Metro Atlanta has museums for every interest, from the High Museum of Art and Fernbank’s dinosaurs to presidential history at the Carter Center and small-town history houses in Marietta, Kennesaw and Fayetteville. Start with the free museums below, then pick from the major in-town museums and the history museums around the metro area.
- Free optionsA dozen museums with free admission, plus free first Sundays at some
- Museum clustersMidtown (High, MODA, Breman, Puppetry), Downtown (Children’s Museum, APEX)
- Plan aheadMany museums close Mondays; hours and prices change, so check before you go
Free Museums
These metro Atlanta museums charge no admission, and most have free parking. See our guide to free indoor things to do in Atlanta for more.
- American Museum of Papermaking
- Anne Frank Exhibit (closed)
- Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Monetary Museum
- Georgia State Capitol Museum
- Gwinnett Veterans War Memorial Museum
- Marietta Fire Museum
- Old Courthouse on the Square (Decatur)
- Roswell Fire and Rescue Museum
- Smyrna Museum
- Teaching Museum North
- David J. Sencer CDC Museum
- Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
Major In-Town Museums
High Museum of Art
The Southeast’s leading art museum, with European, American, African, decorative, folk and contemporary collections. Open: Tue to Sat 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun noon to 5 p.m.; paid admission. 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4400. Official site
Atlanta History Center
A 33-acre Buckhead campus with the Atlanta History Museum, the Centennial Olympic Games Museum, the Cyclorama, Swan House and historic gardens. Open: Tue to Sun 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; paid admission. 130 W. Paces Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta. 404-814-4000. Official site
Margaret Mitchell House
The apartment where Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind, now run by the Atlanta History Center, with a movie exhibit next door. Open: Tue to Sun 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; paid admission. 979 Crescent Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-814-4000. Official site
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Giant dinosaurs, natural history galleries, a giant-screen theater and 75 acres of forest, all on one ticket. Open: daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; paid admission. 767 Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta. 404-929-6300. Official site
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
Exhibits on President Carter’s life, presidency and later work, with a Japanese garden and a full-size Oval Office replica. Open: Mon to Sat 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; paid admission, free for 16 and under. 441 John Lewis Freedom Pkwy. NE, Atlanta. 404-865-7100. Official site
Michael C. Carlos Museum
Emory University’s museum of art from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, Africa and the ancient Americas. Open: Tue to Sat 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun noon to 5 p.m. 571 S. Kilgo Cir., Emory University, Atlanta. 404-727-4282. Official site
Center for Puppetry Arts
One of the largest puppetry collections in the country, including Jim Henson’s workshop gallery, plus family shows. Open: museum Tue to Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun noon to 5 p.m. 1404 Spring St. NW, Atlanta. 404-873-3391. Official site
Children’s Museum of Atlanta
Hands-on play and discovery exhibits for young children, next to Centennial Olympic Park. Open: closed Wednesdays; check the site for daily hours. 275 Centennial Olympic Park Dr. NW, Atlanta. 404-659-5437. Official site
APEX Museum
The African American Panoramic Experience, on historic Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn district. Open: Tue to Sat 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 135 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-977-1055. Official site
The Breman Museum
Atlanta’s Jewish heritage and Holocaust museum. Open: check the museum’s site for current days and hours. 1440 Spring St. NW, Atlanta. 678-222-3700. Official site
Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Exhibitions on how design shapes daily life, in the Midtown arts district. Open: Wed to Sun noon to 7 p.m.; paid admission. 1315 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. Official site
The Wren’s Nest
Atlanta’s oldest house museum, the Victorian home of writer Joel Chandler Harris, with Saturday storytelling. Open: Saturday tours and by appointment. 1050 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. SW, Atlanta. Official site
Herndon Home Museum
The 1910 Beaux Arts mansion of Alonzo Herndon, born into slavery and later founder of Atlanta Life Insurance. Open: Tue and Thu to Sat 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; paid admission. 587 University Pl. NW, Atlanta. 404-581-9813. Official site
Hammonds House Museum
A fine-arts museum devoted to artists of the African diaspora, in an 1857 house in West End. Open: check the museum’s site for hours. 503 Peeples St. SW, Atlanta. 404-612-0481. Official site
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
A 1920 Gothic-Tudor mansion with a second-floor gallery, arts classes and events. Free parking behind the house. Open: Mon to Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 980 Briarcliff Rd. NE, Atlanta. 404-872-5338. Official site
History Museums Around Metro Atlanta
Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History
Home of The General, the locomotive stolen in the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase, plus a restored locomotive works. Open: Tue to Sat 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; paid admission. 2829 Cherokee St., Kennesaw. 770-427-2117. Official site
Marietta History Center
Marietta and Cobb County history in an 1845 cotton warehouse beside the railroad. Open: Tue to Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; paid admission. 1 Depot St., Marietta. 770-794-5710. Official site
Marietta Cobb Museum of Art
American art in a 1909 Classical Revival former post office. Free on the first Sunday of each month. Open: Tue to Sun; closed Mondays; paid admission. 30 Atlanta St. SE, Marietta. 770-528-1444. Official site
Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum
Film costumes, scripts and memorabilia, now at Brumby Hall. Open: Tue to Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; paid admission. 472 Powder Springs St., Marietta. Official site
William Root House Museum & Garden
An 1845 home showing middle-class life in early Marietta. Open: Wed to Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 80 N. Marietta Pkwy. NW, Marietta. 770-426-4982. Official site
Southeastern Railway Museum
Georgia’s official transportation history museum, with a large collection of rolling stock including President Harding’s private car, and train rides. Open: Thu to Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 3595 Buford Hwy., Duluth. 770-476-2013. Official site
Gwinnett History Museum
County history on the second floor of the 1855 Lawrenceville Female Seminary. Open: Mon to Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 455 S. Perry St., Lawrenceville. 770-822-5178. Official site
Heritage Sandy Springs Museum
Sandy Springs history in the circa-1869 Williams-Payne House. Open: Tue, Thu and Sat 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 6075 Sandy Springs Cir., Sandy Springs. 404-851-9111. Official site
Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House Museum
An 1855 Greek Revival house tied to Doc Holliday’s family and the Civil War era. Open: Tue to Sat 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 140 W. Lanier Ave., Fayetteville. 770-716-5332. Call ahead to confirm hours; the museum’s former website is no longer its own.
Road to Tara Museum
Gone With the Wind costumes and memorabilia in Jonesboro’s 1867 stone train depot. Open: Mon to Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; paid admission. 104 N. Main St., Jonesboro. 770-478-4800. Official site
Male Academy (now ChildrenConnect)
Newnan’s 1840s boys’ school building, long the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society’s museum, now houses the ChildrenConnect children’s museum. The society’s collections are on view at the McRitchie-Hollis Museum, 74 Jackson St. (Tue-Fri 10 am - 4 pm, Sat 10 am - 2 pm). 770-251-0207. Official site
Erskine Caldwell Birthplace and Museum
“The Little Manse,” birthplace of the author of Tobacco Road. Visits are by appointment. Moreland Town Square, Moreland. 678-492-3161. Official site
Free Art Galleries
- Arts Clayton Gallery
- Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
- Clark Atlanta University Art Museum
- Cultural Arts Center of Douglasville
- Marlow House Gallery
Note: A few museums from older versions of this page have closed or moved. The Braves museum at Turner Field closed when the team moved to Truist Park in 2017, and the National Museum of Patriotism closed in 2010. The Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum moved from the Depot to Brumby Hall, and MODA moved to Midtown.
Sources we checked
Facts in this guide were checked against the agencies and operators that run these places:
- High Museum of Art: visit
- Atlanta History Center – Buckhead campus and Margaret Mitchell House
- Fernbank Museum: plan your visit
- Jimmy Carter Presidential Library: admission
- APEX Museum: contact
- Herndon Foundation – Herndon Home hours
- City of Kennesaw: Southern Museum
- Marietta History Center: hours
- Town of Moreland: The Little Manse
Each listing also links to the museum’s own site, which we checked for address, days and phone.
Spot something out of date? Email Contact@n-georgia.com and we’ll check it against the official source. Read how we research our guides.