You may not know that the Centers For Disease Control, located right in Atlanta has it’s own museum on site. Yep, that’s right, The CDC has a museum that is open to the public (due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, CDC has closed the museum). We hope that the CDC Museum in Atlanta will reopen soon as it is so fascinating to see the exhibits at this Atlanta museum.
Where is the CDC Museum in Atlanta located?
The CDC Museum is located in the same location as the CDC headquarters. The CDC is located not far from downtown or midtown Atlanta. However, there isn’t easy public transportation to this museum in Atlanta, so if you are visiting from out of town, plan on taking an Uber.
CDC Location 1600 Clifton Road NE Atlanta, GA 30329
What should I know before visiting the CDC Museum in Atlanta? What are the hours?
The CDC Museum is free for anyone to visit and is open from 9 am – 5pm weekdays but closed on weekends and Federal holidays. NOTE: as of this article the museum is closed due to the Coronavirus and has not said when they will reopen. Check their site before heading there.
You will have to check in at a security gate and have your vehicle inspected. It doesn’t take long. It took about 5 minutes for them to check out my car before they pointed me to the parking deck to park. Yes, it is free to park there as well.
How long should I plan to spend at the CDC Museum?
It really depends on how through you want to be. I spent about two and half hours. There are a couple levels and some really interesting exhibits at the CDC Museum. The first floor was all art related. I found myself spending more time than I thought I would. I was fascinated by how artists took like like a virus and put it into art form.
However, I lingered more at the exhibits. They showed intricate timelines of how they approached different diseases and thwarted them. I will be interested to see how they exhibit the Coronavirus when it is all over, won’t you?
They even have hazmat suits that visitors to this Atlanta museum can try on.
Interesting facts about Atlanta’s CDC Museum:
- The upstairs level has a ever changing display of artworks from rising artists that take a microscopic level overview of the viruses.
- You can interact with some exhibits. Ex. trying on hazmat suits
- The CDC isn’t just about infectious diseases as some may think. They tackle health issues resulting from lifestyle choices like smoking and obesity.
What I loved most about my visit to the CDC museum in Atlanta, is the detail they went into to explain how they approached and went about helping to eliminate diseases like Legionnaires‘ and others. They even had a display that had liquid that contained Legionnaires‘ disease on display;