Steem USA State Wars: Favorite Attraction--Center for Puppetry Arts Atlanta, Georgia

Hello from a bright sunny day in Atlanta!  I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying the #statewars we have going on, however strange that might be to say war is fun. ;)  As much as the last few topics have got my creative juices flowing, today's topic--favorite attraction or event--is the one I am most excited to share so far!  Check out the latest prompt from @steemusa here: https://steemit.com/statewars/@steemusa/statewars-day-3-favorite-attraction-event

I think I'm going to break my own record for number of pictures in one post because the Center for Puppetry Arts here in Atlanta is amazing!  Whether you are a Jim Henson groupie like me (child of the 80's), love learning about other cultures, enjoy art and other creative outlets, or you just want to feel like a kid again then this is your place.  Once again we have some really great attractions in the city, but this one sometimes gets overlooked so I did not want you guys to miss it.  Luckily I just visited with my mom and big sis this past weekend so it is fresh in my mind and on my camera roll!

The Center has a museum that you can purchase a pass to most any day of the week, and they also do special events.  It is a great place to take children as they do a number of interactive workshops like making your own puppets.  They also do a live puppet show of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" every year during the holiday season, among so many other shows throughout the year.  This particular trip we made was to get our brand new "The Dark Crystal" board game.  They have a huge collection of Jim Henson puppets and memorabilia, and that is one of the cult classic movies created in part by Henson.

We'll start with the Jim Henson exhibit, so take a tour with me to relive my childhood...

Jim seems like the best kind of dude.  I love this quote, and we definitely could use more of this in the world today.

Here he is with some of his well-known creations.  Anyone know how to get to Sesame Street?

This guy is a man after my own heart...

@dksart enjoyed looking at some of the sketches that they had posted when we went a few months ago.  It is amazing to see the creative process.  They also have a lot of the scraps from making the final products.

We watched all of the Jim Henson movies and shows as kids, so there is so much nostalgia walking through and seeing puppets from "Fraggle Rock"

As already mentioned, "The Dark Crystal" is a family favorite.  The detail work in some of these is so amazing.  It's hard to take pictures with the glass, but hopefully you can see a little of the genius work.

Our absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time is "Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas".  It is such a sweet story that just fills us with joy every year to watch it.  Ma and Emmett are part of our family.

I could go on and on about this part of the museum, but there is a whole other section with puppets from all over the world!

I may have to do a whole separate post on this section, so I'll give you just a little taste of my favorites.

There was also a special separate exhibit with puppets from India.

They have plaques all over to read about some of the collections, as well as some videos playing to help you learn about the history of the puppets.  It is so fun to look, but really educational if you take the time to read and absorb everything.  Pretty much every culture across the globe has used some form of puppetry as an art form.

The message is a lovely one, and you can't help but leave in a good mood!  We definitely enjoyed ourselves.  Kind of funny that my mother is the one with her tongue sticking out. ;)

I hope you guys enjoyed this museum visit as much as I did!  If you ever make it to Atlanta, definitely put it on your list of places to visit!