. Leadership is led by President and CEO Jennifer Grant Warner and VP/Chief Advancement Officer Leslie K. Marlowe. The organization employs 101-250 people, served 60,000 students in the most recent year (17,000 via need-based scholarships), and is executing a multi-year capital and guest-experience initiative branded "Fernbank's Future 2025-27."

Name

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Legal name

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Website

https://fernbankmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a nonprofit natural history museum and Giant Screen Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, operating on a 75-acre campus that includes old-growth forest. It serves families, K-12 schools, adults, and teens through exhibits, films, camps, events, and educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (71211)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

Keywords

• Natural history museum
• Giant screen theater
• Outdoor forest exhibits
• Educational programming
• Museum venue rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Daytime access to museum exhibits, outdoor experiences, and one Giant Screen Theater film. Tickets range from $23.95-$27.95 for children/seniors/adults with value pricing on weekdays.
2. Membership Program: Annual memberships starting at $79, providing unlimited general admission, discounted event tickets, and store/café discounts. Multiple tiers from Individual Naturalist to Chairman's Circle.
3. Donations and Annual Fund: Tax-deductible charitable donations supporting exhibitions, films, and programs. Includes tribute gifts, giving societies, and planned giving options.
4. Facility Rentals and Events: Private event hosting including weddings, corporate events, and galas. Venues range from the Great Hall (up to 500 guests, $5,500+) to smaller spaces like Star Gallery and Fernbank Café.
5. Camps and Educational Programs: Summer and spring break camps for children ages 5-10, priced at $330-$380 per session. Additional programs include field trips and teen programming.
6. Special Event Tickets: Adult-only after-hours events (Fernbank After Dark) at $18.95-$23.95, Teen Takeover events at $7-$12, and special programming like Sips & Science gala.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fernbank Museum of Natural History operates a nonprofit natural history museum on a 75-acre campus featuring permanent and rotating exhibit galleries (including dinosaur collections such as Giants of the Mesozoic and T.rex Ultimate Predator), a 4-story Giant Screen Theater showing IMAX-style documentaries, and WildWoods outdoor exhibits and old-growth Fernbank Forest with walking trails and a canopy walk. The museum sells general admission tickets, annual memberships, day camps, birthday parties, private programs, and event venue rentals, and operates educational outreach including need-based scholarships for Title I schools.

Product overview

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a nonprofit natural history museum offering a unified portfolio of educational experiences centered around science and nature. The core offerings include general museum admission providing access to rotating special exhibits (currently T.rex Ultimate Predator, Planet Ice, and Flight of Butterflies) and permanent galleries; the Giant Screen Theater with 4-story 3D/IMAX-style documentaries; and WildWoods and Fernbank Forest encompassing 75 acres of outdoor trails and nature experiences. Premium experiences include Fernbank After Dark (adult evening events), private programs and tours, and children's birthday parties. Educational programs span Fernbank Camps (summer and spring break for ages 5-10), field trips, and Museum Access Scholarships serving Title I schools. The museum also operates an event venue rental business with multiple spaces for corporate events and weddings, and maintains an active research program in Georgia archaeology and natural sciences. Membership programs provide unlimited admission and benefits at various tiers starting at $79 annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WildWoods: 75 acres of outdoor exhibits, walking trails, canopy walk, native wildlife and nature playgrounds
• Fernbank After Dark
• Fernbank Forest
• Dinosaur Summer
• Fernbank's Future

Products and services

• General Admission Tickets Daytime access to all museum exhibits, outdoor experiences, one film in the Giant Screen Theater, and free parking for general visitors. Adults (ages 13-64) from $25.95, Seniors (65+) from $24.95, Children (ages 3-12) from $23.95. Children ages 2 and under are free.
• Giant Screen Theater Theater experience featuring documentaries on a 4-story immersive screen, with current and rotating films such as T.REX and Horse Power available in 25-minute and 45-minute formats. Includes one film with general admission.
• Museum Exhibits Rotating and permanent exhibit galleries covering dinosaurs, live animals, ancient fossils, prehistoric cultures, and science discoveries, including world-class dinosaur collections such as Giants of the Mesozoic and current special exhibits T.rex Ultimate Predator, Planet Ice, and Flight of Butterflies.
• WildWoods and Fernbank Forest Outdoor experience encompassing 75 acres including WildWoods exhibits with walking trails, canopy walk, native wildlife, and nature playgrounds, plus Fernbank Forest old-growth forest with over two miles of trails. Open year-round and included with museum admission.
• Fernbank After Dark Adult-only (21+) after-hours evening events held the second Friday of each month, featuring food, drinks, live bands, hands-on science activities, and full museum access. Nonmembers $23.95, Members $18.95.
• Museum Membership Annual membership program with multiple tiers (starting at $79/year for Individual Naturalist) providing unlimited daytime general admission, one Giant Screen film per visit, outdoor access to WildWoods and Fernbank Forest, store and café discounts, and special member offers. Higher tiers include Family Explorer with guest passes and discounts.
• Fernbank Camps Day camp programs for children ages 5-10 including Spring Break Camp and Summer Camp featuring STEAM activities, themed days focused on science, nature, and hands-on explorations. Members $330, nonmembers $380 per week, with extended care at $100/week extra.
• Children's Birthday Parties Birthday party packages hosted at the museum with private 2-hour party room, dinosaur throne, Giant Screen Theater movie, and unlimited museum access for up to 20 guests. Members $400, nonmembers $450. Optional add-ons include Live Animal Encounter ($150) and Cool Chemistry ($150).
• Event Hosting and Venue Rentals Private event venue rentals for weddings, corporate events, and galas across multiple spaces: Great Hall (up to 500 guests from $5,500+), Star Gallery (up to 120), Fernbank Café (up to 125), Dinosaur Plaza & Terrace (up to 250), and Stephensens Hall (up to 350). Total campus capacity up to 2,500 guests with catering and beverage service available.
• Private Programs and Tours Private educator-led presentations and guided tours for groups of up to 25 people, including Animal Encounters ($150 per 15-20 minute program), Excellent Experiments chemistry demonstrations, and 90-minute Fernbank Forest guided tours ($175). Group admission rates apply separately.
• Planet Ice Exhibit Temporary special exhibit exploring 80,000 years of ice age history through displays of megaanimals such as woolly mammoths and mastodons, featuring interactive augmented reality experiences and thermal camera technology. Launched February 2026 and scheduled to remain on view through May 3, 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 60,000 students annually with 17,000 receiving need-based scholarships
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Georgia Forestry FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Forestry Day event, exploring the relationship between humans and forests through demonstrations and hands-on activities.
• Jane Goodall's Roots & ShootsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational youth-oriented program created by the Jane Goodall Institute. Fernbank partners to support environmental and community service education for young people.
• Birds GeorgiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer partnership for forest birding walks. Birds Georgia volunteers lead programs discovering feathered inhabitants of Fernbank Forest.
• CityPASScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBundled attraction pass providing up to 47% savings on admission to Fernbank plus four other top Atlanta attractions. Fernbank featured as anchor attraction.
• Bobby Dodd InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting families with vital resources. Provides funding for collaborative community enrichment opportunities for families working with Bobby Dodd Institute Support Coordinators.
• Georgia Kids BelongminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting foster families across Georgia. Through the Foster Friendly App, Georgia foster families access exclusive discounts on museum memberships and tickets.
• Sponsors (The Jerald Group, Delta Air Lines, United Nations Federal Credit Union)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsors for annual gala events (A Timeless Affair, Sips & Science) providing financial support and promotional visibility. Includes sponsorship tiers at Curiosity and Inspiration levels.
• MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic transit partnership. MARTA Reach service provides on-demand rides from Edgewood/Candler Park Station to Fernbank. New service launching April 2026 as part of MARTA NextGen Bus Network redesign.
• Penguin Brothers Robotics ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting robotics club workshops in Fernbank's STEAM Lab. Club brings award-winning competition robot for interactive demonstrations.
• Chastain Horse ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for therapeutic equestrian programming. Chastain Horse Park's Therapeutic Program Director leads educational sessions at the museum connecting to Horse Power giant screen film.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Georgia Aquarium: Located in Atlanta and bundled alongside Fernbank in CityPASS, Georgia Aquarium is a large-scale, nonprofit, paid-admission family attraction competing for the same tourist and local family discretionary spend in the Atlanta market.
• Tellus Science Museum: A science-focused natural history museum in Cartersville, GA, Tellus competes with Fernbank for Georgia family field trips and STEM-curious visitors, with overlapping exhibit categories (dinosaurs, fossils, minerals).
• Children's Museum of Atlanta: Atlanta-based children's museum targeting the same families-with-young-children segment as Fernbank, competing for school field trips, birthday parties, and weekend family outings within the same metro.

Regional players

• Zoo Atlanta: A nonprofit zoological attraction in Atlanta, bundled with Fernbank in CityPASS, competing for family and tourist visit occasions and offering a live-animal experience that overlaps with Fernbank's live animal collection.
• World of Coca-Cola: Atlanta-based paid-admission attraction bundled with Fernbank in CityPASS, competing for tourist visit frequency and group sales in the same destination market.

Broad incumbents

• California Academy of Sciences: A larger, established natural history and science institution in San Francisco combining aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum under one roof—directly comparable in mission and programming model to Fernbank but at significantly greater scale.
• Field Museum: Major Chicago-based natural history museum with dinosaur collections, research programs, and rotating special exhibits, directly comparable to Fernbank's core natural history and paleontology positioning but operating at substantially larger scale.
• American Museum of Natural History: Iconic New York natural history museum with world-class dinosaur halls, research programs, and educational programming—analogous mission and collections focus to Fernbank, but at the very top end of the museum scale.
• Houston Museum of Natural Science: Large, well-funded natural history museum in Houston with comparable permanent and rotating exhibits, IMAX/giant screen programming, and education partnerships—a close functional analog to Fernbank's operating model.
• Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Pittsburgh-based natural history museum with dinosaur collections (including Diplodocus), research programs, and family programming that mirror Fernbank's core offerings at a different scale and market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FernbankMuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FernbankMuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/FernbankMuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/fernbankmuseum
• TikToktiktok.com/@fernbankmuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fernbank-museum-of-natural-history

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fernbank Museum of Natural History