Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Georgia Atlanta CDC Museum

CDC Museum

Tour the sci-fi-esque reality of governmental disease management.

Atlanta, Georgia

Added By
Sarah Brumble
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Your body goes in here (yes, yours)   anokarina on Flickr
Anti-malarial display   anokarina on Flickr
Portion guidance to fight the “obesity epidemic”   anokarina on Flickr
“Sanitary Privies Are Cheaper Than Coffins” is a great headline   anokarina on Flickr
Those hazmat suits of doom are real, guys   anokarina on Flickr
Are empty hazmat suits more disturbing than people roaming around in them?   anokarina on Flickr
Part of exhibit about CDC cooperation with Native American communities   evilgreentriangle / Atlas Obscura User
Bio hazard suit info   evilgreentriangle / Atlas Obscura User
EIS Class of 2009   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
Bacteria, Diatoms, and Cells   evilgreentriangle / Atlas Obscura User
Museum   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
Cryo shipper for transporting sensitive samples   evilgreentriangle / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the 1995 hit film Outbreak, residents of the United States come face-to-face with terror in the guise of a rapidly spreading, lethal virus. Central to the movie's plot are the lengths to which agents from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) are willing to go in order to contain its destruction. Though certainly not a new phenomena, the effect this (entirely fictional) film had on the American populace's subconscious was fascinating. All of a sudden, a new generation of people began caring deeply about how the spread of disease and viruses are managed here at home.

Listen: We're not saying the timing of this museum's arrival on the scene was 100% related to the public interest spawned by Outbreak, but the David J. Senser CDC Museum did open its doors to the alternately curious or concerned public the following year, in 1996. In a factual sense, we know that the museum was created in conjunction with a variety of celebrations marking the CDC's 50th anniversary. 

Contained therein is a variety of multimedia and in-depth displays celebrating that ephemeral combination of science, technology, and humanity so unique to managing public health for a population of 319 million people. Exhibits on display include glimpses into emergency preparedness from a top-down standpoint, safe water for all, a history of how the United States eliminated malaria from within its national borders, and the newest epidemic to affect America: obesity. No detail is considered too small for consideration within the museum's walls; food labeling is given its turn as an element of public health, as is HIV testing, and a breakdown of the effects of environmental chemicals on bodily functions over time.

Several decades on from Outbreak, some have found fault with the museum's lack of a nod to The Walking Dead. Usually this quibble is abated after visitors are given a chance to wander around in one of those iconic hazmat suits that have for decades signaled the arrival of doom on-screen. As with the suits, and everything inside the museum, the most fascinating — some might say scary — thing about the CDC is that everything they deal with and do is real, no matter how sci-fi it looks, either from a comfortable distance or up-close in Atlanta.

Related Tags

Disease Museums And Collections Museums Government Epidemics

Community Contributors

Added By

littlebrumble

Edited By

Collector of Experiences, ski queen, evilgreentriangle

  • Collector of Experiences
  • ski queen
  • evilgreentriangle

Published

February 24, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.exploregeorgia.org/listing/757-david-j-sencer-cdc-museum
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outbreak_(film)
CDC Museum
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, Georgia, 30329
United States
33.798989, -84.329715
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Gravity Research Foundation Monument

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Michael C. Carlos Museum

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Mechanical Riverfront Kingdom on Druid Hill

Decatur, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Atlanta

Atlanta

Georgia

Places 64
Stories 9

Nearby Places

Gravity Research Foundation Monument

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Michael C. Carlos Museum

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Mechanical Riverfront Kingdom on Druid Hill

Decatur, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Atlanta

Atlanta

Georgia

Places 64
Stories 9

Related Stories and Lists

Centers for Disease Control Museum

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Related Places

  • Athens, Greece

    Wax Museum of Andreas Syggros

    A grotesque collection of wax limbs depicting the symptoms of venereal disease.

  • Specimens on display.

    Nagasaki, Japan

    Museum of Tropical Medicine

    A hub of information on tropical diseases and their treatments.

  • Orangery.

    Washington, D.C.

    Dumbarton Oaks

    The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.

  • President Ronald Reagan with Caspar Weinberger, George Bush, Ed Meese, John Vessey, James Baker, Robert Mcfarlane, and George Shultz in a National Security Planning Group Meeting in The Situation Room, 10/23/1983

    Simi Valley, California

    Ronald Reagan’s Situation Room

    The White House Situation Room was taken apart in 2006 and shipped to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

  • Pharmaceutical drug paraphernalia.

    Arlington, Virginia

    DEA Museum

    An extensive, if one-sided, history of U.S. law enforcement's war on drugs.

  • “Sushi Tray, Small”

    Washington, D.C.

    Smithsonian Sushi Collection

    Seemingly unremarkable items like empty sushi trays, chef hats, and freshness stickers are being preserved so future generations can look back on this beloved cultural import.

  • Monterey, California

    Colton Hall Museum

    The stately birthplace of California's statehood.

  • “Yo Soy el Buen Pastor Ego Sum Pastor Bonus” by Bernardo Ramonfaur.

    Monterrey, Mexico

    Museo Arquidiocesano de Arte Sacro (Archdiocese Sacred Art Museum)

    Its collection features not only Christian-themed art but also works made by members of the clergy.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.