Tellus Science Museum

I love this museum, as do my children. They staff is always friendly and helpful, there is a variety of interesting exhibits, and it's not overpriced. They also have a lot of events that we like to attend. The geology wing is great, with interactive elements and lots of displays. The fossil exhibits have interesting dinosaurs and mammals. The technology area has a good selection of old and new cars, planes, and space vessels. In addition to that, the planetarium is fantastic! The night sky and shows are always interesting to observe. They also have an observatory (which is awesome) a planet walk, mining and digging for the children, and other fun encounters. I do recommend visiting.

Tellus is Awesome! We have been members for years and can say with confidence that the memberships are worth every dollar. The kids love every exhibit every time. They have many interactive exhibits such ass gem mining and fossil dig. They also have a new Interactive Space Exhibit! The booths were all very cool and there is a 5 Minute tour thay simulates being on the space station.

My science loving daughters had an amazing time at this museum. The exhibition, especially space one is great, but they have a gem mining/ fossil digging station and the children's interactive learning space which has so many hands-on activities. Its one hour drive from us, but we will definitely come back.

This is a place you should visit if you haven’t visited at least once. They have rotating exhibits that keeps it interesting and the show was great, but I left really feeling like I wanted more- but not entirely their fault since they had construction for part of the area too (which is why I didn’t take off a Star). We went specifically for the dinosaur exhibit and it didn’t disappoint, but it was smaller than other museums we have visited- except for the rock and fossil dig, which was the highlight of our trip and where we spent most of our time (they were not busy and this wasn’t during peak times). The show was challenging for me to watch, but that was just because I wear glasses and it hurt my eyes a little- my daughter loved it and talked about the volcanoes from the show through lunch, so worth it! Lunch was pretty good. I had the sandwich with chips and a drink. My daughter had a kids meal. The prices were typical for museum food. The best part here were the staff members. They were very kind and sweet to my daughter- the interaction was very positive! It was unexpected for a museum, but with the size of the place, I really did like the personable quality of those interactions. Would I return? Yes, but for their star gazing or the telescope event, not so much for the rest of the museum. We live about 2 hours away so going back for one of those events was very appealing to my daughter.

Absolutely love this place!! This is a wonderful place to visit, and an amazing place to take children. The displays are amazing and up close. The staff is more than helpful, and extremely knowledge in every aspect of this museum. You must take make this a family outing for a day, I promise you won't regret it!!

Wonderfully designed museum with fascinating exhibits! We learned so much about rocks and minerals, the periodic table, and prehistoric animals. They also have gem mining and fossil digging which was so cool! The souvenir shop is reasonably priced and had a great selection of gems and other interesting gifts.

Came this past Sunday while visiting my friend. [came around 1pm and it wasn’t crowded at all and we really weren’t tripping over other visitors at any exhibit] It’s small compared to other science museums I’ve been to and didn’t expect to be there long but we were there for over 3 hours!!! If we had kids, probably could have spent at least another half hour in the children’s area. We breezed through it but agreed we would have enjoyed it if we were little. Well worth the money and the planetarium program was interesting. I’m sure we will come back again during a future visit! Also want to mention it was very clean, including the bathrooms. We ate lunch and the food was better than expected in terms of size and quality especially for the price. Would highly recommend this!

Absolutely loved our Sunday afternoon visit to the Tellus Science Museum with my wife and our two daughters! The planetarium show was a standout—beautifully done and a fun, educational look at the night sky. The gem and mineral gallery was stunning, and both kids were fascinated by the dinosaur and fossil exhibits. We also enjoyed the transportation wing with classic cars and space memorabilia, and the weather gallery was full of interactive elements that kept everyone engaged. It’s a fantastic place for families—hands-on, educational, and well-maintained. We’ll definitely be back!

This place exceeded my expectation. I went on a first weekend when if you have a Bank of America cc it's free. I like how it's laid out. I didn't feel like it was over crowded. I would also recommend checking out the planetarium... it was also and only $5. This museum is fun for all ages and a good place to visit on a weekend.

I had visited this location several times as a kid for various field trips. Because I had been so often, I had to take a break. This was my first time visiting again in about 15 odd years. Pulling up, the campus is beautiful. Nestled near the mountains, it was beautiful in the fall with the changing leaves. It's conveniently located off the side of I-75 so it's hard to miss. I came with a large group and they were very accommodating. We explored the museum, which was very spacious and clean. The day we went there were several field trips so it was a bit loud but the kids seemed to stay in certain exhibits so it wasn't too crowded. We also attended a show at the planetarium about the night sky (what can you see in the sky tonight?). The room got very dark, the chairs were comfortable and it was a very clear show. The narrator/worker was a bit monotone so it got tedious at times but overall a cool experience. There was one part, however, where they showed the constellations and the screen started moving but you were stationary. As someone with motion sickness, this made me feel a bit sick so I closed my eyes during this part. We left the theater and continued venturing through the exhibits. The museum is very well kept and has cool skeletons and gemstones to view. Overall, a cool place to visit. I will say that my one complaint is that, even though it's been around 15 years, I'm really not sure what has changed. I went back in my photos and I found pictures of the exact same exhibits (in the same locations). I understand it can be hard to rotate a lot of exhibits around but I would have expected at least a couple new things. If you visit, you will probably not need to come back for another good while.

Tellus Science museum, right off I-75 in Cartersville. During our recent visit, the exhibits included some on dinosaurs, rocks and gems and minerals found across the state and Southeast, and of course, space (rocket models and parts, pictures of astronauts, including Scott Carpenter whom the module used in the filming of Apollo 13 I think). Planetarium is very cool, and we attended the one show about what the sky would look like that night. Comfortable seats, handicap accessible. Everything in that show was explained in a level easily understood by ages 10+. Grounds include a planetary model showing relative size and placement of each one to the other. They have a kids area similar to that found in other museums with interactive exhibits and things to climb on. Snack bar with hamburgers, hot dogs etc. Typical gift shop. Overall, very clean, shady, and offers ample free parking. There's a covered outdoor picnic pavilion if you want to bring your own food. They had a new building under construction but I cannot recall what it is going to be. Will have to come back to see!

WOW! Let me preface with, I am not a artifacts museum type of chick. But Tellus made me into a bonafide nerd and I'm comfortable enough to say it aloud. I went to the Tellus Museum expecting to be done within an hour. We spent about 3+ hours there and had a wonderful time. I learned a lot and got to play along the way. I really love all the interactive pieces, the impressive displays and the mining and panning room. I even had a good time in the Big Backyard (which is marketed to children, or big kids like me). The property of Tellus is beautifully landscaped. The grass is really enticing, but you can't picnic on it. I would love to return when they open the new facility and visit the telescope when it's on display. I highly recommend coming by. It's more than worth the money and drive. I suggest staying a weekend in Cartersville and visiting Red Top Mountain as well.

The museum is very clean and spacious. The grounds are very well kept and I was surprised by how large the grounds are. The staff and volunteers were helpful. The exhibits are well appointed. The Weinman Mineral Gallery is extensive. I learned a lot about native rocks and minerals. The Fossil gallery was also impressive. We enjoyed the Patent: Inventions room in the Crossroads Gallery.

Great little science museum! Well organized and well kept. The cafe deserves its own listing: Reasonable prices for decent food. The area is clean and organized and the staff is friendly and helpful. I had the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw - not much pork, but fresh and tasty. Smallish menu but great prices for a museum "cafe."

Tellus is a fun day out, not horribly expensive. I appreciated the variety of options to view, everything from modern aerospace technologies to paleontology. The Geology exhibits were fun, and the hands on exhibits were enjoyable, even for a middle aged guy. The paleontology exhibits were entertaining. For a family day out, Tellus is a good Option.

About a week before we made a visit to Tellus Science Museum, I found out that general admission to Tellus Science Museum is free for all Bank of America (credit) cardholders (but not for their friends or family members who aren't cardholders) during the first full weekend of each month. This freebie also applies to many other places (zoos, aquariums, museums, science centers, to visit across the nation. Check for participating institutions on Bank of America's webpage for "Museums on Us." You can thank me later. :-D This is a great place to visit for just about anyone. Tellus Science Museum is in Cartersville, Georgia, less than an hour drive from Atlanta. This museum is just off of Interstate 75, and is easy to get to. The parking lot is large and free, and away from the main building is a large covered picnic area with lots of tables (think multiple kids' summer camps field trips all at once being there). Arrive early so that you have lots of time to enjoy all of the exhibits and four different shows currently being hosted in the Bentley Planetarium. The main building is a nice stroll from the parking lot. The ticket counter is inside the front doors, just past the first exhibit (Foucault's Pendulum - that illustrates the earth's rotation) that I'm sure some people miss. General admission cost is dependent on age, unless they qualify for free admission (such as active duty military personnel and their family members, Tellus Science Museum members, etc.). Ticket costs to the various Bentley Planetarium shows are also dependent on the age of the attendee., but (currently) the most that anyone will pay per show is $5. The employee at the ticket counter was very knowledgeable and helpful, offering suggestions for which shows we should get tickets for based on her questions of what we were interested in seeing. Near the entrance/exit doors is the museum gift shop. I suggest visiting the gift store right before exiting the building. Once visitors get past the ticket counter, they walk into a big space with a brontosaurus skeleton. This space is the middle of the building, so this is a great meeting place if anyone in your group gets separated. Depending on which direction you walk in, you can get to the planetarium and enjoy the shows (tickets required for each showing); the Fossil Gallery; the Weinman Mineral Gallery; My Big Backyard; Science In Motion Gallery; Fossil Dig and Gem Panning; and other exhibits. We got here when the museum opened at 10am, enjoyed walking through the Fossil Gallery, then one of the shows in the planetarium, had lunch in the Cafe (reasonable priced food and drinks), saw another show in the planetarium, walked through the Weinman Mineral Gallery, went through the Science in Motion Gallery and ended our visit at the Gift Store. All this took about four hours. I took a lot of pics and enjoyed the time here. One of the exhibits that I didn't visit was My Big Backyard, which is a great hands-on, interactive place for families with kids. This exhibit was, not surprisingly, also the noisiest place in the museum. The Science in Motion Gallery was my favorite because of the car, motorcycle, plane, helicopter and space vehicle displays. I'm an Air Force veteran and I also used to work in the aerospace industry, so some of the exhibits had special meaning to me. We also enjoyed both of the shows "Live Tour Of Tonight's Sky" and "Tales Of A Time Traveler." These shows were captivating, so much that even the many kids that attended the "Tales Of A Time Traveler" (which was almost a full house) were quiet through just about the entire show. During both of the planetarium shows, the employees did a great job narrating the show throughout, and we could tell that they knew their scripts very well. Stars and planets were depicted overhead, and the best seats to view the shows are in the back row, although all of the seats are slightly reclined and have headrests. This was my first time visiting Tellus Science Museum and it was a great visit. According to the museum website, many of the galleries and exhibits are rotated out every six months or so, so I can see us visiting twice a year.

What an unexpected surprise of a museum in the middle of nowhere! This museum was perfectly laid out. It wasn't too big (causing overwhelm) and it was the perfect balance between adult friendly and kid friendly. Everyone in my family was happy! Absolutely worth the hour and a half drive it took for us to get here!

Finally made the one hour drive from Alpharetta and it was well worth it. Went on a Sunday and practically had the place to ourselves! It's huge and clean and has an amazing gem/mineral collection and lots of dinosaur fossils and displays. Kids loved the fossil digging and gem gold panning. (Even the adults got into it!) The kids play area kept my seven year old engaged for hours. He was so into the magnets and games he didn't realize it was two hours past lunch which never happens! Staff was excellent, especially in the gold panning and fossil digging area.

I very much enjoyed the exhibit, The planetarium was a bit disappointing for me, I very much wanted a immersive stroll through our galaxy. I wish there had been more content and things to do, I found it somewhat limited in the amount of halls and exhibits.

One thing about Georgia is their museum. Their not very big, but they have plenty to see and just love their architect. Very friendly and clean environment . Friendly people are not over the top when learning about dinosaurs or automobile history. You love the collection of rocks here, which is incredible. I also enjoy the early history of automobiles. Late 18th century to early 19th century. Your better of getting the annual past is worth it.

Tellus Science Museum is a really neat Museum. It is huge inside and really like the layout of the large exhibits: full dinosaur skeletons, giant gems, full space capsules. It has lots of things for adults and hands on exhibits for children. There are indoor and outdoor exhibits. Primarily the indoor section is composed of three areas (my names not their names): earth sciences, dinosaurs, transportation from cars to space rockets. Each really impressed me. The earth sciences had model of the layers of earth, gems/minerals from around the world, and great description of the periodic table of chemistry. The dinosaurs were huge with 4 billion year history of planet earth. Spoiler alert: Humans occupy only a tiny fraction of this time. Transportation had old cars, full scale Wright brothers plane, compassion of space rockets from Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Russian rockets. There is an entire children's section with lots of activity there. Immaculate green grounds outside. Planetarium shows too. Friendly helpful staff here. The downside was the outdoor exhibits were not as neat as the indoor ones. And the cafe was basic fare. Neither of these is show stoppers. Easy access to I-75 and lots of free parking. FYI: Group of us hiked Pine Mountain in the morning (see my separate review) and went to Tellus in the afternoon. What a great day! Definitely worth a visit and would recommend minimum of three hours here.

This science museum is one of the best in the state. Entrance is around the side of the building from the parking lot and there are many signs outlining the front door. Before entering the museum, take some time to walk the ground and enjoy the greenery. Walking in your are greeted by the ticket counter in the middle, gift shop to the left and an earth axis/ orbit pendulum. Checking - in was easy - I recommend purchasing tickets online ahead of time. Walk down the hall and you will be able to view all the donor information and investor. Then the hall opens up to a large dinosaur that takes up almost the full length of the museum hall. In the main hall, when we visited, there was also a CaveSim, cave rope simulator that was free with our tickets. You then have 4 different exhibits to visit: Geodes/ Gems/ Metals, Dinosaurs, Space and Earth Vehicles and a STEM play garden ( for kids and adults). Within the Vehicle exhibit you can also pan for gems and dig for fossils which is free with your ticket. We all loved each exhibit for their offerings. The geodes were my favorite, the dinosaurs and the play yard were the kids and the space and earth vehicles for my husband. We stayed for over 3 hours and ran through exhibits multiple times. This a great place for kids and adults alike! We will be back again and again!

Super clean ! Wonderful exhibits , great food . Security is a little much on kids with food but they keep it very clean

I was pleasantly surprised with this museum! I don't think the picture do it justice at all! Exhibits were modern, interesting and interactive! Facilities were clean! Several volunteers and staff ready to help, answer questions or take your picture! The movies at the planetarium looked really interesting! There were several outdoor exhibits including extra large trucks and various types of rock formations. There was a large picnic area in the parking lot. I went with my mom, MIL and 16 month old baby! He was pleasantly entertained throughout the various exhibits! There were always some buttons he could press or some knob he could turn or plaque he could touch! We took about 2 hours and that was more than enough time for our crew to be overstimulated lol!

Tellus is a hidden gem in north Georgia. The museum has events for all ages. The exhibits are well maintained and educational. They have films in the planetarium throughout your visit. Cafe on site is decently priced and the food is edible. Great value for the price of admission.

Great place! Wonderful experience for families. Very knowledgeable staff. I took a fossil for someone to assess. The scientists who looked at it said it was fossilized piece of limestone with various imprints.

We stopped here on our way down to Florida for vacation. This is a nice museum with interesting exhibits, and since it's all science-related, it's my kind of place. What impressed me most was the overall cleanliness and care given to the facility. The floors were clean, and everything seemed new or new-ish. In a post-COVID world where everything seems dirty and suffering from a lack of care and maintenance, Tellus Science Museum stood out from the crowd. Nicely done.

Has the same exhibits there that they had when I was a kid. Staff are nice and it's a good educational experience for young children to have. My only complaint is I was bored, but we weren't there for me! Definitely take your kids here to learn about the history of the earth and space!

What would have been an overall, positive review becomes unfavorable due to unprofessional, poorly trained staff and apathetic management. My wife and I traveled over an hour to visit the Tellus Science Museum. We enjoyed the outing until it came time to purchase tickets for the planetarium exhibit. I purchased two, general admission tickets. I was undecided about the planetarium show, so the employee at the ticket counter advised waiting to purchase tickets to the planetarium feature after seeing all the museum's main exhibits. There was only one planetarium show I was interested in. That particular event started at 2:30 p.m. There was plenty of time remaining once we completed our museum trek, so we decided to leave the museum and return in time for the planetarium event. I arrived back in line about 8 minutes prior to 2:30 p.m. to purchase our Planetarium tickets. By the time I got to the ticket counter, there were still a few minutes remaining before the planetarium event began. Instead of simply selling me two tickets to the planetarium show, the museum's counter employee asked me to walk to the planetarium to find out if the doors were still open. I asked my wife to quickly scoot down to the planetarium. My wife hurriedly reported the doors to the planetarium were still open. By that time, another patron had approached the ticket counter and I had to wait. I purchased two tickets and by the time my wife and I arrived at the planetarium doors they were all locked. We missed the show. If the museum employee had merely sold me the tickets, straight away, and not delayed, my wife and I would have made it to the planetarium in time to be admitted. In my opinion, the employee violated a fundamental customer service rule: NEVER direct a paying customer to assume a responsibility that is reserved for an employee to fulfill. The patron is not a hired hand unless the guest is being compensated for their time or the work they have been asked to perform. If time was, in fact, of the essence, the most logical and reasonable thing to do is sell the guests their tickets, making the most efficient use of time, so that the customer could be admitted to the exhibit without issue. As an insult to injury, a different ticket counter employee processed my planetarium ticket refund and, in her own delightful way, added rudeness and condescension to the mix. I wrote to museum management about this incident, but what I received amounted to nothing more than an impersonal, form letter. Nearly four months later and I have yet to receive any followup from the museum's executive director about his promised inquiry regarding this regrettable occurrence.

My family came for our sons early 9th birthday gift. We all had a BALL!!! All the exhibits were well thought out, informative, some were interactive everything was awesome! The kids enjoyed touching EVERYTHING with the "please touch" Signs (I like that). My partner and I will be going back WITHOUT the kids so we can go at a slower pace and enjoy it without chasing behind the kids, lol. The staff was GREAT!! Everyone is so nice, kind and helpful. The woman at the front desk (I can't remember her name) has such a beautiful soul. PLEASE KEEP HER THERE! Having her greet and assist us when we walked through the door made an impression. The planetarium was amazing! There so much more I can say and not enough stars to give to show how awesome the museum is!

Very nice museum with a lot of things to do and see for both adult and children. It's easy to spend half a day here. I saw the best periodic table in my life.

First visit with 5-yo grandson & he had a big time. Despite being there 20 years or so, it's well-kept with numerous exhibits for a variety of interests and only a few displays out of commission - Dinos, transportation through the years, gemstones & geology, space exploration & planetarium, a kid zone with plenty of hands-on activities and more. Beautiful campus too. On-site observatory offers additional after-hours special events too. Worth your visit.

This is such a nice science museum! It's a shame I haven't heard about it until now, I don't think most people know about this museum! The museum is well kept. The landscaping is very nice and the interior of the museum is very nice as well! Tickets are fairly affordable compared to most museums in Georgia. Children under 17 years are at a discounted price and they offer student discounts as well. If you have a Bank of America card I believe the first Saturday of each month is free! They offer extra tickets as well for their planetarium shows. Around $3 for a 35-40 min show. The gems/minerals exhibit is beautiful featuring gems/minerals of all colors from all over the world. The fossil gallery is fascinating, with dinosaur models and sea creatures as well! The science in motion gallery is cool - very interesting to see what innovations man has made over the years! We enjoyed the planetarium show as well! There is also a solar house but unfortunately we did not get a chance to stop by. This exhibit closes at 4pm. There is also gem panning, fossil digging (we were informed the fossils are real fossils), and a discovery section for kids. They also have an observatory but this is only open for special events. With the planetarium show we spent about 3 hours here - but we didn't get to see the Solar House. So maybe give yourself 3-4 hours to really explore this museum! Overall I would highly recommend visiting this museum! It's a bit of a drive outside metro Atlanta but well worth it!

It is a Really great learning place plus a fun place for small children . We have been there a bunch of times with our grandson from the time he was two to now and he is eight. Wonderful place .

I love a good museum with aspects I can touch. Tellus is a great learning destination for kids and adults. The lay out of the museum is sensible and not super large. Plenty of free parking. Great educational experience.

A nice, quick excursion from the city, but go early and skip the planetarium's "Night Sky" presentation. The guy doing it needs to work on his presentation a bit more. Also, the gems and minerals exhibit gets repetitive quick.

Amazing place. It's a first-rate facility located in Cartersville, GA. The facilities are top-notch. There are four main "wings": the mineral wing, the fossil wing (including dinosaur skeletons), the "engines" wing (with automobiles, cars, rockets, planes, etc.), and the kids' wing (with lots of interactive exhibits). The science is spot-on: they exhibits teach kids about the scientific method and observation; they are interactive (e.g., they have fossils you can touch, etc.). There are numerous other smaller "wings": a room where you can pan for "gems" in sand (it's real water with a water wheel; the "gems" are synthetic little pebbles; you will probably get really wet, be forewarned); you can "dig" for fossils in a big pit of "rubber" dirt with real fossils (you can take one home). The planetarium is amazing (worth the price for most shows), and the observatory and the solar house are really cool if they are open. The museum does lots of special days and special exhibits; these are all worth checking out. The only real negative I have is the crowds. Unless you go in the morning on the weekday, expect a LOT of kids. It's both the strength and the weakness of the place; it's such a great place for kids that there are a ton of them there. It's a terrific place. Worth visiting over and over again. Kids will probably be spent after two hours; if you're an adult with time, it can be a good four-hour visit (more if you want to check out every detail and have the intellectual capacity).

My family visited the museum in December during their PJ party where you could take pics with Santa and the grinch. It was pouring the day we went so the 45-50 minute drive from the Atlanta area was well worth it. My 2 boys, 4.5 and 1.5 were tired out after we left. There's exhibits for the whole family. My hubs enjoyed the transportation exhibit and everyone enjoyed the dinosaurs and gem stones exhibits. The Home depot backyard area was well done with the different exhibits, especially the electric circuits capturing my oldest child's attention. The little enjoyed touching anything and everything in the "backyard" Children's area. An aspect that I really liked was that some items had a touch me sign indicating to the littles if it's ok to touch. Some of the exhibits needed a little cleaning or to be fixed. Overall, this is a can't miss experience for kids from toddler to teen. I'm looking forward to coming back when my younger son is older so that we can catch some of the mini shows/movies as a family.

I was SO excited to take my 9 year old to this museum as I saw online that they have a periodic table exhibit. My son has memorized the periodic table and is absolutely fascinated with it. The museum is nice, clean, interactive and not crowded. My kid loved it!! This is where the five star comment ends. At one exhibit, there is a plane cockpit with a phone hanging on the outside. My mom thought it was there to pick up & listen to a recording. We picked it up & immediately were scolded as if we were on the chopping block. Dramatic but we brushed it off and continued to enjoy the rest of the museum, lunch at the cafe and the gift shop. After leaving the gift shop and walking to the exit door, there stood a security guard blocking our exit. He asked if he could speak with us for a few minutes, asked if we enjoyed the museum (about which we said yes, yes!!), asked if we would come back (yes! yes!!). He then continued to scold us. He let us know they have cameras everywhere and had been watching us throughout the museum. He saw where my 70+ year old mother touched a wooden wheel and my son touched something else. I looked back at photos and saw that my mom did indeed touch a wooden wheel. They were following us like thief's in the Thomas Crown Affair waiting to guard our exit and reprimand us hours later?! WOW. My suggestion is that they start an internal dialogue & not villainize paying customers. Discussions like "How are we failing our customers?"and "How do we better mark our museum to safeguard items that should not be touched while keeping it interactive?" Examples: roping off items that should not be touched or red/green signs - green touch & red no touch. I went back inside and expressed my concerns to a lady at the front desk. She told me to not worry about it & that it happens all day long. This confirms the need for internal protocol change. Pretty certain the majority of people choosing to spend the day at a museum are not hard fashioned criminals spent on breaking the rules. Successful companies ask themselves how we can do better. Museum is wonderful. Security needs work.

Amazing place!! Had a great time!! Me and my boyfriend had a date here and we really enjoyed it! Very quiet and relaxing. Loved the fossil digging and the gem panning!! Tons of cool things to see!!

Tellers is a unique place to go if you've never been. We used to get yearly passes here and take my son many times And sometimes in the picnics outside. This is a fun place.

Parents beware: there are no warnings on any kind on the exhibits as to the anti-Christian message this museum exudes. While all of the displays are very informative: they all lack a basic principle explanation/warning in that majority of the showings are theory and not fact. This museum does not respect scientific theory. It pushes an atheist/non-Christian agenda. Besides all the dinosaurs are man made replicas. The mineral exhibit was very cool though. Don't skip by the phosphorescence section. It's easy to miss. Panning for gems and fossil dig is not in the same section. Everyone who works here is extremely pleasant and helpful. They frequently have cute events for adults and kids. The cafe is actually a snack bar. The Tech solar-powered building is really cool. Definitely show your kids how wasteful all the plastic it took to make that building. Yes you are using solar energy but you polluted the environment with the production of all that plastic. The vehicle and flight replicas were super cool. The space section was covertly pro-communist.

Great collection of polished spheres donated by Martin Zin the III. Minerals, meteorites, crystal formations and replicas of dinosaurs are some of the items here.

We recently went here on a school trip. It was disappointing for small children. It's possible this place would have been better if we'd gone on our own. I do not recommend it for a guided school trip. Let me break down the entire thing, one room with old cars, one room with rocks, one room with replica dinosaur bones, one room with interactive exhibits. The positives: The best part of the tour was planetarium presentation. It does cost extra. We were also able to "mine" for rocks and fossils, which was entertaining. The negatives: The amount of rules were so many, my group was joking that we'd be hit with a stick if we stepped out of line, literally. We were made to wait for way too long in single file to enter. They were adamant about single file and rude about keeping to it. After the planetarium, they dumped us in the gift shop for at least 30 Minutes, which was annoying and not why I drove so far and paid to go. We had been at the museum for two hours and all we had seen was the planetarium and the gift shop. By that point, the little kids were already over it and we hadn't even been into the museum yet! At this point in the program, my little one kept saying "this is boring, I want to go home!" Maybe the program, as it stands, would be better suited for older kids. For smaller children, after waiting in line, going to the planetarium then being forced to go to the gift shop, mine and other littles were done already. I don't think the gift shop should be part of the tour. We can go if we want at any time after the tour. Following the theme of not letting us see the museum we came to see...After the gift shop, we were taken to a room and given a presentation on space. This was to piggy back off of the planetarium. Again, this is suited for older kids. The littles were bored and hard to manage. It wasn't fair to the tour guide to present to uninterested toddlers and kindergarteners. We were then taken out into the museum, where the kids drew their own constellations. Again, this was overkill. All the kids wanted to do was SEE the museum! Again, we had been there for hours at this point and had only been allowed to see the planetarium. We were "allowed" to roam after the tour was over. We were told this like it was some special treat. We were paying customers, why wouldn't we be allowed to see the whole museum? We sure weren't shown it on our tour! Most in our group left after the program was over.

We're so blessed to have this Smithsonian affiliated condensed privately & anonymously owned museum. Luckily no government shut down here! Small museum but it still took us 4.5 hours to walk through. It's a great first date idea, or simply a fun family day. Be sure to include your tickets to the amazing planetarium where you'll fall in love with the stars and constellations as you look up in the sky. This science museum will inspire a love a science for all ages alike. You'll learn about engines, cars, dinosaurs and gems and discover what it feels like to be a paleontologist as well as a gold miner. Bonus tip: the same owner has a car museum coming soon to Cartersville as well! Can't spell CARtersville without the word CAR!

This museum is absolutely fantastic; my wife works at the Denver Museum of nature and science but I would put this one up against that one

We drove over an hour to get here, it had been on our list of places to visit since moving to GA. This museum is targeted to little kids, ages 2-4. And there was a lot of little people, strollers and it was loud. I can see how families are attracted to Tellus, it's very interactive and engaging. We walked through the museum and it was smaller than we thought, it took us 3 hrs to walk through the museum and visit the planetarium. The exhibits were stellar, the rocks and minerals was spectacular. Glad we didn't purchase the membership, don't eat here and we would not visit again.

I had high hopes for this museum. Seems to be targeted towards children (understood) The planetarium was fantastic!!! But the remainder of the museum was subpar.

Bank of America customers can get in for free on the Saturday of the first weekend of the month. Just show your ATM or debit card and an ID. More details at: https://tellusmuseum.org/plan-your-visit/free-weekends-at-tellus/ If you want to see the planetarium, it'll be an additional $3.50 for a show. Must check out the free "gem" mining and fossil dig at the back of the museum. They don't make it too obvious on their website. You can collect as many "gems" as you want and get one fossil. Our kids spent about an hour here collecting. More info at: https://tellusmuseum.org/galleries-more/fossil-dig-gem-panning/ Museum closes at 5 PM so plan your visit accordingly.

Kid activity review: This was so worth the hour drive outside of the city. This Science Museum can be seen from the highway. There is a ton of parking as well as outdoor green space for kids to run around. When you walk into the museum, the ticket counter is right inside. I recommend getting there early because the line forms quickly. It does move fast. They do have a volunteer teaching the kids about gravity while you wait in line which is nice. There are a few different activity rooms and a planetarium. Pros: The gem mining and fossil mining were huge hits! You even get to take a small bag of gems home with you. We could have spent hours in both rooms, but they do a great job at letting you know that they limit your time so that everyone gets a chance. There are a ton of volunteers to answer questions. The planetarium is not huge, but it was a great production. Seating was comfortable. Con: Nothing really. It was fun, but I just don't think it gets switched up enough to visit often. We went on the "Biology" day, but most of the tables were empty. Overall, it was a fun time had by all!

I loved going to Tellus! It was an amazing experience, with such a variety of different exhibits! Great place for kids too!

The museum is a great family outing. Plenty for everyone to learn and enjoy. We spent the entire day there and enjoyed every minute.

If you have children or even know one, get here immediately! My family and I spent a solid 3 hours here and had a wonderful time. This is an OTP gem. Our favorite activities were mining for gemstones and the robot zoo, which is a special exhibit and will conclude in early May. My son was also wide eyed as we walked through and read about the various dinosaurs. He loved the geology exhibit as well. There was so much to see and touch and we did it all. As you can see, there's tons to experience, so make the drive! I fully intended to get tickets for one of the planetarium shows, but we were so busy taking in the other exhibits. I was especially impressed by the gift shop. There was something for every budget; there were items under a dollar ranging to "expensive". We left with a $20 science experiment kit, but there were 10 different experiments. That's a great deal! This place is worth the price of admission. I'm going to get a annual pass.

An absolutely incredible and entertaining place! We came here after some friends recommended it and I was so impressed by the quality of the exhibits. We thought we'd spend maybe 2 hours here but ended up enjoying a full 4 hours. This museum is not just a "walk-thru" type of experience. There is a ton to touch, test and "dig" through. The level of activities and interactive exhibits is not only interesting but fun. I honestly felt like a kid again learning about magnets, sound waves and gravity as I went through the "My Big Backyard" exhibit. We spend a ton of time at the gem panning and fossil digging activities. The actually let you keep what you find which was so neat! I was pleasantly surprised as we went through the "Science in Motion" gallery. The antique cars were in amazing condition and I loved how they were deliberately displayed over mirrors so that you could view the exposed gears and structure underneath the car. The moving Rolls-Royce plane engine was also impressive. I highly recommend taking a trip here. Any adult or child will be highly entertained and impressed. The entire museum offers plenty to see and learn. The campus itself is lovely and well maintained. I felt like we were at a first-class university campus! Rolling lawns with beautiful views and landscaping. Even the gift shop is entertaining to browse through. After going through the minerals exhibit, you'll want to buy some of your favorites. The prices of the rocks & minerals are so reasonable, some even ranged between $1.50 to $10! The staff here was excellent. Very friendly and excited about sharing everything Tellus has to offer.

Look, it's no Museum of Natural History, but we're not in NY and for a museum in Cartersville GA, Tellus is pretty darned good. Plenty for the kids to see and try. Interesting space program exhibit. And while the dinosaurs are replicas, they look authentic and many displays include a segment of actual bone. (As an extra bonus, one can touch real dinosaur poop!) Their rendition of the periodic table of elements illustrates the elements' importance in every day life. (I found it really interesting.) And of course gems, minerals and a lot of information in the geology section. The museum houses special exhibits, this month, telephones and technology. Younger patrons unfamiliar with phone booths -- what's that?! -- can actually place a local call at a booth in the exhibit. Yeah, this is a fun museum. And for Bank of America card holders, it's free admission the first full weekend of every month.

We took our three year old (and one year old) to Tellus to see some dinosaurs. We had no idea just how many things there were to do at this museum! Our three year old learned about volcanoes and earthquakes. Both of our kids loved the massive hands-on play area. We even watched a Sesame Street movie about stars in the planetarium. It was a phenomenal day of playing and learning!

Both my kids and husband were so happy I brought them to this museum. They had a blast panning for gems and digging for REAL fossils, that you get to take home! So entertaining and Beautiful Place! Will be back!