Jacksonville’s museums have so much more than just stuffy displays. Art springs to life at MOCA, and Cummer Museum lets young imaginations run wild.
Nature lovers discover habitats on the trails of MOCA’s escape. Historians travel through time at the WWII Museum, transporting all ages to far-off places.
Leave boredom at the door, as these spaces will make you love learning through play. Don’t expect dreary – just open-minded discovery around every corner.
A Day At The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA)
As Northeast Florida’s contemporary art museum, MOCA is full of interactive adventures through hands-on programs, colorful shows, and a welcoming community vibe, irrespective of your age.
Family-Friendly Workshops
Your kids can try new techniques like printmaking or 3D design at fun family workshops. Their ArtFusion program lets those on the autism spectrum experiment freely with art mentors. Summer camp brings weekly sessions to your little Picasso! Even their casual Kids Art Lab inspires self-expression in a fun way for your little ones.
Engaging Exhibits for All Ages
The whole family can enjoy Fill My Heart with Hope, an exhibit that spreads joy through uplifting artwork. Or watch spaceships launch at their massive Project Atrium installation! Older kids can join the Creative Teen Council for behind-the-scenes creative experiences.
Free Access on Weekends
The MOCA museum welcomes all with free weekend admission and extended evening hours on certain dates, be sure to check their calendar for free admission days! So, grab a coffee and wander with your young minds as you discover brilliant artwork together. Their exhibitions bring the sensation of contemporary creations to you. They have sculptures that tower and paintings that transport.
Explore Science Playfully At The Museum of Science & History (MOSH)
The Jacksonville Museum of Science & History opens young minds to the marvels of science through playful exploration. MOSH’s hands-on exhibits let kids discover the world in a tangible way. And a new renovated MOSH is on its way! We can’t wait to see what it will look like!
Interactive Experiences
In JEA Power Play, your kids can role-play as real Jacksonville Jaguars players or conduct experiments in their Innovation Lab. At the same time, the creation station serves as an interactive sandbox for designing and testing contraptions galore. Even the animals bring learning alive. Kids observe alligators and snakes up close during daily presentations.
Space Adventures
For outer space adventures, the Planetarium treats audiences to captivating stories under its vast starry dome. Laser light shows, and tours of our solar system inspire little astronauts to quest among the planets. Educators skillfully adapt each program to different ages.
Family Bonding
Families also flock here to bond over special events. Weekly star parties under the starry nights make each one revel in it. Summer camps motivate tomorrow’s innovators with cross-disciplinary projects.
Memorable Learning
With ample opportunities to play, ask questions, and observe, the MOSH museum in Jacksonville, FL, ensures that every visit feels like an enlightening trip. Your little scientists are sure to leave longing for more memorable experiments!
Celebrate Art And Nature At The Cummer Museum
For over 60 years, the Cummer Museum, Jacksonville, has enriched Jacksonville’s culture through its collections, gardens, and educational programs. Founded by arts patron Ninah Cummer, it holds over 1,200 European paintings, American works, and Oriental antiquities. Treasures include masterpieces by Modigliani, Monet, Sargent, and significant Southern artworks.
Creative Learning for Children
Children immerse themselves creatively in the Art Connections gallery through multi-sensory lessons. They explore artists’ processes as they tour current exhibitions. Families connect over family days, art projects, and story times, which are held amongst the works of art.
Beautiful Gardens
But nature’s beauty holds equal importance here. Expansive English and Japanese-style themed gardens bordering the St. Johns River provide a calming retreat. Stroll through camellias, azaleas, and bamboo as you enjoy summer concerts and special events.
Soul-Lifting Programs
With new programs launching regularly, from artist lectures to yoga in the gardens, discovery never ends at this culturally rich place in Jacksonville, FL. Visitors leave feeling refreshed in spirit and mind, ready to appreciate Jacksonville’s natural beauties and artistic heritage from a new perspective.
Escape To A Natural Playground At The Jacksonville Zoo And Gardens
While not your typical museum, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens encourages the same joy of exploration through its wildlife inhabitants and green spaces. Over 2,500 animals call this green resort home across habitats that replicate their natural ecosystems.
Interactive Learning
Families observe majestic elephants, playful otters, and more on daily tours led by knowledgeable staff. Inside the James R. Cox Family Conservation Center, you can sightsee stingrays gliding through waters or marvel at endangered species like lemurs up close. Dynamic presentations educate visitors of all ages about conservation. Check out their beautiful tigers and even watch them during feeding time!
Special Exhibits
The list goes on and on of special exhibits the Jacksonville Zoo offers. From traveling lights during the holiday season, to Halloween madness (in a good way), to live action robotic dinosaur exhibitions, what they accomplish is astounding. Be sure to regularly check their website for their next big feature!
Play Areas for Kids
When little legs grow tired, the Play Park and Splash Ground are the best go-to areas. Your tiny tots can climb, slide, and dig to their hearts’ content within these sensory-filled areas, perfect for tiny adventurers. Fountains, sprinklers, and interactive elements keep smiles wide all summer.
Relaxation and Exploration
After a picnic in one of the many picnic areas, or a yummy meal at one of their restaurants, visitors can walk peaceful trails with botanical beauty and see a plethora of animals and botanicals.
This family-favorite entertainment spot educates you upon every visit but without giving you the feel of a school. Jacksonville Zoo ensures the natural world inspires all who cross its welcoming gates.
Step Back In Time At Kingsley Plantation
Along Fort George River sits Kingsley Plantation, Florida, a National Historic Landmark providing a glimpse into Northeast Florida’s complex past. As part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, this former sugar plantation was operated from 1814 to 1839 by Zephaniah Kingsley, a Scots merchant noted for unconventional views.
Guided Tours and Exhibits
Today, the guided Kingsley Plantation tour brings to light its tenure and its influence on the local site and inhabitants, both enslaved and free. Costumed interpreters share stories of the plantation’s residents, from renowned African American artists and intellectuals to the diverse Gullah community. Wanna check out the property by boat? Sublime Rides private charters is happy to give you a lift!
Audio programs and exhibits bring the history of Kingsley Plantation to life while honoring often untold narratives.
The Nostalgic Plantation
You can see the remains of the tabby sugar mill and fort before exploring the furnished planter’s home from the early 1800s. Outdoor spaces now support coastal ecosystems through conservation, as in the Preserve mission. Special events and seasonal programs continuously engage visitors of all backgrounds.
Honoring Events
This National Park ensures Kingsley’s complicated legacy and Florida’s cultural roots remain accessible. It pays respect to the challenges and triumphs of generations who built a community here despite the odds.
Upcoming Events And Exhibits
Here are some upcoming seasonal events and exhibits tailored for families at these Jacksonville, FL, cultural institutions:
MOCA Jacksonville (Aug-Sept 2024)
The Fall Exhibitions Celebration starts a new season of colorfully creative shows, plus the annual Family Day Block Party, a day of free arts activities in pleasant Riverside parks.
Kingsley Plantation (Oct-Nov 2024)
Harvest Season programming transports visitors back to 1820s farming traditions through cooking demonstrations, story times, and guided exploration of the preserved grounds that are ripe with regional heritage crops.
The Cummer Museum (Aug-Sept 2024)
Summer at the Cummer sparkles with Friday evenings of live music, workshops, and drinks amid the blooming gardens. Through September, the mesmerizing quilts of Fabric of a Nation also transport guests nationwide through narrating histories.
Jacksonville Zoo (Sept-Oct 2024)
Fall brings Boo at the Zoo nights with trick-or-treating, costume parades, and animal Meet the Boo Keeper shows. Nearby, Fort George Island Cultural State Park also hosts Harvest Festivals celebrating northeast Florida’s agricultural roots.
Ritz Theatre (Sept-Nov 2024)
Concerts, films, and more commemorate the changing seasons throughout the cultural foundation. Check upcoming tickets for family-friendly bluegrass, jazz, or holiday shows.
Wrap Up
As you can see, Jacksonville’s plentiful museums, botanic gardens and galleries truly offer an immense variety of cultural charms celebrating local history, nature, and creative expression – ensuring there’s always something new to engage even the most inquisitive little minds!
Happy exploring – we can’t wait to hear what cultural and natural exhibits inspire your own family!
