Museums for Specialized Tastes

By Joe Earle

When you think of the word “museum,” does a big, dusty building come to mind? Well, think again. Metro Atlanta has its share of big museums, but there are plenty of smaller, specialized ones filled with surprising collections.

Atlanta Monetary Museum

Ever wonder just what a million bucks looks like? Or a bar of gold? You can find out in Midtown, where Atlanta’s Federal Reserve Bank houses a museum of everything to do with money. Museum displays recount the history of money from barter to bills and the history of banking in America. The history also showcases rare coins and currency and provides a look inside the Fed’s cashprocessing operations, where millions of dollars are counted, sorted or shredded daily.

Location:

1000 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta 30309

Hours:

Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Group tours are offered by appointment Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information: frbatlanta.org; click on “About the Fed,” then “Tours,” then “Atlanta Monetary Museum.”

Center for Puppetry Arts

Mingle with Muppets and learn about puppets from around the world. The center for Puppetry Art’s museum provides a home to Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and other

Jim Henson creations as well as displays highlighting the international history of puppetry. The center also offers regular puppet shows.

Location:

1404 Spring St. NW, Atlanta 30309

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday: noon-5 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays.

More information:

404-873-3391, puppet.org

Michael C. Carlos Museum

The Carlos Museum, located on Emory University’s campus, turns 100 next year, but its century barely compares to the antiquity of many of the items it houses. This museum provides a place to view some really old stuff: Egyptian mummies and coffins, Greek and Roman sculptures, Mayan carvings. The Carlos also hosts traveling shows, including one set to run until November on “divine felines,” cats in ancient Egypt.

Location:

571 South Kilgo Cir., Atlanta 30322 (on the campus of Emory University)

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday: noon-5 p.m. Closed Mondays and university holidays. Tours are offered at 2 p.m. on Sundays, excluding major holidays.

For more information: 404-727-4282, carlos.emory.edu

Delta Flight Museum

Up, up and away! The Delta Flight Museum occupies original 1940s-era Delta Air Lines hangars minutes from HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport. The museum, started in 1995, promises a chance to check out historic aircraft dating to the 1920s; to see the only full-motion flight simulator open to the public in the United States; and to learn the history of a company that started as a crop-dusting operation and grew into one of the world’s largest airlines.

Location:

1060 Delta Blvd., Bldg. B, Dept. 914, Atlanta 30354 (at Delta Air Lines’ headquarters)

Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Wednesday: closed; Sunday: noon-4:30 p.m.

For more information: 404-715-7886, deltamuseum.org