Today's hours: 10am - 5pm
November 09, 2023
The Hidden Stories of WildWoods: AGLOW That Reveal the Magic of Nature
WildWoods: AGLOW returns for another season from Nov. 10, 2023-Feb. 25, 2024. Thousands of people discovered some of nature’s most magical secrets last year, as they strolled through the night air to observe the magnificence of nature’s beauty, nocturnal animals, tree root systems, mushrooms that can communicate underground and more.
Unlike anything else in Atlanta, WildWoods: AGLOW uses the real plants and trees of WildWoods to create a dramatic nighttime experience blended with a custom musical score and glowing scenes that move, react, surprise and delight.
With such a connected and intricate story about nature’s hidden activities, we’re letting you in on a few tips and “secrets” on what to look for and how to interact with WildWoods: AGLOW.
Top 5 “Secrets” about WildWoods: AGLOW
1. When you enter the nighttime experience, you’ll see a giant tulip popular bloom glowing above. As you wind along the canopy walk, hold your hand over the sensor on the illuminated seed models to see a display of seeds begin to glow in the distance. TIP: Collaborate with other guests to activate all five of the models at the same time, which will create a dramatic light show as the seeds accumulate to help populate the next generation of tulip poplar trees.
2. Stand within the wooden fort structure (known as Adventure Outpost) to observe a variety of animals that come out to explore as you listen to the nature sounds and calls that accompany their arrival. Each of these native animals can be found in WildWoods and Fernbank Forest, but they are often hidden through camouflage or are nocturnal animals that are not active in the daytime. It’s a hidden window into the animal activity that we can’t always see.
3. Look up at the towering trees and witness the incredible root system that is hidden beneath the groundcover. The roots appear before your eyes and shoot up into the canopy to reveal the connection between living and non-living things, indicating how the roots pull water and other nutrients from the soil to support the trees.
4. As you walk through the glowing mushroom gallery, discover how the songs and color of these larger-than-life chantarelles change in response to your activity. You influence their communication by walking toward them or away, and they respond with a beautiful song to reveal the mycorrhizal network that symbiotically allows fungi and plants to benefit through their relationship.
5. Experience the finale of blooming vibrant flowers that cover the hillside, including a 15-foot, larger-than-life blossom inspired by the native columbine flower. This immersive and dramatic experience reveals the culmination of a healthy ecosystem with all systems running in tandem and the eruption of beauty that comes from it.
Fernbank is a nonprofit natural history museum, giant screen theater and old-growth forest, and is not affiliated with Fernbank Science Center, which operates as a division of DeKalb County Schools.
