We Speak Attractions & Activities

Atlanta Steps Back 80,000 Years as Fernbank Opens Its Ice Age World

Published

9 months ago

January 16, 2026

Atlanta is about to step back 80,000 years. Fernbank Museum of Natural History opens “Planet Ice,” its first special exhibit of 2026, on February 7, with the Ice Age experience on view through May 3, 2026.

The exhibit explores Earth’s landscape and life forms from 80,000 years ago, using immersive storytelling, interactive displays and augmented reality combined with artifacts and models to teach guests about survival in an arctic climate. Fernbank describes the experience as uncovering the powerful role of ice in shaping our planet, at a time when massive glaciers dominated and ancient creatures thrived.

More than 100 specimens anchor the show, including the mastodon, a saber-toothed cat, the woolly mammoth, cave bear, giant beaver and American lion, alongside lifelike sculptures of a Neanderthal adult and child showing how Neanderthals were adapted to live in a cold environment. The galleries also carry authentic tools and artifacts used by the Tunniit (Dorset) and Thule-Inuit peoples in Canada’s Arctic — and two “magical moments” in which lifelike illusions of a woolly mammoth and an American lion emerge from a snow-filled landscape.

The exhibit was developed in partnership with the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, with support from tour partner Polar Knowledge Canada and local sponsor the Isdell Family Foundation. Opening day, Saturday, February 7, also brings a family “Planet Ice Chill-abration” event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the debut of the giant-screen film “Titans of the Ice Age,” narrated by Christopher Plummer.

For ticket context at announcement time, online general admission was reported at $25.95 for adults, $24.95 for seniors and $23.95 for children ages 3–12, free for children 2 and younger and for Fernbank members. General admission includes three floors of exhibits, one giant screen film and 75 acres of nature exploration in Fernbank Forest and WildWoods, and the online prices were noted as potentially lower than prices onsite.

We Speak Attractions & Activities

The Call Me Mother Experience Brings Immersive Art and Maternal Health Stories to Houston’s Health Museum

Published

4 days ago

October 22, 2026

Royal Jones

Artwork from The Call Me Mother Experience at The Health Museum in Houston

The Call Me Mother Experience, an immersive multi-site art exhibit dedicated to the stories of the Black maternal health crisis, is now open at The Health Museum, 1515 Hermann Drive in Houston. The exhibition runs through February 28, 2027, and tickets range from $12 to $15.

Visitors should prepare for an immersive experience that includes poetry, film, performance, 3D sculptures, and original paintings created by a collective of nationally and internationally recognized artists, including D.E.E.P., Omari Maynard, Stacey Allen, Keda Sharber, and many others.

The exhibit walks visitors toward an opening question and into a reimagined waiting room, showing perspectives that range from father to mother and from despair to healing. Each site displays familial love and the grief that comes with the Black maternal health crisis in America, ending in a call to action.

“After two years working in the community to amplify local stories, I hope people see this exhibit as a celebration of our collective voices in the fight for maternal equity,” says D.E.E.P. “Every artist in the collective has had their own personal experience, be it infant death, fibroids, or birth complications. We have lived through these losses. We are using our art to demand better maternal healthcare practices in our lifetime.”

The stakes behind the exhibit are stark. As of 2024, Black women are three times more likely to die a pregnancy-related death than white women, and more than 80% of these deaths are preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Call Me Mother Experience is a Deep Ink project, fiscally sponsored by Fresh Arts, a Houston-based 501(c)(3) arts service organization, with generous support from H-E-B and several other philanthropic organizations. Additional satellite activations are planned at community sites and faith-based organizations throughout the Greater Houston area.

Learn more at callmemotherexperience.com.

Follow The Call Me Mother Experience on Instagram: @callmemotherexperience