Fernbank Museum Packs the Summer with 97 Days (and Ways) to Play,

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is packing the summer with lots of reasons to spend the year’s longest, hottest days on an adventure that is filled with hands-on science, culture and the natural world. From May 31-September 4, 2011, Fernbank will celebrate 97 Days (and Ways) to Play, featuring a variety of great activities, events and fun-filled ways to keep families entertained and inspired during the summer months.

97 Days to Play highlights include:

* Superhero Day (inspired by the special exhibition Mythic Creatures: Unicorns, Dragons & Mermaids) on June 19 for Father’s Day;
Pirate and Princess Day (inspired by the special exhibition Mythic Creatures: Unicorns, Dragons & Mermaids) on July 9;
Reptile Day, featuring an assortment of live lizards, snakes and turtles on July 30;

* Fernbank’s Dinosaur Birthday Bash Weekend, celebrating the world’s largest dinosaurs in the permanent Giants of the Mesozoic exhibition, on August 20-21; Plus, an assortment of other family activity days, special activities, celebrations and more.

* In addition to the special weekend programming days, the Museum will offer a weekly line-up featuring:

* Mythic Mondays, featuring scavenger hunts, giveaways, and family-friendly activities;

* Free Hot Dog Wednesdays, where each museum admission ticket is also valid for one free hotdog that day in the Fernbank Cafe;

* Safari Sundays, offering the first 250 children a free safari hat with their museum ticket.

There are also plenty of everyday ways to enjoy summer at Fernbank Museum, including the all-new permanent children’s exhibition, Fernbank NatureQuest, which is filled with more than 100 ways to interact within the 7,000 square feet of nature-inspired habitats and ecosystems. With so many exploration paths in the exhibition, many families are returning to continue their investigation of all the discoveries found within the immersive environment, which includes live animals, hands-on activities, chances to observe nature’s wonder, a working clubhouse filled with added activities, and ecosystems that include a river, a swamp, the ocean, the pine flat woods, a forest, a waterfall and a cave.

The special exhibition Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, on view through August 11, explores the cultural beliefs and origins of mythical creatures that have inspired stories, songs, celebrations and more for centuries. Featuring “life-sized” models of dragons, a mermaid, a unicorn, a Roc, a Kraken and more, plus artifacts and fossils of living beings that could have led to the tales of creatures like the Cyclops and Griffin.

Most activities offered in conjunction with 97 Days to Play are included with Museum admission, which is $17.50 for adults, $16.50 for students/seniors, $15.50 for children ages 3 to 12; free for children ages 2 and younger, and free for Members. For tickets and more information, visit fernbankmuseum.org or call 404.929.6300.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road, NE in Atlanta