Museum of Science and History facts for kids
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| Established | 1941 |
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| Location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Public transit access | Bus: B7, CT3, SS6, SS8, SS35, SS50 Monorail: San Marco Station Southbank Line
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The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) is an exciting museum located in Jacksonville, Florida. It's a private, non-profit place right on the Southbank Riverwalk. MOSH is the most visited museum in the city! It's all about science and local history. You can find a big traveling exhibit that changes every few months, plus three floors of awesome permanent exhibits. It also has the amazing Bryan-Gooding Planetarium.
MOSH has been officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums since 1983. This means it meets high standards for museums.
A Look Back: MOSH's Story
The museum's journey started way back in 1941. It was first called the Jacksonville Children's Museum. Its first home was a beautiful old house in Riverside.
Construction for the current building downtown began in 1965. The museum officially opened its doors there in 1969. In 1977, its name changed to the Jacksonville Museum of Arts and Sciences. Six years later, it earned its special accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums.
In 1988, the museum became the Museum of Science and History. A big addition of 37,500 square feet (3,480 m2) of space was built. This included the planetarium, which was then known as the Alexander Brest Planetarium. The last major update to the building happened in 1994. This made the museum a total of 82,200 square feet (7,640 m2) in size.
The Planetarium got a cool upgrade in 2010. It received a new projector and sound system. It was then renamed the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium. In 2013, MOSH opened a new main exhibit called JEA PowerPlay: Understanding Our Energy Choices. They also opened the newly updated JEA Science Theater.
More new exhibits arrived in 2016. These included Health in Motion: Discover What MOVES You. An outdoor exhibit called JEA HydroLogic also opened. This exhibit teaches about sustainable landscapes.
In 2021, MOSH shared exciting news. They plan to move to the Northbank area of downtown Jacksonville. A new building will be designed by DLR Group. This new museum will be much bigger. It will grow from 77,000 square feet to 133,000 square feet!
Awesome Exhibits You Can Explore
MOSH has many fantastic exhibits for you to discover:
- Health in Motion: Learn all about how your body works and stays healthy.
- Atlantic TAILS: Coastal Creatures of Northeast Florida: Discover amazing animals that live near the coast of Northeast Florida.
- JEA POWERPLAY: Explore how energy works and how we use it every day.
- JEA Science Theater: Enjoy fun, hands-on activities related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
- Florida Naturalist's Center: This is a hands-on place to learn about Florida's nature.
- Currents of Time: A History of Jacksonville & Northeast Florida: Travel through time! Learn about Jacksonville's history from the Timucua people to the 1960s.
- Hixon Native Plant Courtyard: See plants native to Northeast Florida. Learn why it's important to protect them.
- Space Science Gallery: Get ready for the Planetarium! Learn about space exploration and its history here.
- Interpreting Northeast Florida: A Historic Mural by Elmer Grey: See a beautiful mural that tells a story about the area.
- Kidspace: This is a special interactive area for younger children (under 5).
- Bryan-Gooding Planetarium: Watch amazing shows about stars and planets. It's one of the largest single-lens planetariums in the United States.
Past Fun and Future Plans
MOSH often brings in new and exciting exhibits. One past exhibit was "Playing With Lights." This exhibit used lasers to let visitors play with light. You could poke, prod, and bend light at many different stations. The museum also offered special light and laser shows.
One exhibit that always stays at the museum is the Jacksonville history exhibit. It's on the loft floor. This exhibit shares information about Jacksonville from about two hundred years ago.
The museum also had a special bicentennial exhibit. This exhibit showed how big events like fires, floods, and diseases shaped Jacksonville's economy and future. This was part of the "Current Time" exhibit.
MOSH has exciting plans for the future!
- WeaveTales: This exhibit aims to share stories of refugees and their families. It will highlight the journeys of some women who came to Jacksonville. This exhibit was previously shown at Jacksonville's MOCA. It arrived at MOSH in May 2022 and was available for three months.
- Jacksonville Shipwreck Branch: There are plans for a new location at the old shipyard in downtown Jacksonville. This spot would show two and a half acres of history about Jacksonville's shipping industry. It would also include a river walk.
