This was my second time at the Museum of Science and History. My first time was several years ago…read moreat a Yelp event, which was a much different experience. I wondered through each section. My favorite was the reptile exhibit. I saw a large and small owl, two of my favorite majestic birds. I also saw a couple of snakes and several turtles. I also enjoyed the exhibit that included a few replica space suits. There was a very cute under the sea exhibit with a submarine. I also liked the large shell! This is a great place to take children as there were lots of interactive learning activities.

Family went over memorial weekend. There were quite a few interactive exhibits that didn't work…read more The 3rd floor was closed down and the 2nd floor near the planetarium didn't make sense. You can tell the museum is closing down. The shows in the planetarium were great. They were very educational and entertaining. Other than that my other favorite part was the "Currents of Time." Seeing the evolution of the Jacksonville area. I definitely will check out the new location once it's done.

Had a wonderful time for my first visit to MOCA-Jax!! The exhibits were highly interesting and the…read morepieces displayed really caught my attention and pulled me in. The gentleman at the front desk explained the different floors and how to reach each exhibit which helped me out greatly. The selection and pieces were great and I can't wait to come back again for the next exhibit.

This museum has 3 floors of exhibits. There are at least 3 different artists's works. The entrances…read morecost is $10. The service at the front desk was helpful. Brochures are available to inform you about the location of the collections. There was a nice selection of art work. Very thought-provoking. The museum abuts the Jacksonville Public Library so you could make a day of it.

Primarily an art museum with two excellent gardens - English and an Italian. Loved the gardens and…read morearchitecture of Mrs. Cummer' house turned into a museum. Service: All staff were polite and helpful. Food: there is a diner that offers both inside and outside areas for seating. It was a very impressive museum and gardens and I hope to return soon. In our opinion, one of fairly few reasons to visit Jacksonville.

The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is a really nice museum experience and a stellar garden…read moreexperience. Inside is some really interesting art, a kids area and a cafe to enjoy. Different areas are themed and the kids area is really interactive. We did not try the cafe on this visit but I'm sure we will soon. The real star for me was the gardens outside. It was truly a transformative experience. Just beautiful trees and bushes and plants with the St John's River in the background. I highly recommend you see it. They have free days in the summer but it is also well worth the price of admission.

I went on a free tour of Sally Dark Rides and left feeling like my mind was blown. First of all - I…read morehad no idea this was a huge warehouse in Downtown Jacksonville. Nor did I realize most of the dark rides across the whole world are created and developed here! It was amazing!! Our tour guide led us through the building while showing us all of the stages of creating an epic dark ride. This made me think about amusement parks in a whole different way. The tour was about an hour and was very informative. We asked lots of questions and met people from different departments along the way. Highly recommend booking a free tour and checking this out. It would be great for kids as well!

I need to start b my saying that this part of our trip to Florida was not planned! My 11 yo LOVES…read moreanimatronics, most especially, Five Nights at Freddy's (FNAF). He originally wanted to visit a much smaller place in Orlando, which is a one man operation charging $375. It was a bit too far and too expensive for what it was so I decided to do my own research of places he would love, Sally Corporation became the place. I filled out the reservation form online and was told there were no spots available during our time in Florida. I couldn't take no for an answer. I emailed back explaining how much my son wants to be a Robotics Engineer and that we would wait as long as we needed to snag a spot. We got an email back the next day that two spots opened up!!! We made our way downtown and parked for free in the back. We entered to learn that the tour was also FREE...FREE! This facility is HUGE! They are arguably the largest producer of Dark Ride Amusements in the US and don't just make the robotic aspect of the animatronics, but they handle EVERY aspect of the creation and completion. From make up, costumes, design, voices, all of that! We were thrilled to see they had a...yep...FIVE NIGHTS OF FREDDY'S attraction! If you've ever been to he Ripley's in San Antonio, you will see one of their biggest sellers there, a ginormous T-Rex, that's their baby that sells for $90,000! The tour takes you to each department and you are truly immersed in their production. It is an working operation so you get to see the people behind the scenes at work, which was SO DAMN INSPIRING for my 11 yo who has told me for 4 TM years that this is what he wants to do in life. He got to see what his future could be like, which is absolutely priceless. The staff, facilities, location, displays, animatronics, all were 5 stars! Hands down a MUST when in Jacksonville! Come for a 10 or 11am tour and then take the FREE Skyway (Tram) to Hemming Park and Check our Sweet Peet's. Your kids will have the best day ever!

Great experience!! Theres a ton of cool cars with rich…read morehistory. Each vehicle has a kiosk that is personalized with info and history about that vehicle. There aren't many barriers to looking closely at the cars, like ropes which was nice. My favorite part of my visit was the ability to pace myself and walk at my own speed looking at the cars and reading at the kiosk.

Amazing collection of cars. Beautiful building inside and out. Tons of info about each car, you…read morecould be here for hours just reading and learning about them. Pricing is fair. Hidden gem in Jacksonville!

This is a little hidden treasure in Jacksonville. Did you know the Karpeles Manuscript Library…read moreMuseums encompass the world's largest private holdings of important original manuscript documents? It's true! And we have one right here! This is a little hidden treasure in Jacksonville. Did you know the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museums encompass the world's largest private holdings of important original manuscript documents? It's true! And we have one right here! There is always a rotation exhibit with a wide variety of literature pertaining to art, religion, political history and so much more. I was surprised to learn Karpeles owns the original draft of the Bill of Rights of the United States. They also own a wide variety of things from Einstein's famous formula "E=Mc2" to the sheet music of "The Wedding March". Of course, all of these treasures are not right here in Jacksonville, you can go to their main website to see where all the locations are and that is: https://karpeles.com/ You may have driven by this building and wondered what it was or admired the old architecture. But since you never heard about it, perhaps you never went in...well, now you know! Looking for something to do? Put this on your list! As mentioned, there is always a rotation of exhibits and to view what is currently on exhibit, please go to their website: https://karpeles.weebly.com/ The admission is free, however, donations are more than appreciated. Every little bit helps to keep these exhibits available for all of us to enjoy. Lastly, there is ample free street parking around the building.

Karpeles Manuscript Museum is the largest privately owned organization for historically significant…read moredocuments and works. The organization owns many unique things such as the proclamation setting aside Thanksgiving Day by George Washington, Richard Wagner's original composition of the Wedding March and scientific papers written by Einstein. My particular exhibit was at the Jacksonville location. The current showing was of Samuel B Morse work in the telegraph. It had many personal letters, diagrams and government correspondence for using the Morse code. It also included the very first transmission sent. Everything was nicely displayed and explained. Exhibits rotate around museums. Sometimes there may be a exhibits by the same name but with different documents so be sure to check what the specific exhibit contains. Facebook is usually the best place to find the info. Eleven museums exist in the United States. Locations and hours vary by location. Admission is free to all. A fantastic way to dig deeper into history and scientific discoveries. A true treasure!!

A compact display full of artifacts from the various stages of evolution of this now resort island…read moreon the northernmost Atlantic coast of Florida. I enjoyed the history lesson, including some unsavory characters. A nice selection of books and other items in the gift shop. Definitely recommend this along with the beaches and seafood restaurants on Amelia Island.

If you're a history lover and in the area, you can't miss the Amelia Island Museum of History -…read morewhich is housed in the old historic jail building. THe museum itself isn't the largest but you'll be very surprised at just how much has gone down on this small island on the edge of the Georgia/Florida state line. If it's any indication of just how tumultuous this area was - 7 distinct flags have flown over the island throughout written history. From natives to pirates to Spaniards and Confederates and everyone in between - there's a lot more to Amelia Island than just million dollar beach homes and waterside dining. Admission is $10 for adults. Make sure that you arrive with enough time to enjoy one of the complimentary docent tours. It's included with your museum admission so to not take advantage is a big missed opportunity. The tour we had lasted over 1 hour and in that time our guide covered essentially most things you would learn from reading the exhibit displays but with added insight. As an added bonus, there is a parking lot attached to the museum and plenty of street parking as well. I'd recommend starting your Amelia Island vacation with a trip to the museum so you can appreciate the historical footsteps you're walking in while on the island.

Hand On Children's Museum is the perfect spot to take your kid during a rainy day!…read more During my last trip to Mayport/Jacksonville we had a very rainy weekend, so immediately started to search for activities to do indoors with my kid. Frankly, there are not a lot of options in the area, but I did find this museum. Before visiting I read a bunch of the reviews and my expectations were very low. However someone brought a really good point that "the toys might be old, but kids don't care" and that is so true. This place is actually a nonprofit and tickets prices are very affordable, so there's also that to take into consideration. When planning your visit, keep in mind that the parking is pretty limited, so I definitely recommend coming in early. The tickets give you access to the whole space and you can stay as long as you want. The museum has different sections for the kids to play at with different themes, such as: "trains, firefighting, basketball, space, puppet show, grocery store, and veterinary." My kid had the time of his life and we were there for almost two hours. We probably went around everything at least twice. Also, on our way out we bought something from their store and I thought the prices were pretty reasonable. The only reason why I don't give them five stars is because there are certain toys and areas that I felt were a little unsafe for my taste, so I'd recommend to supervise your kid at all time while at the museum. Overall, we had the best time and would definitely be coming back during our next trip to the Mayport/Jacksonville area.

I understand this is a non-profit organization, but I am absolutely appalled at the condition of…read morethis place. My husband and I took our young toddler today thinking it would be a great outlet for her since it's been raining for the past week. We should've stayed home and stared at our wall for an extra hour instead of doing this; we might be bored, but at least we would be free from the multitude of viruses and diseases sure to be swarming the facility. I shrugged off a previous review conveying the ants in the toddler area, but oh my goodness they were everywhere. I couldn't even discern where they were coming from, and they were throughout the facility, not just relegated to the toddler area. All of the toys and staged areas were horribly unkept and dirty. My husband hit the nail on the head: "it felt like a dingy bar for kids, and the worst part was the lights were on and we were sober so there was no ignoring the environment." Also, why did they charge the adults like we were going to be playing too? I am horribly disappointed. Stay home or go outside instead.

Great gallery in Jacksonville. They have a large selection of art and rugs. You will be surprised…read moreof the high quality and wide selection or art.

This is an incredible gallery to visit, with world class paintings, rugs, furniture and sculpture…read more The family is friendly, approachable and makes your visit memorable!

How cool to step back into time and learn about Egypt's most famous Pharoah. Although it had…read moreshowcased the artifacts digitally it felt real. Located on Hogan street down town across from the public parking garage. When we stepped in, there were refreshment bar stands throughout the tour. It was a nice way to feel refreshed after the tour. Inside there was an introductory speaker that tells us about the tour, informational screens and cool interactive stories projected all over the walls. Again, there are no actual artifacts. All artifacts are kept same in a museum safe. However it was beautiful how they designed everything. The price was a bit much but It was a cool experience.

Want a way to cool off the summer heat and see a phenomenal Virtual Presentation of Egypt's most…read moremysterious Pharaoh? For a little over $40 General Admission entrance and a $12 parking near 5 Points. The National Geographic: Beyond King Tut is an awesome way to reconnect with history and acquire knowledge about the Boy King's life along with the Egyptian culture and gods plus the colorful effects and storytelling makes you feel like you were back there in ancient times. Even got to buy authentic items from Egypt before the end of the tour! Go ahead and attend this special event while it it still in Jax as they showcase it in different cities.