Learn about Florida’s plants and animals by exploring museum collections, hiking and participating in activities with scientists and educators at Museum in the Parks!

These unique events give participants:

• An up-close look at Museum specimens to learn about the collections and their importance
• The chance to take part in activities relating to Florida’s wildlife
• A special hike and personalized tour of the creatures that live in local parks

This program is aimed at K-6 graders and all youth must be accompanied by an adult.

Upcoming Events

Exploration Backpacks

We created Exploration Backpacks in collaboration with our local libraries to empower families with exploration kits and digital science resources. Find out more about these kits on here our website or look for them at all 12 Alachua County Library District locations, available for checkout by library card holders!

Self-Guided Explorations

The following digital resources will help guide your experience by meeting scientists, learning about the research that they do and the importance of parks for Florida’s natural history. We hope each of these units will inspire you to look at birds, mushrooms, fishes and bugs at our nearby parks!

Ethics of Collecting

• Respect all living things including all plants and animals.
• Return all living creatures back to where you found them.
• Collect carefully!
• Respect others property, watch for posted signs and private property.
• Take a close look at nature, but best practice is to return natural items where they were found.
• Collecting and touching wildlife in State/County/City Parks without authorization is prohibited.

Museum in the Parks for Organizations

If your organization, after school program or homeschool group is interested in hosting a Museum in the Parks program, our outreach team is here for you. Find out more on our outreach program page: