Center For Puppetry Arts

Had a great time walking around the Center for Puppetry Arts! The exhibits do a fantastic job of showcasing the history and artistry of puppetry. One highlight was seeing the Sesame Street section, a nostalgic and memorable experience. It was great not having to queue, and the layout allowed for an easy, open walk through the displays. A must visit for anyone interested in the craft or just looking for something unique to explore.

Great place to visit, with tons of history. Went on a holiday weekend and it was a little bit busy but not bad at all. It’s self paced to walk through the museum. I misunderstood the website and wanted to see the Rudolph collection.. but they won’t be back until Christmas time. Sad 😔 but there’s tons of other puppets and history to learn about. The current showcase is the Jim Henson exhibition. I wish there was a little bit more to learn about him. I heard some other attendees recalling info from a recent documentary they made on Jim. That would have been nice to see there or watch beforehand. Overall great museum to check out, no matter what you’re interested in. Check the current exhibition. The gift shop was lackluster .. wish they had more to select from!

At first I thought it was pricey, but once we got in, the price was fair for what you see in the museum. Very well put together. The scavenger hunt is cute. I had more fun here than the world of coca cola. Im glad we added this to our itinerary. There are a couple of places where you play with puppets too. Big Bird is cool.

This place was such a fun stop! The information inside is engaging and informative, and seeing SALEM and BIG BIRD really activated our inner kids. The historical puppets from different cultures were all so beautiful and the displays were wonderfully put together.

One of my favorite museums in town. It's small, but many wonderful items on display that bring back my childhood. Sesame Street, Muppets, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Madame's Place, Lambchop, etc. The puppetry items from around the world are intriguing and fascinating. They have enough to rotate and change out items a lot.

We visited the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta as part of my son’s ninth birthday celebration, and it was an unforgettable experience! From the moment we walked in, the staff was welcoming, and the atmosphere was full of creativity and fun. One of the highlights for us was the scavenger hunt—it was interactive, engaging, and a fantastic way to explore the museum. We all had a great time learning about the history of puppetry, especially from iconic television shows and multiple productions that have shaped the art form over the years. It was both educational and entertaining, making it enjoyable for kids and adults alike. My son had an amazing time, and my husband and I truly appreciated how well the exhibits were curated. If you're looking for a unique and enriching experience in Atlanta, I highly recommend the Center for Puppetry Arts. We will definitely be back!

What a delightful surprise this place turned out to be! I initially came just hoping to see the Sesame Street puppets (they have an amazing Jim Henson collection!), but discovered there's so much more to explore in this unique Atlanta gem. The museum might not be huge, but wow - the diversity of puppets from around the world really blew me away. I loved learning how different cultures tell stories through puppetry, from intricate Vietnamese water puppets to elaborate Japanese Bunraku. Each display tells such fascinating stories about the cultures they come from. The interactive element made our visit extra special - they have this fun scavenger hunt-style game for both kids and adults. My group had a blast searching for specific puppets throughout the museum to answer the questions. We each got to pick out a small gift after completing it! It turned what could have been a simple walk-through into an engaging treasure hunt. I didn't know about their live puppet shows until we got there, and they were already sold out for the day. This just gives me a perfect excuse to come back!

Lovely experience, not busy at all, has a playground outside, a few photo spots, for anybody that has any sort of love or appreciation for the arts and especially puppetry this is a beautiful piece of work for it, shows different cultures and their versions of the art, has a very big section for the one and only Jim Henson of course and his team, has a few intractable elements to it in places, lots of puppets to look at and history to them Quite literally my only wish for this is that there was even more interactive activities and that the gift shop had more adult stuff to buy, I would’ve loved a puppet ornament or a few cuter magnets based on the museum itself but most of it was toys unfortunately Overall great place, keep the love of puppetry and the arts alive “Please watch out for each other, love and forgive everybody, it’s a good life, enjoy it” -Jim Henson

An Atlanta treasure. Whether you're a local or just visiting the city, this is a must-see destination that combines creativity, history, and pure fun. The museum itself is an enchanting journey through the art of puppetry, featuring an impressive collection of puppets from around the world and behind-the-scenes glimpses into how these works of art are created. The Jim Henson exhibit is particularly spectacular, showcasing iconic characters like the Muppets and Fraggle Rock. It's a nostalgic trip for adults and an inspiring one for kids. Fraggle Rock is what brought us to the Center this time. There was a talk given by some of the original performers, and the ones involved in the reboot. It was an exercise in nostalgia and excitement. What truly sets this place apart are the live puppet performances. The shows are entertaining, engaging, and often interactive, ensuring smiles all around. The craftsmanship and storytelling are world-class, and you can tell how much passion the performers and staff pour into their work. This center is more than just a museum or a theater; it's a celebration of imagination and artistry. Whether you're a fan of the arts or just looking for something unique to do in Atlanta, the Center for Puppetry Arts is a delightful experience worth every moment. I'll be looking forward to my next trip there. Holler if you're coming with.

My family and I had such a great time here! There was a lot of interactive stuff for the kids. Plus they were giving out hot cocoa and peppermints that day, which the kids loved. It was so fun seeing old childhood friends like Kermit and Miss Piggy. I really didn't expect to love this as much as I did but it was great!

This is hands down the coolest museum I've ever seen! The artistry and attention to detail in the puppetry are absolutely incredible. Every aspect was so thoughtfully crafted, showcasing true craftsmanship. If you're a Jim Henson fan, this is a must-see when you're in Atlanta. The experience is one you won't want to miss!

This place superseded our expectations. Including the one hour show that we saw we were here for three hours. The Jim Henson exhibit was massive. So much to see. We are a couple of adults and really enjoyed ourselves.

Cute museum and probably the only attraction in Atlanta with free parking. It's small inside even thought they have a second floor they said nothing was up there so it was the two exhibit, the permanent one /with Jim Hensen and then the limited time on on Fraggle Rock, which was very nostalgic. I thought it would have more of the Muppets and sesame street characters but it was a couple puppets from each show. They also had some older ones from other countries from other artists and even Salem the cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. You could spend probably an hour. It was a cute thing to do, especially on a rainy Saturday.

Wonderful small museum! You have options to see only the museum or also see a live puppet show as well. We chose to go only to the displays. The museum's permanent display is basically divided in two halves -- Jim Henson and the rest of the world. Seems about fair. The Jim Henson portion is replete with the history of his efforts, the real deal puppets from the Muppets and Sesame Street, some credit given to things like The Cube and his movies (Labyrinth, Pigs in Space, The Muppet Movies, etc.) and Fraggle Rock. The other half of the exhibits explores the history of puppetry, with audio visual displays and the real deal puppets as well, ranging from Kookla, Fran, and Ollie to Charlie McCarthy to older Asian and African exhibits to MST 3000. Some of it is interactive, most is look but don't touch. A lot of fun! Also included is a temporary exhibit of a featured puppeteer. It was nice, but not as memorable. The price is okay, not cheap. They are obviously dependent on entry fees rather than grants for PBS or something. It took a good hour to 90 minutes to walk through leisurely. I really recommend this if you need a quiet afternoon in Atlanta.

I took my grand daughter here to see " Stellaluna" . We loved it!! Free parking. Friendly staff. The play was very well done and the puppeteers were very talented. After the play we participated in the craft activity. The museum was really good. I wish that we had allowed more time prior to the show as my grand daughter wanted to take time and explore each exhibit. I can't wait for another visit.

This place is a gem. Filled with childhood memories and so much nostalgia. I brought my kids on a recent trip to Atlanta and we were all smiles. The exhibits were so colorful and beautiful. We enjoyed seeing all the puppets and taking pics. This place is a must visit on your next trip to ATL for the young and old.

Been here twice now and it's been 10/10! The Sesame Street musical is so good! My 1.5 year old loved it! It's a little expensive if you want to sit in the front seats; which is what we did both times. The museum walk thru after is pretty cool too! Lots of cool stuff from some of my favorite movies! I can't wait to check out some of their other musicals/plays!

This place is amazing. Just love how they have the history of puppetry. Not only does it cover the U.S. but the whole world. The details and crafts are amazing and beautiful. You can learn so much by coming here. Made for adults and kids. I had a blast coming, and my kids love it. Didn't have a chance to see a show but loved the display of puppets.

Very pricey for essentially two rooms. It was very interesting stuff to see and and I feel good supporting a good cause but having to pay extra to see a movie after you've already paid admission sucks.

Had a nice visit taking our toddler and 4th grader. Loved the exhibits that talked about the history of puppetry and had examples from all over the world. The Jim Henson exhibit was great. Pretty cool getting to see Sesame Street characters so up close! The puppet show we saw was Charlotte's Web and they did a fantastic job. Afterwards, the kids were able to make their own shadow puppets to take hope. I recommend getting tickets in advance if you want to go to a puppet show. Seems like they sell out often because of school field trips. We had no problem finding a spot to park in their parking lot in the back of their building on a weekday.

My mom and I had a wonderful time here learning about puppets, of course, including the history of it and the evolution of the muppets themselves. We found the museum to be well thought out with plenty of interactive and display puppets lined along the walls. It was also very intuitive with the direction they anticipate people to view everything. Overall, we had a great experience especially with the private parking lot directly behind the building that also leads into the entrance way. There is even a small and cute gift shop to buy a souvenir of your likings. I would love to come again and get trapped into the commercials and clips of shows they have running on loop.

Anyone that grew up on Sesame Street or with the Muppets should go to check this museum out. My husband and I (being in our mid-forties) grew up watching Jim Henson shows and movies (Dark Crystal, Labyrinth) so we really enjoyed the Jim Henson exhibit very much.

So fun and so many interesting things to see and learn about. Our family really enjoyed this museum and the puppet show was SO GOOD! We were able to catch the last day of the Duke Ellington's cat show. Amazing to see the creativity and work that goes into doing a show.

It was very I formative and entertaining. The Henson exhibit was well curated. It can be gone through quickly but if you take the time to read the plaques, and listen to and watch the informative videos which I found very interesting and entertaining it can take a lot longer. I highly recommend it.

This was such a great place to take our 2.5 and 5-year-old during a trip to Atlanta. I was really impressed with the puppet show Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote. We self-toured the museum both before and after the show. It's small but great. My only suggestion is to do true digital tickets. We bought tickets online, but they still issued us printed tickets. We had to pick those up at will-call and it was annoying that it took the person 10+ minutes to find our tickets there among all the other will-call tickets. But once we were in, it was amazing.

Fun spot! Lots of love toward the genius of Jim Henson. I loved the Fraggle exhibit but was very disappointed by the tiny amount of Emmitt Otter (best christmas movie EVER! Fight me...) stuff in-house. The lush history of puppetry exhibit goes way back but also has Chuckie and Madame. Gift shop was cute, but I was hoping for some Henson tied in with the museum related clothing. I would have bought a hoodie or T-shirt for sure. I would be cautious about bringing young children. I am not sure the place is interactive enough, but at the same time, it could spark ideas for an artistic kid.

Neat place, a lot of cool puppets. It doesn't take much time to go through though, maybe an hour and a half. Still fun!

A really unique museum experience - if you grew up watching The Muppets you will enjoy this attraction. The puppet show was off the hook, the best we've ever seen. Kids love it but we didn't have kids with us and still had a great time.

Really neat little puppet museum with an interesting international section and a very strong section on Jim Henson's works (Sesame Street, Muppets, etc.). Expect to spend about 45 minutes to an hour.

I thought this place was very different. I've never been to a Puppet museum or anything even sort of like that. The Jim Henson exhibit was, of course, great but honestly... that's pretty much it. The museum is very small and I thought for the size of the museum, tickets should be cheaper. We were in and out in about 30-45 minutes. They could easily add a display for Broadway shows... they did have some Lion King stuff but you can even add War Horse, Avenue Q, etc. I know they had a Rankin Bass exhibit at one point during the Holidays which I wish I could have seen. Overall, it was just okay. I wouldn't come back but if you are in the area and want something quick to do, it's worth checking out once.

A hidden gem in the art district. The museum is worth an hour of your time and one of the few that opens at 9 am.

My buddy and I visited here 5 years ago while our wives were at another activity and were so impressed that we came again with our wives. Paid extra this time to see a show (1hour) and all of us agree on a 5 star rating. Even more stars would be deserved if you have kids with you.

This is a great theater that does live shows. Wow. Amazing live shows. Puppet shows performed by live people.

We saw an afternoon showing of "Rudolph the red nosed reindeer". While it's definitely geared towards children, we enjoyed the skill and attention to detail with the puppets, singing, and visuals overall. would definitely recommend seeing a performance here at least once!

The museum is split into two sections: international puppets and Jim Henson. Both sections were very cool. I learned a ton about puppets in other cultures and enjoyed the films of global performances. It was really neat that the Jim Henson section had actual puppets used on TV. Overall, it could be a lot more interactive. You would think that you can try your hand at puppet performances in a puppet museum. $16 for admission is a bit much but it's worth visiting once.

So my husband really wanted to visit this place. I remember that Dekalb County Library offers a pass that'll allow up to four people to enter the museum for free. Saved us 30 dollars total. After checking in, we walked through the main exhibit which displays various puppets ranging from movies to tv like Sesame Street. Across the way was a special exhibit displaying The Dark Crystal characters. We were in and out in about 30 minutes. Thought place would be bigger, but can't complain since I didn't spend a dime for entry. For an extra fee, you can watch a puppet show. Definitely recommend if you're a big Jim Henson fan. Free parking, but lot is kinda small.

This is an unmissable spot for anyone with kids - for $22 you get a spellbinding puppet show PLUS a puppet-making workshop and access to the museum, which includes both permanent and temporary exhibition spaces (all of which are built to engage kids but which have just as much if not more to offer grown-ups). Big Bird is SO BIG in real life! And the Dozers (yes they've blessed us with a whole Fraggle Rock section) are SO SMALL. There's also a playground outside to let off energy before or after...these folks have thought of everything.

Wowzer what a wildly wonderful place for everyone! I have been there a couple times and each time I find something new and interesting if not surprising! Truly a magical museum with shows and rotating exhibits. A gem in the heart of Atlanta. Great parking and clean bathrooms. Perfect place for kids of all ages.

I know what you're thinking.. how interesting can a museum for puppets be... well ill tell ya! Interesting af! This place is awesome!!! Their largest collection is the creations of Jim Henson's studio.. just that makes this place worth visiting! It highlights his major creations and projects from the beginning of his career to late in his career.. and they recreated his workshop.. as well as have a large amount of the actual puppets they they used in these productions. Not only that .. but it also includes his boards, designs, sketches, as well as his notes. They also have examples of puppets from various cultures across the world and broadway productions. I never new just how intricate these puppets are.. as well as the massive amounts of artistry that goes into creating them.

Fun place to visit. Lots of memories and many unique exhibits. I love places like this.

This was a fantastic experience for my 5 y.o. and one year old girls. They both loved the show, "The Little Mermaid Pirate" as they've both become fascinated by sea stories lately. Touring the museum after was a treat for everyone, especially the Jim Henson collection. If we lived in Atlanta we'd become members and attend every show! ... Wonderfully friendly staff too!

We ended up here, quite frankly because it is Sunday and a lot of things were closed.. BUT -- I'm so glad we did. When we bought tickets. There was a large group of pretty young kids in front of us. We were a little worried that CFPA would be too much for children - but my husband and I loved it. Jim Henson exhibit was a hit (of course - right?). The international puppets were interesting but the presentation was a little static. I think an important thing about puppets is how they move and express emotion.. Also - I just read some other reviews and there were videos? I saw a theater but we weren't told about anything else going on.. Regardless - thoroughly enjoyed it.

Really a great place to take your kids. The puppeteers do an excellent job and at the end they even give some behind the scenes info. After the show you can go upstairs and make your own puppet. Everyone is really nice and you would really enjoy your time here. There is a puppet museum but you can skip it unless out have older kids closer to the teenage years. I enjoyed both visits enough to possibly join as a member

This reminded me of my childhood! There were so many amazing things like fraggle rock that I forgot all about. It's not overpriced and it's fun for the whole family!! Highly recommend. I would of liked to see more t-shirts (like Cookie Monster, grouch, etc) in the gift shop but that was my only advice.

This place was really cool. It had a nostalgia aspect with some pretty interesting puppets: i.e. Sesame Street and country-specific puppets. Go when there's a movie showing or some extra event. The hubs and I choose to go when there was The Muppet Christmas Carole movie showing. We arrived a little early to enjoy the museum and browsed the small gift shop as well. Though the puppets varied in types, countries, and design, the museum was rather small so take in all you can with leisure. I would suggest taking your time and read the plaques. The hubs and I decided to double back and take more of an admiration of the artwork. You can really do the rounds in 30 mins if you wanted to since there are only two sides (left and right). Psst. In the Explore Gwinnett coupon booklet, there's a $2 off coupon. Unsure if it works with special events, but I did see it after the fact. Ooh. There's also adult drinks and snacks for purchase. I suppose it's for the concessions for the movie. Parking is sort of limited, but there's an overflow lot across the street.

A wonderful little museum. Before going, I read the Visitors Guide/Social Story. As an autistic person, I really appreciated that this accommodation was available and easily accessible online. It helped me be prepared for my visit and know what to expect. The entrance to the museum is also a great big spiral ramp with stopping platforms. While I am not a wheelchair user, I appreciate all the things the museum does to be accessible. The Global Collection was great, with a beautiful variety of puppet types from around the world. The Jim Henson collection was great and was what I was most interested in seeing, because I love Fraggle Rock and quite enjoy a lot of other Muppet Workshop stuff. It was a nice collection of muppets and creatures, and I really enjoyed it. It was very educational, with videos showing puppets in action and hands on activities. Unfortunately, some of the Kid Track was unavailable due to Covid, such as a wall of magnetic movable Muppet face features to create your own Muppet expression. We didn't watch any shows at the theatre or do the puppet workshop, but I'm sure they're wonderful, going by the quality and atmosphere of the exhibits!

I really enjoyed my time here and I'm an adult. I think kids, if they are not afraid of puppets, would have a great time here too. Every single person who worked there that we interacted with were extremely friendly and helpful. The museum itself is pretty small so if you are traveling a ways to get here, I would recommend checking if they have any puppet shows going on. It would have lasted more than 30 mins. But overall, I had a great time here!

Can't say enough about this lovely museum. This is such a unique and enjoyable place. It's one of the only puppetry museums. They have two main galleries- one is dedicated to Jim Henson (Muppets and Sesame Street) and the other is puppets from around the world. Both are fantastic. My favorite highlights are the Lion King mask and the Sesame Street room. Both rooms offer kid friendly experiences where they get to interact with certain things. There is one spot where they can actually be a puppeteer! They also have a small exhibit that changes. They offer multiple tour options and I did the Jim Henson tour. It was amazing! Zach was the greatest tour guide! The great thing about this place is also the puppet shows. I've seen some great ones here through the years but my favorites are their annual Halloween and Christmas ones! They always do Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and it's wonderful! But my absolute favorite is the adults only Ghastly Dreadfuls. A perfect Halloween experience. Adult shows are at night and offer a bar. They also have a puppet workshop and you can build your very own puppet. They usually have a different puppet for every show that comes and it's a great activity to pair with the show! As a teacher I love bringing my students to the center but they could definitely use a little help with field trip organization and assistance. Lunch is not very well planned and that is very hard with elementary students. Their website is also difficult to navigate for field trips and they can be hard to coordinate but I still love going. Like I said, the tour guides are great! Front counter staff are not super friendly though. Don't forget to check out the gift shop on your way out. Also a few tips- lots of parking, handicap accessible, and there is even a Tiny Door location out front! Worth a trip for any puppet lover!!!

We came here on a Saturday for the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer show. We bought tickets when we arrived and spent the first part of our visit in the museum, since they were not opening the doors until 30 minutes before the show. The museum had a lot of history and hand-on displays. Our favorite half of the museum was the Jim Henson side. It took me back to my childhood and I was happy to pass this on to my kids. The show itself was great! It exceeded my expectations and was so professional. I could not tell if the singing and voices were live or if it was a CD, but afterwards, the cast explained everything and told us it was them doing all of the voices live! Amazing, they are so talented. Our tickets included a make your own puppet workshop, which was held upstairs. This was more of a craft project, but the kids enjoyed it and got to move their shadow puppets around on the screen. I am happy to support this non-profit.

Really meant for children and families, but has surprisingly enough to entertain adults as well. Perhaps not the first stop on an Atlanta site seeing list, but it was an amusing day out.

I thought it was a cute little museum with some really neat puppets. Would I usually pay for the tour? Probably not. While our tour guide was very friendly, I felt I would've been just as happy free walking the exhibits by myself. I found there wasn't much time for pictures on the tour. Our tour guide was nice however and did provide some information that wasn't on the display descriptions. The gift shop was alright but pretty pricy. I wish they sold magnets, as I would've loved to have gotten a muppet themed magnet. If you aren't super into the muppets, I wouldn't bother stopping by. It's a great place for people who appreciate the muppets and want a better understanding of their roots. Overall good experience. Clean facility. Friendly staff.

This is just one of many gems in Atlanta that you must visit. I went with my son to see the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer performance which was just wonderful in getting into the holiday spirit. The puppeteers not only work their skills with the puppets but they do the voice and sing all the songs live for each performance. In this digital age, it is nice to enjoy the arts in its most classic form. While there enjoy the newly renovated museum that houses a collection of puppets from years gone by to as new as the Corpus Bride and Coraline. Curious to see puppets from other cultures? They have this here too. I was just taken back at the number of pieces they have here and for the first time really saw beyond the hand puppets I played with as a kid. The highlight of the museum is the exhibit honoring the legacy of Jim Henson and his masterful talent with the Muppets and Sesame Street. To cherish a childhood memory of mine and preserve and share it with future generations makes this a must see. Walk down memory lane with Miss. Piggy and many of your Muppet favs. Find time to get to this place!

I visited here this January and I am so glad that I did. Some of you might think puppetry is dorky or for kids and you are SO WRONG! Puppetry has such a big part in a lot of the movies and television shows that we know and live. I knew very little about puppetry before I visited, but I learned do much. We took a guided tour, which I highly recommend. I was more interested in Jim Henson, but that your was during another event we had planned do I booked the puppetry around the world tour. First, we were the only ones at that tour so the tour guide tailored it to our interests so we got in depth information about Jim Henson's work AND world puppetry! Our guide was amazing! The different galleries have something e everyone! The Jim Henson gallery had puppets and information about the Muppets, Sesame Street, Labyrinth, the Dark Crystal, Flagglerock and many other works of his that I I not familiar with! The world puppetry gallery was so interesting because you saw hand puppets, shadow puppets, HUGE stick puppets that took multiple people to operate, and wooden masks just to name a few! The special exhibit here when I visited was the Dark Crystal, which was amazing! I'm a big fan of the movie and the next TV show so it was great to see some of the magic behind the scenes. If you get a chance I highly recommend visiting and please donate to this special place!

My immediate family (husband and 2 year old daughter) plus our extended family (in-laws, siblings, cousins, aunt) had an awesome time at the Center for Puppetry Arts on Saturday morning! My sister-in-law was searching for a low-key activity for my daughter and her 6 year old twin cousins and found the Animal Amigos show that was running this weekend. I entered the parking lot of the center with no expectations. I hadn't read any reviews, been on the center's website, or knew anything about the museum or the show. The center was very quiet, so we quickly obtained our will call tickets. Our large group of nine people spent about a half hour wandering through the exhibits, spending most of our time in the Jim Henson Collection. My daughter loved seeing her favorite Sesame Street characters, and as Bert and Ernie were my most beloved friends as a child, I enjoyed it just as much as she did. We quickly breezed through the The Global Collection, though the kids did love the interactive displays in that space, and the special Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: World of Myth & Magic exhibit, which I thought was a little dark for how young our children were. However, if I had been visiting this center alone or with adult friends, I could have definitely spent over an hour slowly going through all the exhibits and reading the placards. The Animal Amigos show was over half full (maybe 80 people total?) and had lots of children in the 2-6 year old age range. My personal opinion was that the lead actress in the show was very, very, very animated and made me feel a bit uncomfortable. (Even though I myself am part Hispanic and grew up in a boisterous Cuban family, she was just too much for me.) However, I have never seen my daughter enjoy anything more in her life. She screamed in delight and yelled "FUNNY!" about 30-40 times. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm for the show became a bit too distracting and we ushered her out of the room after 35 minutes of the hour long show. Note that the recommended age for the show was age 4 and up though there were many other 1-3 year olds in the room that lasted the entire hour. Overall, the Center for Puppetry Arts was a delightful surprise and a place I would definitely return in the future.

If you haven't been to this place, you have missed out. It is wonderful. I used to take my daughter here back when she used to let me take her places. It is great for kids, but it is also great for adults. They put on great shows and it doubles as a museum. Recently, a friend of mine invited me to a happy hour-ish type of situation. Wine, beer, and mixed beverages were served along with some finger foods to include pinwheels, fruit, and cheese and crackers. We were then able to go through the museum and the Jim Henson Collection before enjoying a show. I have always enjoyed the puppet shows that they put on. They are entertaining for both adults and kids. All the seats are great seats and the performers are phenomenal. Sometimes, they put on shows for adults only and, trust, they are good. However, it's mostly for kids, I'd say. If you have kids, take your kids for a good time. They take such good care of patrons; whenever you get up during a show (you know, for the bathroom or something), an employee is right there with a flashlight to light your path up or down the stairs. That's a nice touch. The museum is great. The Dark Crystal exhibit is wonderful and full of lots of nice pieces to zoom you back in time and have you feeling nostalgic. It was the Jim Henson Collection that I enjoyed the absolute most. It is amazing! It forgot that I was a grown, mature adult. I was dancing, singing, and positively squealing because some of my old friends were waiting for me (see pics). When have I last thought of Sesame Street or Fragile Rock? It had been a long, long time. Not only that, but seeing Jim Henson's behind-the-scenes creative processes was fantastic. I'm telling you, I fell in love all over again. Jim Henson was a wonderfully gifted man who truly brought happiness and laughter to this Earth through his craft. I appreciate him and his work for that. CFPA has it's own free parking area behind it. Yay! They also offer a very cool Create-A-Puppet workshop for your pleasure. I can't say enough good things about CFPA. I hope you go and delight yourself at this gem in Atlanta.

First off, this is a small museum, better be warned than be disappointed there's not more to see. The admission ticket also does not include any performance. That said, it's a nicely curated museum, especially if you are a fan of Muppets and Labyrinth (the current special exhibit). I am, so I had a great time, though I do hope they will continue to expand to include more artifacts. I also enjoy the global collection tremendously. It's really fascinating to learn about puppets from all over the world, some for entertainment, some for religion, some cute, some scary. There are TVs playing loops of different performances, which is fascinating to watch: the water puppets from Vietnam, the shadow puppets from Indonesia... and the one from China, which, according to the description, is the most sophisticated of puppetry art. Indeed the shake of the hand, the nod of the head, at a quick glance the puppets look almost human. I wish there were more of these videos, and that they play it on bigger screens. Walking through the collection, I wondered if puppetry may be a dying art, when even children are used to CG animation and can enjoy so many forms of entertainment. But then I saw the video clip of War Horse, and the Muppets, and it seems like the art is alive and well. Hopefully in the other parts of the world they will continue to preserve their unique cultural heritage. PS: They have their own private lot with free parking.

Free parking in Midtown Atlanta gets you at minimum, 4 stars, right off the bat!!! If you only come for the museum, then you have failed in getting the most out of your experience at The Center for Puppetry Arts. This an AWESOME facility and event location/experience for children of ALL ages...I have been multiple times and have been filled with joy on EVERY occasion. You can partake in a show, go do an arts and crafts project based on the show, make a stop at the museum along the way and if you feel like bartering for the souls of your unborn children, hit the gift shop on the way out. The staff and the puppeteers are exemplary, the Center is clean, open, vibrant and bright...How can you NOT love this place!?