Exhibits and Galleries

Dynamic Earth

Dynamic Earth features life-sized casts of dinosaurs and aquatic reptiles, as well as life-sized Pteranodon and Albertosaurus models. Learn how our prehistoric planet changed over time while exploring a land of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and plate tectonics. A collection of glimmering rocks and minerals will dazzle visitors. Discover how wind and water continue to change our planet. Venture through a realistic reproduction of an Alabama cave.

Rocks and minerals!

Alabama: Sand to Cedars

While exploring this exhibit hall, visitors will travel through limestone ridges and sparkling rivers, and visit the steamy swamps and sandy coastline of Alabama. See the plants and animals that make Alabama one of the most biologically diverse states. Alabama: Sand to Cedars features a 350-gallon freshwater aquarium and 250-gallon saltwater aquarium. Catch a glimpse of an 11-foot alligator.

Learn to identify animal tracks!

Force Factory

Force Factory is the Anniston Museum of Natural History’s newly designed hands-on discovery exhibit. We introduce our youngest patrons to how these forces affect the natural world, how to protect life from nature’s power, and its importance to the development of life. Through moving imagery, hands-on activities, and interactive experiences, Force Factory demonstrates how interconnected these natural forces are.

ALL HANDS ON!

Attack & Defense

Sharp claws and pointed fangs are only two of the many ways animals hunt and protect themselves. Attack and Defense explores the relationships and roles of predators and prey. Discover who scares bears and why opossums “play dead.” Come face-to-face with live snakes and discover the ways they hide in plain sight. This exhibit hall features a polar bear on the Arctic tundra, an American bison bull, and mountain goats tiptoeing across a mountain cliff.

Identify the non-venomous snakes vs. their look-alike, the copperhead!

Smell the skunk spray – pew!

Regar Memorial Hall

The ornithological collection of William H. Werner, showcased in Regar Memorial Hall, contains the oldest bird dioramas in the United States. More than 400 bird species are in life-like poses and settings. Learn all about avian adaptations and then find out if you are as fast as a bird on our reflex interactive. This exhibit hall contains endangered and extinct birds such as the passenger pigeon, the ivory-billed woodpecker, and the Carolina parakeet.

Can you react faster than a bird? Test your reflexes!

Discover why birds lay round or oval shaped eggs.

Environments of Africa

Immerse yourself in the African savanna without ever leaving Anniston in the Environments of Africa. Greet some of the world’s largest mammals, consider the African baobab tree’s immense size, and pose for a picture with an elephant enjoying his snack! Guests will wander through the Chad desert, the lush rainforest, and marshy wetlands in this incredible exhibit hall.

Feel the hide of an African elephant and zebra.

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians revered their natural environment and developed a belief system that lasted more than 3,000 years. Discover why animals such as jackals, ibises, and falcons played a significant role in their culture. Pay respects to our 2,300-year-old Ptolemaic (Greek-era) mummies and discover the intricate steps of mummification. Take a deep breath and enjoy the scents of frankincense, myrrh, and other fragrances used in this process. Enjoy a short film about our smaller mummy’s (Tasherytpamenekh) journey through CT scans and X-rays. Before you leave, come face-to-face with a bust of Tasherytpamenekh and discover how she may have looked in life.

Smell the different oils used during the mummification process.

Temporary Exhibit: The Golden Ratio

Discover a hidden world of mathematics and the beauty of The Golden Ratio. This principle, or pattern, occurs throughout the natural world. From a delicate flower petal to a hurricane’s spiral bands, nature uses the Golden Ratio to optimize growth while conserving energy and space.

Becoming America

Visitors will discover the history of the exploration and colonization of the American West. Learn America’s origin story and the history of key people who helped develop the nation. View artifacts and weapons from the American Civil War and learn how the West was won. Observe our collection of eighteen Frederick Remington bronze sculptures.

   Test your fate as a pioneer by loading your wagon with what you think is needed to survive the treacherous journey.

   Tap out a Morse Code message on the telegraph key to see what it felt like to be a telegraph operator.

Reigns & Revolutions

Discover European history and its many important figures. This gallery begins in 1865 and travels backward in time to Ancient Greece. Guests view personal items of Napoleon Bonaparte and Catherine the Great, as well as a Bohemian coronation set and examine medieval weaponry.

   Protect your kingdom by designing a castle with the provided building blocks.

   Try on the chainmail mitten and guess how much it weighs.

Arts of Asia

Admire artifacts from across the Asiatic world. Experience cultures from Asia and visit different dynasties, learning how belief systems influenced people and art. Behold Berman Museum’s oldest item, a pot from over 4000 years ago! The gallery is dedicated to Dr. Oliver and Pei-Hwa Foo, who donated many of the featured artifacts.

   Use the tablets to write Chinese and Japanese characters.

   Smell each jar and guess which spice is in each container.

Modern Warfare

This gallery features personal artifacts, memorabilia, and weaponry from WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam War. Explore a WWI trench dugout, view Adolf Hitler’s tea set, and Mussolini’s personal items. Inspect pieces of an authentic M.A.S.H. unit, and see the personal belongings of Americans from the front lines of the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

The Pearl Harbor room, within our Modern Warfare gallery, tells the story of the “date which will live in infamy” and humanizes those who were lost during the attack. This exhibit focuses on the stories of three men from Calhoun County who were killed that day: William Francis Roberts, Frank Weaver Hindman, and George Washington Ingram. Listen to President Roosevelt address the nation while examining keepsakes, photos, and a piece of the battleship U.S.S. Arizona.

   Guess what items children commonly collected to help the war effort were used for.

Danger, Deception, and Disguise

Explore the mysterious world of espionage and pay homage to our founders, Farley and Germaine Berman, both spies during WWII. This exhibit presents those who risked their lives serving undercover and the objects used in covert actions taken as a result of intelligence gathering and analysis. This exhibit earned an honorable mention at the 2021 Southeastern Museum Conference (SEMC).

   Using the decoder wheel, decipher the phrases and use the tablet to write your answer.

Temporary Gallery

This section of the Berman Museum displays rotating exhibits for guests to explore regularly. In this gallery, you will view collection items rarely or never-before-seen or exhibitions and artifacts on loan from various museums or individuals. Visit this gallery to see something new and inspired, bringing versatility to our permanent galleries. Previous displays hosted in the Temporary Gallery include, but are not limited to:

• A Pirate’s Life – opens May 10, 2024
• The Golden Ratio
• Dragons on display at the Oxford Performing Arts Center, March 9, 2023 – July 4, 2023
• Silken Threads: Chinese Silk and the Silk Road
• Napoleonic Era in Art
• Women in War
• The Art of Emperors: Cloisonné and Enamelwork
• The Forgotten War
• The Scared Art of Buddhism
• Polished Portraits: The Bronzes of Germaine Berman – 2018 SEMC Bronze Award Winner!
• Snapshots of D-Day