The Museum Welcomes All for World Cup Atlanta!

In just a few short weeks, international football arrives to take over downtown for the summer. Atlanta hosts the first of its eight FIFA World Cup matches on June 15 at Atlanta Stadium (aka Mercedes-Benz). Over here across Centennial Olympic Park at the Museum, we could not be more excited, and we hope that the same goes for you!

If you and your family are planning to come be part of the festivities, may we suggest making Children’s Museum of Atlanta your home base for all things downtown while you are here! Below we have compiled a handy-dandy family guide to navigating the city during the World Cup, along with a list of ways the Museum is here to enhance your experience!

Schedule

The Atlanta World Cup matches kick off Monday, June 15 at noon with Spain vs. Cape Verde. Expect a match every three days throughout the month of June, featuring teams stretching the world from Haiti to Uzbekistan.

Between July 1-15, three knockout stage matches will take place in the city. The full schedule with match dates, times, and competing countries can be found here on the FIFA Match Schedule here.

At the Museum

CMA is hosting Kick-Off to the Cup on Saturday, June 13. Enjoy activities like designing a jersey in the Art Studio, face painting, flamenco dancing, a mini-soccer clinic with the YMCA Metro Atlanta, and more as we welcome the world to the ATL.

Kick-Off to the Cup will also be the kick-off of CMA Summer Hours! Through July 31, the Museum will be open 7 days a week from 10 AM – 5 PM, with the AC running the whole time! Come take a break from the heat and come kick around the Museum for a spell.

If you want to stay in the sporting mood, explore our Soccer Summer activities from June-July. Learn some Soccer Science at the Science Bar, create a sport silhouette in the Art Studio, or help us draft a home team for Soccer Tourney at the CMA Stage. Need a break from the action? Take a load off in the pretend Waffle House diner, go fishing in the Leaping into Learning pond, and check out our current featured exhibit Wild Kratts®: Ocean Adventure!

If you want to stay in the sporting mood, explore Soccer Science at the Science Bar, create a sport silhouette in the Art Studio, or help us draft a home team for Soccer Tourney at the CMA Stage. Need a break from the action? Take a load off in the pretend Waffle House diner, go fishing in the Leaping into Learning pond, and check out our current featured exhibit Wild Kratts®: Ocean Adventure!

Getting Around (Parking & Traffic)

While currently the city is only planning to close Northside Drive on match days, it is expected that traffic downtown – and throughout the surrounding neighborhoods – will be even heavier than usual. Parking is also expected to be at premium.

But do not let that scare you! Atlanta is a major metropolitan city with plenty of major metropolitan ways of getting around without a car – walkable downtown streets, fan shuttles, a streetcar, and, of course, MARTA.

MARTA has several stations close to the downtown celebrations, with SEC District (formally GWCC) station on the Blue/Green Line serving as the main station for the stadium itself. Other downtown stations include Peachtree Center and Civic Center stations on the Red/Gold Line, and Five Points station where all lines come together! Visit MARTA’s Transit Guide here for more on utilizing MARTA during the World Cup.

Fan Fest

FIFA Fan Festival™ will take over Centennial Olympic Park June 11 – July 19, “transforming one of the city’s most iconic public spaces into a lively gathering place where fans, families, and visitors come together to celebrate the game.” The FIFA Fan Festival™ Atlanta will have live music, fan games, guest appearances, and selected live match broadcasts.

Tickets are free, but fans must register for them in advance, click here to reserve your tickets.

Planning on attending multiple matches or hoping to visit Fan Fest multiple times? The Museum is just across from the northeast corner of Centennial Olympic Park. Why not come play and escape the heat and crowd!

Museum Membership Discount

In celebration of the World Cup, the Museum will be offering a special membership discount for just 15% off any membership level from June 9 – June 15, that allows unlimited general admission visits, making it even easier to make Children’s Museum of Atlanta your downtown home base during the games! Just use code FUTBOL during checkout. Visit our Membership – Join/Renew page to join today!