Look closely at the museum floors; embedded there are ancient fossil remains from the late Jurassic period.

There are several other permanent exhibitions, including A Walk Through Time in Georgia which tells the story of the earth's development through time and the chronology of life upon it. Eighteen galleries re-create landform regions from the rolling pine-forested foothills of the Piedmont Plateau to the mossy Okefenokee Swamp, from the Cumberland Plateau (where you can walk through a typical "limestone cavern") to the marshy Coast and Barrier Islands. Exhibits are enhanced by creative films and videos, informational audiophones, interactive computers and sound effects. Visitors travel back 15 billion years--to experience the origins of the universe (the Big Bang) and the formation of galaxies and solar systems.

The "Sensing Nature" exhibit tantalizes each of your senses with hands-on opportunities that explore how we experience the natural world. The room bristles with computers, colored lights, and mirrors, and you can step into a life-size kaleidoscope, play with perspective, gaze into infinity, see physical evidence of sound waves, and mix colors on a computer.

Lunch was very pleasant in the restaurant with arched windows overlooking Fernbank Forest where we enjoyed live piano music. There is also outdoor patio seating for warmer days.

Aside from the IMAX, the most interesting exhibit for both adults and kids alike is the hands-on "Spectrum of the Senses" exhibit on the top floor. You can play with bubbles, see how optical illusions happen, play with sound and light, and just generally have fun. Unfortunately we got to this exhibit last and didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked, because we were starving and needed to get to lunch.

We also really enjoyed the exhibit on Syria, which was on the lower level. I think this is where traveling or temporary exhibits are, so I don't think the Syrian exhibit will be there permanently, but it was very interesting. They had copies of Euclidian geometry books transferred into Arabic, and things like wills, annual reports and other documents written in cuneiform. Somehow I forget that cuneiform and heiroglyphics are actually writing, and they had things like wills and business documents written in these funny-looking characters.

The exhibit on the timeline of Georgia is rather interesting, but there are a bit too many stuffed animals and not enough other information. Personally, I'm a photography buff and one of my favorite parts of the whole museum was the black and white photographs that were around the atrium on the main level and upper levels.

But most fun for me, was the IMAX theater. You can see several IMAX shows at any one time. And in the summer you can enjoy martinis at Fernbank. You will hear live music while you drink, mingle and wait for the next show.