During the Civil War, Atlanta did indeed burn, but in the years since she has rebuilt, restored and in fact reinvented herself. Down but not out, she rose like the phoenix from the ashes of a bitter conflict to become queen of the American south.

The Fernbank Natural History Museum is one of the top natural history museums in the southeast. Their permanent exhibits include a timeline of Georgia history, dinosaurs, shells and a hands-on discovery room for younger children. The most popular draw for my son – the dinosaur exhibit, of course.