Florida Museum of Natural History

3215 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA

Address:	3215 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Phone:	+1 352-846-2000
Site:	floridamuseum.ufl.edu
Rating:	4.7
Working:	10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 1–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 14

Rebecca Brinkley

Added 8/12/17 The museum is still great as long as you dont need help from regular museum staff. Just tried to call for information that could have been easily obtained by putting me on hold and asking the people selling the plants out front if they had what I needed. I even explained I have to drive over an hour to get there and I need the plants today due to an unforeseen circumstance beyond my control. Both times I called I was simply put through to a recording. But I guess this is what I should expect from college students working on a weekend. They really dont care. Old review: I love the museum! I especially love the Butterfly Rainforest. Sometimes I go only for the Butterfly Rainforest! The staff and volunteers in the Rainforest are great. They answer questions and point out some really great stuff. Dont miss Butterfly Fest. It only comes once a year, but its great!

A Private User

If I were rating the butterfly garden alone, I would give it a "Best Ever" rating, however, the rest of the museum, while really good, was not the "best ever" at least for a family with elementary school aged children. I imagine it would have been a different experience if I had gone alone. As an adult, I liked the displays (except the bug one, but that one is only temporary). It was interesting, interactive, and enjoyable. The children, on the other hand, needed quite a bit of shepherding as there were things that they could reach and touch that they were not supposed to touch. The only other down side was that the entrance fee to the butterfly garden was a bit steep considering the amount of time the children were able to spend in there (their attention span was just too short to really enjoy all of it for a good length of time). I, as a grownup, was very satisfied.

Pat Patten

On the grounds of the University of Florida in Gainesville is one of the finest museums of Natural History in the South. It is free for the main area but there is a fee for the special exhibitions. Inside are some incredible exhibits ranging from millions of years ago when Florida was the bottom of the sea. At the time of this writing, they had a special exhibit of a Spanish colony. My favorite exhibits were the ones showing the native people who lived here. They are extremely lifelike and well worth a visit. Dont miss the bats. Its only a small display but worth seeing. Overall, this is an amazing place and I love to visit it every time Im in Gainesville. There is always something new to see. A great place for a family outing.

Luke Otfinowski

Everyone needs to go to this museum. Twice. Per year. At minimum. I spent two days there and wanted to go back for a third. For a smaller building there was so much to see. The displays are fresh and new, great lighting and curator-ship to really pull you in. Information is great and the fossils are exquisite. All the volunteers are passionate, kind and helpful. A volunteer named Doug will gladly spend time to give you a private tour with information you might have otherwise lost among the reading material. Go there early, excited and on a full stomach. Then youll be prepared to fully dive in and let the history and exhibits take you to a different time. Visited August 2015

Jason Eule

Awesome display rooms and so many different methods of info delivery. Movies, music, signs, touch and feel, lighting, artifacts etc. I have personally been to many museums, all types, all over the place and when I left I was very impressed. I would rather go here than any big city museum. No crowds. It was just so well done. You could easily spend a whole day here. I stumbled onto this by curiosity while on a drive down 75. Best side adventure I have made in a long time.

sunlando flo

Very big and well maintained. We loved it specially the butterfly forest. We didnt get to see the frogs i think it should be included in the admission. Which I think it was a bit too pricey maybe instead of twenty dollars...fifteen dollars would be more reasonable since the butterfly forest is small. Very educational and beautiful setting lots of info and hands on items. Best place so far ive seen that butterflies are well maintained and beautiful different and alot of them.

Roya Brandon

You must pay attention to where you are parking or you will end up with with a citation for 35 dollars... Saw several cars with them on their windshields. parking for museums is way too small. Signs should say no museum parking and be bigger so people can see them. Cost is 4 dollars to park in museum parking lot. Rediculous if you ask me.. Way overpriced. I think they are making a killing on the citations. Take that money and make a proper parking lot..

Tricia McAllister

We enjoyed this museum. There was a lot of neat history to see and learn about! It is nice that there is something like this for people to visit for free! You can pay to go to the Butterfly house which was also nice as well as whatever exhibit they have, it was frogs when we went. Both were nice as well. My husband is military so he was able to see the frogs and butterfly for free which made those parts more affordable for us!

Anonymous Nexus

This place is a must to visit for anyone into history and archeology. If you or your child love dinosaurs and other creatures from Billions of years ago this is the place to go. They have a huge selection of fossils on display. I personally love the megladon mouth, giant sloth and wooly mammoth fossils. The butterfly Forrest is a magical beautiful and breath taking place to see.

kristin belloli

Most of the exhibts were free and they were very cool. We also paid to see the butterfly rainforest exhibit. It was beautiful. There were several unique species of butterflies and birds as well as koi fish and plant life. The butterflies come right up to you. While I was sitting, one landed on my shoulder and another on a guys shoe. A few birds came within 2 feet of me too.

Jonathan Edelmann

This is an amazing museum - it is great for kids, I take my college level students, and I alway enjoy the exhibits myself. Given that GNV is a fairly small town, we are lucky to have the sort of museum that would normally be in a large city...if even then. We go to many of the kids events and they are always fantastic - informative and ethical.

Robert Jones

I love free museums! While the museum changes slowly and the dioramas have been the same for years, they are still fascinating and well done. My 5 year old will endlessly explore and ask non-stop questions, which Im happy to answer simply by reading the great information cards supplied by the curators. The butterfly exhibit is a must see.

Lee Marmor

Very nice museum. Spent about an hour and a half here but really needed more time to see everything. Learned a lot about Florida history that I didnt know and enjoyed seeing all of the cool prehistoric animals that once lived in the state. The special frog exhibit was really nice too. Definitely want to come back and spend more time here!

Dragonfly RanchOrganics

Its the best place to see all of Floridas fossils and ive be there dozens if times and I always see something I didnt see before and learn every time. There is a new discovery center that is incredible for any age. Im 47 and I had a blast acting like a kid. I learned new things in every section of the museum.