Florida Museum of Natural History

Florida Museum expanding, will be closing January 6, 2025, for construction.
Museum is anticipated to reopen to the public in 2026!

All the permanent exhibits are kid-friendly and many have hands-on features just for kids. Check the website for information about special exhibits and events.

Permanent exhibits include:
Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land; South Florida People & Environments; Butterfly Rainforest and Indoor Butterfly Exhibit; Exploring Our World; and Our Energy Future which features hands-on activities and tips about reducing energy at home.

New opening March 23, 2024:Water Shapes Florida a Free Admission exibit!
Dive in and explore Florida’s most valuable resource: water. This engaging exhibit tells the story of the state’s freshwater, from the aquifers underground to the rivers and lakes to the clouds in the sky. Enter a magical glass-bottom-boat theater, and ride, dive and fly through some of the Sunshine State’s most famous springs in a one-of-a-kind immersive experience.

This is a bilingual exhibit available in English and Spanish. Esta es una exhibición bilingüe disponible en inglés y español.

The Discovery Zone:
Children can explore, observe, study, pretend and play at the Florida Museum’s Beverly and Jon Thompson Discovery Zone permanent exhibition for free. The exhibit includes educational materials as diverse as the natural world, allowing children and their caregivers to engage in science-oriented interactives and experience display cases with stunning collections, true-to-scale touchable objects and various activity stations.