Top special museum and art exhibits happening this November in Atlanta

Check out these special museum exhibits and art exhibitions on display in Atlanta this November.

Young boy in an art museum.Aaina Sharma / Unsplash

“Woodland Spirits” at Fernbank Museum

Event Dates: now through November 7, 2021

Encounter ghostly visitors in the shadows of Fernbank Museum’s WildWoods and Fernbank Forest during this annual fall exhibit, which features kooky sculptures, a haunted outpost, a monster garden, and more.

Winter Wonderland at Fernbank

Event Dates: November 13, 2021 through January 7, 2022

Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s annual "Winter Wonderland: Celebrations & Traditions Around the World" exhibit returns with holiday-inspired exhibitions featuring trees and other displays decorated by local cultural partners. Traditions and practices recognize celebrations such as Christmas, Hanukkah, origami, indigenous art, and national symbols.

Garden Lights Holiday Nights

Event Dates: November 13, 2021 through January 15, 2022

The Atlanta Botanical Garden’s annual holiday light show is back for 2021. Enjoy the 11th annual holiday extravaganza dazzling light display with millions of brilliantly colored LED lights.

WILD: A Safari Experience at Illuminarium Atlanta

Event Dates: multiple dates from now through November 21, 2021

WILD: A Safari Experience at Illuminarium Atlanta transports you to the African safari. Through unique immersive technology, you will be surrounded by the natural habitat of wild animals in Africa like lions, zebras, and elephants.

IllumiNights at the Zoo: A Chinese Lantern Festival

Event Dates: November 22, 2021 through January 16, 2022

Explore a nighttime lantern wonderland at Zoo Atlanta after dark. Stroll through a display of more than 80 animal lanterns, some up to 20 feet tall, depicting your favorite animals. Each lantern is made and hand-painted by Chinese artisans.

WINTERLAND: A Magical Holiday Experience

Event Dates: multiple dates from November 26, 2021 through January 2, 2022

This limited-time experience at Illuminarium Atlanta presents a luxurious winter palace, an enchanted winter paradise, the magnificent Northern Lights, and whimsical forest creatures dashing across snow-covered landscapes.

Outside the Lines at the High Museum of Art

Event Dates: now through November 28, 2021

“Outside the Lines” at the High Museum of Art is an immersive maze of accessible, sensory environments created by award-winning design and research practice Bryony Roberts Studio. This is the studio’s seventh site-specific installation on The Woodruff Arts Center’s Carroll Slater Sifly Piazza.

Resonance: Recent Acquisitions in Photography

Event Dates: now through December 5, 2021

The photographs in this Michael C. Carlos Museum collection are intended to resonate with the unprecedented realities and profound emotions experienced by many during 2020.

Heartbound Ministries: Art from the Inside

Event Dates: now through December 20, 2021

See the significant but often overlooked talent of artists who are currently imprisoned, presented by the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art. The works displayed represent a wide range of artistic styles and mediums, including sculptures and displays crafted from objects found around the prison. “Art from the Inside” is the only annual exhibition of art by prisoners in the state of Georgia.

College Football Hall of Fame HBCU Exhibit

Event Dates: now through December 31, 2021

The College Football Hall of Fame debuts its Southern Company HBCU Exhibit, an interactive and curated exhibit highlighting the greatest moments, players, coaches and trailblazers in HBCU history.

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience at Pullman Yard

Event Dates: now through January 3, 2022

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience lets you step inside of Van Gogh’s famous paintings through a 360-degree digital art exhibition. The experience explores the life of the famous painter, his work, and his secrets through digital projections, a one-of-a-kind VR experience, and a unique light and sound show.

Downton Abbey: The Exhibition

Event Dates: now through January 17, 2022

This limited-time exhibition based on the beloved television show will transport you to post-Edwardian England and will bring your favorite characters to life. You’ll be immersed in the social history, culture, and memorable moments and sets from the show.