Dive in and explore Florida’s most valuable resource: water. This engaging exhibit tells the story of the state’s fresh water, 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.
Stroll through the iconic cave and surrounding habitat, updated with new stories, lights and audio to offer a refreshed look at this Museum classic. Examine a lush hammock forest and encounter the plants and animals that call it home. Learn more about the Floridan Aquifer, the source of most of the state’s drinking water. Real objects and specimens from the collections showcase cultural items linked to water and the biodiversity of these biomes, past and present. Explore more about these unique sources of fresh water and see how people have been connected to them for thousands of years. Guests can share what they love about Florida’s water and learn how to be good stewards of this crucial resource.
This is a bilingual exhibit available in English and Spanish. Esta es una exhibición bilingüe disponible en inglés y español.
Stroll through the surrounding habitat, updated with new stories, lights and audio to offer a refreshed look at this Florida Museum classic. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace
Visitors will join Captain Bill on a simulated ride in a glass-bottom-boat theater to visit local springs and learn more about these unique environments. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace
See real objects and specimens to give visitors a deeper look into Florida’s water and the aquifer below. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace
Learn more about Florida’s turtle biodiversity with specimens from more than 19 different species on display. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace
Guests can share what they love about Florida’s water and learn how to be good stewards of this crucial resource. Photo cortesy of iStock/Lisa Gilmore
Photos reveal how the springs have changed over time and the difference in water quality and quantity today. Photo courtesy of iStock/Xianghong Garrison
Boat Tour Simulation
Climb aboard the Oscar Collins boat and take a journey with Captain Bill. This glass-bottom theater gets underway with a boat ride to pristine hidden springs, then dives below the springs’ surface to learn about their ecology and geologic structure before soaring above the ground for a wider view of the landscape. Discover the amazing plants and animals that live in these environments and the challenges they face. The entire virtual adventure takes around 10 minutes.
Springs Throughout History
Florida is home to more than 1,000 springs that collectively pump billions of gallons of fresh water a day. See the effects they’ve had on people throughout history, from Florida’s first inhabitants to Spanish colonists and African Americans. Photos reveal how the springs have changed over time and the difference in water quality and quantity today.
Cave Formation and Critters
Discover how caves are formed and the unique species that call it home despite limited food and low light. Try finding hidden fossils located in the crevices of the exhibit and learn how animals from millions of years ago become fossils. See speleothems, or redeposited minerals on the ceiling, walls and floors that become stalactites and stalagmites, and learn how they’re formed. The entire cave and surrounding hammock forest area have been updated to offer visitors a fresh look at this beloved experience.
Springs are ranked by the amount of water flow, and Florida has more first magnitude springs than any other state or country. Each of the state’s 33 first magnitude springs pump more than 65 million gallons a day.
Even with the vast amount of water on Earth, less than 1% is available fresh water.
Thousands of feet of limestone sit beneath Florida’s surface. Karst is formed when over thousands of years, slightly acidic rainwater erodes limestone, creating cracks, crevices and tunnels that store most of the state’s drinking water.
During the Eocene epoch, Florida was covered by a vast, shallow sea full of marine life. After dying, their remains settled on the seafloor, eventually forming limestone.
Evidence of human presence at springs goes all the way back to Florida’s first inhabitants around 14,000 years ago.
During a rainstorm, water that isn’t absorbed into the ground flows to the nearest stream, river or lake. As water flows across developed areas, it can pick up chemicals from pollutants such as pet waste, trash and fertilizers, and becomes runoff.
People have used dry caves for shelter and resources for thousands of years. Evidence of early cave use includes footprints, petroglyphs and holes dug to gather clay for pottery.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Water Shapes Florida was made possible by the generous support of Museum donors and grants and is sponsored in part by the 1923 Fund, Florida Division of Historical Resources, B.J. and Eve Wilder Family Foundation Inc., Duke Energy Foundation, Felburn Foundation, Anne and John Shermyen, Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, Giovanna Holbrook, Jack Martin, PepsiCo Foundation, Frances C. and William P. Smallwood Foundation and Rotary Club of Downtown Gainesville.
