January 01, 0001

It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye…

A Walk Through Time in Georgia is taking its last bow soon. But oh, what a run it had.

When Fernbank Museum opened in October of 1992, A Walk Through Time in Georgia was the centerpiece exhibit. Featuring 275 specimens, readied by Fernbank Science Center Curator Ed Thompson, the exhibit was met with awe and praise upon opening. According to an article in the Oct. 6, 1992 edition of The Atlanta Constitution, one guest said, “This is beautiful…I really didn’t expect this much. The workmanship is outstanding.”

The stegosaurus model, featured in Dinosaur Hall, measures 26 feet long and was created at Hurt Studio in Stone Mountain, based on a model at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The stegosaurus was transported by a flatbed truck from the Stone Mountain studio to a fabrication center before being installed at Fernbank; many locals saw this amazing sight, as captured in the newspaper articles above.

On March 7, Fernbank threw an Extinction Party to celebrate the final weeks of A Walk Through Time in Georgia, the beloved permanent exhibit that has taken guests on a journey through deep time since 1992. Guests, members, and generations of families accepted the invitation to dress for the occasion. See the Best Dressed looks here! 

We will miss A Walk Through Time in Georgia, but as a part of Project Thrive and Fernbank’s commitment to unveil new museum exhibits and learning galleries, the space will soon be filled with the all-new Changing Earth exhibit. The objects and specimens will be added to the museum’s permanent collection or stored, and digital images have been taken to preserve the history of the exhibit and murals. The last day to experience this exhibit will be April 26, 2026 (date subject to change).

Here are a few quotes and photos from guests about A Walk Through Time in Georgia:

The reason I love these two pictures so much is that both of the focuses of these pictures remind me a lot of Saint Simons Island, which is a place that is near and dear to my withered heart. The salt marsh diorama looks a lot like the salt marsh on the way to East Beach on Saint Simons. - Jeremy P.

I was 9 when A Walk Through Time in Georgia opened. 
9 months. 
For me at the time it was a Stroller Through Time in Georgia. 
This exhibit’s extinction was inevitable. 33 years of T-Rex in the wrong posture, of that Megatherium skull without the rest of the body, of trying to find fun little taxidermy birds throughout, of a dragonfly that actually scared me when I first saw it. 
It was hokey. It was old. But it was mine. 
My favorite room as a kid was the dinosaur room of course. But as an adult, the recreation of the swamplands stood out as atmospheric and gorgeous. Easily the most beautiful room. 

On my last visit to Fernbank I finally took time away from looking at the stegosaurus fossil to actually pay attention to the paintings of prehistoric earth. Honestly, masterfully done. If anything from A Walk Through Time in Georgia must be preserved, it is those. 

I’ll see A Walk Through Time in Georgia one last time at the Extinction Party. It will be deeply and sorely missed. A gap in Fernbank that will ensure it never quite feels the same again. But science changes. Museums must change with it. Evolution is the natural course of life. If Fernbank stays as static as the taxidermy and the fossils it’s replacing, it is as dead as they are. Things must grow, evolve, and thrive. 
Thank you for 33 years, A Walk Through Time in Georgia.
- Lex M.

I had a chance to take a walk through time by myself recently. Since it was during the last big screen movie of the day, the Walk Through Time gallery was super quiet. Just a nice time to walk and reflect.
- Kye S.

As my kids have grown up, they’ve always enjoyed the walk through GA and spotting all the animals. Here we were Sunday 2/22 for one last visit. Emma (5) Wesley (3)
- Gregg C.

These photos are from my son, William, who made a trip for his "Flat Stanley" project in pre-school in 2010. He later was a FUN volunteer throughout his time in high school. "Walk Through Time in Georgia" was his favorite areas of Fernbank!
- James S.

This was taken this past weekend at Aglow’s closing weekend. I used to work at Fernbank and had to see the exhibit (and the sloth) one last time!
- Lauren J.

Christmas Eve 2023 was the last chance my family had to catch the Viking exhibit that season. Oddly enough, that started a tradition of my daughter and I taking a pic with the T. Rex in the Walk Through Time in Georgia each December.
- Zach J.

These photos are of Jac Conte, a long-time volunteer, teaching as a FUN (Fernbank Ultimate Naturalist, now FYI) volunteer. The first photo is of Jac in 2016 giving his Uncle George and Aunt Sarah a tour of a Walk through Time in Georgia (so proud!). The 2nd & 3rd are of Jac teaching in 2018, and the 4th shows Jac with a quick painting he did of the Erimotherium. - Catherine C.

Thank you to the guests who shared their stories and photos with us!