15 Best Museums in Atlanta

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park brings Atlanta’s civil rights history into the historic Sweet Auburn district, where visitors can explore places connected to Dr. King’s life and legacy. The nearly 35-acre site includes his childhood home, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the King Center, and other landmarks that place his story within the neighborhood where he grew up.

Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts brings together a museum, live theater, workshops, and special events in a playful setting devoted to the art and history of puppetry. Exhibits explore how different cultures use puppets, with beautifully detailed pieces spanning historic traditions and modern work.

Set in the heart of Emory University’s Atlanta campus, the Michael C. Carlos Museum brings together art and cultural history from across the world. Its permanent galleries span ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East, Greece and Rome, Africa, the Americas, South Asia, and American and European works on paper, creating a richly layered visit for anyone drawn to archaeology, visual culture, and stories of past civilizations.

The High Museum of Art brings a substantial art-museum experience to Atlanta, with more than 20,000 works spanning seven collecting areas. Its program balances classic and contemporary art with major exhibitions and activities designed for visitors of different ages.

Housed in original 1940s aircraft hangars in Atlanta, Delta Flight Museum brings aviation history to life through two large exhibition spaces, interactive displays, and stories from Delta and its family airlines. The setting blends historic character with a polished, modern presentation.

APEX Museum is an Atlanta history museum centered on the African and African American experience, with exhibits that connect preserved artifacts, cultural legacy, and the stories of people whose contributions shaped the country. Its presentation is both educational and reflective, making space for the brilliance, resilience, and global impact of Black communities.

SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film brings fashion, film, culture, and design together in an exhibition setting in Atlanta. Its presentations can range from major fashion retrospectives to carefully produced video elements, with an educational quality that rewards taking time with the displays and accompanying interpretation.

Fernbank Museum brings natural history to life through dinosaur-focused exhibits, interactive indoor galleries and outdoor experiences set among Atlanta’s forested surroundings. Families can easily turn a visit into a full-day outing, with plenty to explore for children and adults alike.

Hammonds House Museum brings art, history, and culture together in a Victorian-style former residence on a quiet residential street in Atlanta’s historic West End. Its intimate rooms create a close, personal setting for exhibitions centered on artists of African descent from Africa, the Caribbean, and North America.

World of Coca-Cola turns the history of a globally recognized brand into an engaging Atlanta museum visit, with interactive exhibits that explore advertising, culture, sports and innovation. Beverage samples add a hands-on element, while the tasting experience brings flavors from around the world into focus.

Children’s Museum of Atlanta turns learning into hands-on play, with kid-friendly activities designed for active exploration. Its farm-to-grocery-store-to-table area, complete with eggs, a distribution truck, grocery store and diner, gives younger visitors an engaging way to connect everyday routines with how food reaches the table.

The historic property includes the first-floor apartment where Margaret Mitchell lived and wrote, giving the visit a tangible connection to the author and the world surrounding Gone with the Wind. Guided tours add context about Mitchell’s life, the novel, its film adaptation, and the distinction between historical fact and fiction.

The Wren’s Nest is a heritage museum in Atlanta’s West End, housed in the preserved Victorian home of author and journalist Joel Chandler Harris. As a cultural center and National Historic Landmark, it offers a close look at Harris’s life, writing, and the folklore behind the Brer Rabbit tales.

Set within one of Atlanta’s most distinctive classical landmarks, Millennium Gate Museum explores Georgia history, art, culture, and philanthropic heritage. The museum building itself is part of the attraction, while the surrounding outdoor campus adds monuments, statues, water, and a pedestrian trail for a relaxed extension of the visit.

MODA, the Museum of Design Atlanta, brings contemporary design into an accessible, idea-driven setting near the High Museum of Art. Its exhibitions explore current issues and creative approaches across changing media, with displays supported by helpful fact sheets and hands-on activities that make the visit engaging for families as well as design enthusiasts. A typical visit can fit comfortably into about an hour, while rotating exhibitions give returning visitors a reason to come back.