On Saturday, Oct. 24, three Druid Hills institutions hold events that don't overlap. Fernbank Museum's Dinosaur Trick-or-Treat runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center holds artist talks for its Fall Ceramics Show from 2 to 3 p.m. The Emory Village Fall Festival starts at 4 p.m., and its second movie begins at 8:30 p.m.
Nobody coordinated it, but the day works as one route through the neighborhood, starting in the forest behind Fernbank and ending on the lawn in Emory Village. You have enough time for all of it. The harder parts are a sold-out morning walk, a museum ticket that costs more at the counter than online, and parking that works differently at each stop.
| Time | Where | What | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00–9:30 a.m. | Fernbank Forest, 767 Clifton Road NE | Birds Georgia Forest Walk | Reservations required, 20 spots |
| 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Fernbank Museum | Dinosaur Trick-or-Treat | Included with general admission |
| 2:00–3:00 p.m. | Callanwolde, 980 Briarcliff Road NE | Fall Ceramics Show artist talks | Free, no RSVP |
| 4:00 p.m. | Emory Village | Fall Festival kickoff | No admission price posted |
| 7:00 p.m. | Emory Village | The Nightmare Before Christmas | Bring chairs or a blanket |
| 8:30 p.m. | Emory Village | Shaun of the Dead | Same lawn |
Fernbank's Morning Starts Before the Doors Open
The day's first event is also the hardest to get into. A Birds Georgia volunteer leads the Forest Walk through Fernbank Forest from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Reservations are required and the walk is limited to 20 people. Fernbank Museum members and Birds Georgia members walk free, and visitor tickets are $25.95 for adults, $24.95 for seniors and $23.95 for children. Those tickets don't include museum admission.
As of Oct. 5, the booking page showed the walk as sold out. If you're already registered, plan on uneven trails. The booking page says the walk is for ages 8 and up and isn't suitable for strollers, though the event listing says all ages are welcome. It runs rain or shine unless severe weather cancels it.
Dinosaur Trick-or-Treat runs inside the museum from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fernbank calls it its annual Halloween haunt and encourages costumes. It's included with general admission, and members get in free. The listing doesn't mention a separate event ticket. When you buy general admission, you pick a visit date.
Buy those tickets in advance. Fernbank's online weekend price is $27.95 for adults, $26.95 for seniors and $25.95 for children, so two adults and two children pay $107.80 online. Tickets bought at the Admissions counter or by phone cost $3 more each, which adds $12 for the same family.
Parking at Fernbank is free but limited. Overflow parking is on S. Ponce De Leon Avenue, you can't park on Clifton Road, and the museum suggests allowing extra time on weekends. On Oct. 24, The Secret World of Elephants will also be two weeks into its run. The special exhibit opens Oct. 10 and stays through Jan. 3, 2027, so the museum may be busier than on a typical fall Saturday.
The Afternoon Means Picking Dinosaurs or Ceramics
Trick-or-Treat ends at 1 p.m., which gives you two choices for the early afternoon. Fernbank holds a Dino Talk in the Great Hall from 2 to 2:30 p.m., recommended for all ages. Callanwolde's artist talks run from 2 to 3 p.m. at the same time. You can't do both, and which one you choose depends on who's with you.
The Callanwolde stop is free, and tickets or RSVPs aren't required. The Fall Ceramics Show runs Oct. 22 to 25 and includes functional, decorative and sculptural work by James Delevett, Chad Dittmer, Abbey Hull, Kate Pak, Doug Tobin, Ginger Vento, Ceramics Program Director John Roberts and Callanwolde instructors. Tobin, a resident assistant, is the show's featured artist.
Callanwolde also has a second show up that Saturday. The Southeastern Photographic Society 50th Anniversary Members Show is free and runs Oct. 8 to Nov. 19 at the same address. That means one stop on Briarcliff Road covers both a ceramics show and a photography show.
The ceramics show is open Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It closes at 4, the same time the Fall Festival opens in Emory Village. That gives you an hour after the talks to look at the work before heading over.
Emory Village Schedules Its Movies Around Sunset
The Druid Hills Civic Association and the Emory Village Alliance present the Fall Festival together, and the Civic Association's posted schedule is detailed enough to plan around:
- 4:00 p.m.: kickoff with Trunk or Treat, games, music and activities
- 5:00 p.m.: kids' costume parade through the village
- 5:30 p.m.: costume contest with prizes
- 6:30 p.m.: Mark Warren on keytar
- 7:00 p.m.: The Nightmare Before Christmas
- 8:30 p.m.: Shaun of the Dead
The Alliance lists the films as starting "at dusk," and the Civic Association gives 7 p.m. The two times line up. On Oct. 24, the sun sets in Atlanta at 6:53 p.m. and civil twilight ends at 7:18 p.m., according to timeanddate.com. So the first movie starts just after sunset, and Mark Warren's set at 6:30 falls in the last daylight.
The Alliance's list of activities goes beyond the schedule. It includes the GA Bubble Man's giant bubbles, a sidewalk chalk contest, yard games, a DeKalb Fire truck and SWAT vehicle on display, and a Blessing of the Animals, which means pets are welcome. Food comes from Los Niños Taqueria, along with hot apple cider. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket for the movies.
The two organizers describe the location differently. The Alliance says South Oxford Road and the lawn across from Domino's. The Civic Association says the large field in Emory Village at 1605 N Decatur Rd. Both are describing the village green. Neither group has posted an admission price, a road closure schedule or a rain plan as of early October.
For parking, the Alliance lists free weekend parking at Emory's Oxford Road Visitor's Deck at 1390 Oxford Road and at the Fishburne Deck, which you reach from Dowman Drive. It also warns that campus events can make the decks unavailable. If you've driven to Fernbank and Callanwolde earlier in the day, this is your third parking decision, and the one most worth checking that afternoon.
The Same Venues Fill the Days Around It
The weekend starts the night before. Callanwolde's Jazz on the Lawn runs Friday, Oct. 23, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at 980 Briarcliff Road NE. The ceramics show's opening reception is the evening before that, Thursday, Oct. 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. If you go Thursday, you'll have already seen the show by the Saturday talks.
Fernbank has an adult evening on Friday, Oct. 30. Fright Night runs from 7 to 11 p.m., with a live DJ under the prehistoric skeletons, a costume contest, cocktails and beer. The museum's next adult night is Fernbank After Dark: Amazing Animals on Friday, Nov. 13, from 7 to 11 p.m.
Emory Village has another event in November. The Emory Village Alliance holds Light Up the Village at Double Zero, 1577 North Decatur Road, on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. It's a neighborhood fundraiser marking 25 years of improvements to the Village. The Alliance's homepage lists the hours as 6 to 9 p.m. The Oct. 24 festival and this fundraiser are put on by the same organization, a few weeks apart.
Druid Hills is home to the institutions that fill its calendar, and the Engel & Völkers Atlanta team follows these schedules the way residents do. If you're thinking about how Fernbank, Callanwolde and Emory Village fit into a week in Druid Hills, Connect with an EV Advisor who knows the neighborhood.
