Winter Wonderland Returns to Fernbank Museum to Celebrate Holiday Season and More

Fernbank Museum of Natural History will celebrate holidays, traditions and cultures with Winter Wonderland: Celebrations & Traditions Around the World, the Museum’s 2nd Annual holiday-inspired exhibition and programming series. On view from November 16, 2011 through January 8, 2012, Winter Wonderland will feature trees and other displays decorated by local cultural partners that recognize celebrations including Christmas, Hanukkah and the Festival of Lights, as well as traditions and practices like origami, indigenous art and national symbols.

The exhibition will twinkle with lights, glimmer with color, and shine with a variety of cultural ornaments and emblems that recognize the diversity of celebrations, holidays, traditions and events around the world. Festive programming will accompany Fernbank’s Winter Wonderland on select days as cultural groups entertain visitors with performances, dancing, music, demonstrations, storytelling and more.

Winter Wonderland trees, displays and performances will showcase traditional celebrations from cultures across five continents, representing the Arab World, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. Decorations include origami cranes from Japan, natural objects symbolic of Switzerland’s ecological lifestyle, iconic columns and friezes representing the Parthenon in Greece, folkloric figurines symbolic to the Arab World, and many other beautiful displays of cultures around the world.

Fernbank also will feature a variety of special opportunities, sponsored in part by Publix Super Markets Charities, in collaboration with many of the Winter Wonderland cultural partners at no additional cost, including:

* Evening Hours

November 18 and 25 and December 16 from 6:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.

See Winter Wonderland after dark during Fridays during Martinis & IMAX®.
(Standard Martinis & IMAX® ticket prices apply).

* Winter Wonderland Celebration Weekend

Saturday, November 19 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Sunday, November 20 from noon – 4 p.m.

Enjoy performances by The Atlanta Ballet, straw star-making crafts from Germany, a roaming Santa-saurus, Viking stories and re-enactment from Norway, a Chinese Lion Dance, a Hungarian cultural display, hat-making craft from Canada and more.**

* Martinis & IMAX® Holiday Fest

Friday, November 25 from 6:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Work off those extra Thanksgiving Day calories with live music by Kingsized and enjoy evening viewing hours of Winter Wonderland during a special holiday-themed evening.

(Standard Martinis & IMAX® ticket prices apply.)

* Caroling and Cupcakes Weekend

Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Sunday, December 4 from noon – 4 p.m.

Enjoy the sounds of the season and free holiday delights including performances by the Georgia Boy Choir and The Atlanta Ballet, ornament-making crafts and a special appearance by Fernbank’s holiday mascot, Santa-saurus.

* Winter Wonderland Celebration Weekend

Saturday, December 10 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Sunday, December 11 from noon – 4 p.m.

Join us for performances by Salsa Belles, storytelling and crafts from Israel, crafts from Japan and France, a variety of cultural games, Turkish dancers and more.**

* Winter Wonderland Celebration Weekend

Saturday, December 17 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Sunday, December 18 from noon – 4 p.m.

Enjoy an appearance by Fernbank’s Santa-saurus, storytelling from Italy, Liberian singers, Peruvian music, Philippine dancing, Indian arts and more.**

Admission to Winter Wonderland: Celebrations & Traditions Around the World is included with Museum admission at $17.50 for adults, $16.50 for students and seniors, $15.50 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for Museum members and children ages two and younger. Events offered during Martinis & IMAX® are included with the $7 cover charge or with the purchase of an IMAX® ticket for one of the evening’s film screenings at $12. Tickets can be purchased online at fernbankmuseum.org/winter or by phone at 404.929.6400.

A special joint ticket package is available, which includes admission to Fernbank Museum, including the Winter Wonderland exhibition, and to Christmas at Callanwolde, a historic mansion featuring Period furniture, designer treasures, fine art and dazzling Christmas trees that reflect a glorious era from the 1920s to the 1950s, when the prominent Candler family lived in the home. The joint ticket package is offered at a savings for $32 for adults, $27 for students and seniors, and $24 for children and can be purchased by calling 404.929.6400. The tickets can be redeemed for admission to Callanwolde from December 5-18 and to Fernbank from November 16-January 8.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road, NE in Atlanta. The museum is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from Noon-5 p.m. For visitor information, call 404.929.6300 or visit fernbankmuseum.org/winter.

*Please note: All events and program participants are subject to change without notice.

**Not all activities will be offered both days.



For the most current schedule information, visit fernbankmuseum.org/winter.