Fernbank Museum of Natural History

A Walk Through Time in Georgia > Permanent Exhibitions > Exhibitions > Home

A Walk Through Time in Georgia

Fernbank's signature exhibition, A Walk Through Time in Georgia, tells the two-fold story of Georgia's natural history and the development of our planet. Sixteen galleries combine with theaters and dioramas to explain this complex and fascinating story.

Explore modern Georgia in a series of realistic dioramas that capture the sights and sounds of the state's main geographic regions. Your journey begins in the Piedmont, the region in Georgia with the oldest rocks, and ends at the Coast and Barrier Islands, Georgia's youngest region. Along the way, you will encounter an amazing array of animals and plants and learn more about the geographical regions these creatures call home.

Accompanying the modern dioramas are galleries and theaters that help to explain the chronological development of the Earth. Where appropriate, Georgia's geological and fossil record is used to explain how we know what Georgia looked like in the past. By the end of the exhibition, you will have seen how transformations over millions of years have shaped the environment surrounding you today. Some of the highlights include a walk-through cave in the Ridge and Valley diorama, towering dinosaurs in the Ruling Dinosaurs Gallery and a peek beneath the ocean's surface in the Gray’s Reef diorama.

Explore the beauty and diversity of Georgia by participating in a Regions of Georgia Travel Program. These special excursions are led by Fernbank educators and focus on different Georgia regions, as illustrated in A Walk Through Time in Georgia. Trips are offered throughout the year. Sign up for Fernbank’s e-newsletter to receive announcements on these and other learning opportunities.

Learn More
Click on thumbnails to see larger images.

Piedmont
	This diorama depicts a springtime re-creation of a granite outcrop in the Piedmont region. Piedmont means "foot of the mountains" and describes this large region that encompasses the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Atlanta, Elberton and Stone Mountain are found in the Piedmont.
Appalachian Mountains
	This diorama depicts an autumn re-creation of a scenic mountain outlook in the Appalachian Mountains, home to Tallulah Gorge, the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River and Brasstown Bald, Georgia's highest peak.
Ridge and Valley
	This diorama depicts a late summer re-creation of a roadcut through the layered rocks of the Ridge and Valley region, which includes Rome, Cartersville and Dalton. Fossils are common in these rock formations because a shallow sea once covered this region.
The Ruling Dinosaurs
	This gallery introduces visitors to the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, when today’s central Georgia was a low, swampy area and vertebrates, like dinosaurs, adapted to land. A Tyrannosaurus rex, a large meat-eating dinosaur dominates a series of three murals which depict vegetation, landscape, animals and species behavior.
Okefenokee Swamp
	Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Okefenokee. Walk along a creaky wooden bridge alongside alligators, snapping turtles, blue herons, owls, raccoons and other swamp life. Along the way, you'll discover how fire cycles preserve this 660-mile expanse of swampland.
Coast and Barrier Islands
	Georgia's youngest region is constantly changing where the rivers meet the sea, especially along the string of barrier islands that line the Georgia coast. Experience all of coastal Georgia's habitats in this set of four dioramas: a saltwater marsh, a maritime forest, a beach, and a live-bottom reef.