After more than two decades as a downtown staple, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta is getting ready to say goodbye to its iconic Ball Machine on Aug. 2. To send it off in style, the museum is hosting a "Have a Ball Weekend" on Aug. 1-2, giving families one last chance to send those colorful spheres flying and, while supplies last, even take one of the exhibit’s balls home as a souvenir. The pause clears space for rotating pop-up exhibits and a larger renovation supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., with a reimagined Ball Machine slated to roll back into the museum in 2027.
As reported by WSB‑TV, the Ball Machine will officially close Aug. 2, with the museum marking the farewell during Have a Ball Weekend on Aug. 1-2. The retirement is part of a $2.5 million initiative supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., which the museum says will fund new interactive experiences and expanded family programming, per Rough Draft Atlanta.
Museum Executive Director Edwin Link told WSB‑TV, "Some exhibits become part of a city's childhood, and the Ball Machine is one of them." He added that the museum is looking forward to introducing a new generation of families to an experience inspired by the original.
What Comes Next
After Aug. 2 the Ball Machine’s footprint will not sit idle for long. The museum says the space will temporarily host rotating pop-up exhibits, starting with "Outside the Box," which is expected to open before Labor Day. A reimagined Ball Machine is scheduled to debut in 2027, giving the museum time to build out new interactive elements and workshops for families, according to the event listing on Town Planner.
Why the Ball Machine Mattered
The Ball Machine has long anchored the museum's "Tools for Solutions" learning zone, where kids get a hands-on crash course in the six simple machines through play, per the Children’s Museum of Atlanta. The museum opened at its current downtown location in 2003 and has used interactive installations like the Ball Machine to teach engineering concepts and problem-solving for years, according to Wikipedia.
If you want one last spin, Have a Ball Weekend runs Aug. 1-2 at 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW in downtown Atlanta. Tickets, hours and reservations are listed in the event listing; see Town Planner for details and the Children’s Museum of Atlanta for reservations.
