For immediate release. 

Fernbank Museum Rings in 2024 with an Eight-Legged Invasion

New Special Exhibit, “Spiders — From Fear to Fascination,” Opens Feb. 10

ATLANTA, Jan. 9, 2024—This winter, Fernbank Museum invites guests to come eye-to-eyes with the hunting, burrowing and weaving world of spiders in the new special exhibit, “Spiders — From Fear to Fascination.” Opening Feb. 10, 2024, and featuring over 250 live and preserved spider specimens, this exhibit will leave audiences with a fascination for these incredible arachnids.   

Guests will be able to explore a detailed display of spiders in all shapes and sizes — from the intimidatingly venomous Black Window to the famously large Huntsman — through a variety of curated displays that include using the latest in augmented reality technology to create a fully immersive experience. Visitors will be able to virtually journey through hundreds of scattering spiders along a glowing forest floor, bring an animated spider to “life,” compete in a mating dance-off with a Jumping Peacock Spider and more.   

In addition to encountering live spiders, dioramas with taxidermy spiders, panels featuring real preservations and interactive components, guests will have the opportunity to use the complementary and free “Spiders Augmented Reality” app to watch spiders come to life by scanning markers found within the exhibit. Some of the spiders featured in the app include the Wolf Spider, Trapdoor Spider, Desert Blonde Tarantula and more. 

“Spiders evoke a combination of curiosity and horror, fear and fascination alike. The “Spiders — From Fear to Fascination” exhibit is extraordinary as it makes spiders accessible and appealing, while still presenting the most up-to-date research and understanding of their biology,” said Linda S. Rayor, Cornell University, scientific consultant, exhibit manager of live animals, and President of the American Arachnological Society. “There is no other exhibit on spiders which has ever captured the magic of spiders so well. With stunning displays, interesting displays using live and preserved? spiders, and charming games that illustrate how spiders live, this is an experience that will appeal to anyone who has wondered what spiders are doing.”  

Developed by the Australian Museum, “Spiders — From Fear to Fascination” features seven themed sections audiences can use to build their knowledge of the arachnid animal classification. These themes include the spider family tree, diet and hunting, diversity of spiders from across the globe, spiders’ life cycles, their senses, and silk production and weaving.  

“Spiders — From Fear to Fascination” is an exhibit that appeals to arachnologists of all ages who want to face their curious or fearful precognition and explore one of the most often-misunderstood species on the planet. This exhibit will be included with General Admission at Fernbank from Feb. 10 – May 5, 2024. For more information, please visit https://fernbankmuseum.org/Spiders 

“Spiders — From Fear to Fascination” was created by the Australian Museum.  Sponsored locally in part by the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc.

Related Programming 

Fernbank will host "Spider Spectacle," a family friendly Discovery Day, to celebrate the grand opening of “Spiders — From Fear to Fascination” from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. “Spider Spectacle” is sponsored by Novelis.  

Additionally, Fernbank Museum will be hosting a live lecture with Linda S. Rayor, Cornell University, scientific consultant, exhibit manager of live animals, and President of the American Arachnological Society on Feb. 10, 2024. More details to come at fernbankmuseum.org

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Tickets 

Exhibits, films and Discovery Days are included with daytime general admission and with CityPASS. General admission tickets include three floors of exhibits in the natural history museum, choice of one giant screen film, and 75 acres of nature explorations in Fernbank Forest and WildWoods. Fernbank After Dark and some other special after-hours events are available at a separate ticket price and may include access to special exhibits. Fernbank is located at 767 Clifton Road NE in Atlanta, minutes from midtown Atlanta and downtown Decatur.  

For more information, visit FernbankMuseum.org. General admission tickets include a film in the Giant Screen Theater. Tickets are $25.95 for adults, $24.95 for seniors, $23.95 for children ages 3-12, free for children ages 2 and younger, and free for Fernbank Members. These prices are for tickets purchased online at FernbankMuseum.org. Tickets not purchased in advance are offered, if available, at a higher price at the Box Office. More information is available at FernbankMuseum.org. 

Media Inquiries    

Jena Allison, Communications Manager     

Jena.Allison@FernbankMuseum.org    

404.929.6381     

About Fernbank    

Fernbank is one of the most popular and iconic cultural destinations in Atlanta. Known as Atlanta's Science and Nature Experience, Fernbank invites guests to discover a World of Wow through an expansive natural history museum, 4-story giant screen theater, and 75 acres of nature adventures in WildWoods and Fernbank Forest. One of the oldest not-for-profit conservation organizations in the country, Fernbank was founded in 1939 to preserve Fernbank Forest, the largest urban, old growth, Piedmont forest in the United States. The museum and giant screen theater opened as "a school in the woods for nature studies" on Oct. 5, 1992, and is today known for its giant dinosaurs, hands-on STEAM* programming, immersive experiences, and year-round nature exploration. Visit fernbankmuseum.org for more information and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok.   

*Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.