| Headlines Holiday Schedule at the Museum Celebrate An Out of This World Adventure New Pathways Tour: Backyard Fossil Finds Make the Museum Your Must-Stop for the Holidays DECEMBER PROGRAMS KidSpace Lunch & Learn Stelliferous Live think + drink (science) STREAM Saturdays Helpful Links & Info Our Website & Visitor Info |
| Openings and Closings: Museum Holiday Schedule The South Florida Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and Noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. We are closed on Mondays except for New Year’s Eve day 2018, which falls on Monday, Dec. 31, 2018. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 31 — New Year’s Eve day. Holiday Closings:The Museum is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Humans Orbiting the Moon This Month and Check Out Our New Moon Rock! Dec. 21 will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 8 — the mission that took man to the moon’s orbit for the first time in human history. On that historic day in 1968, U.S. astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders became the first humans to see the far side of the moon with their very own eyes. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we’ve brought in the special exhibition A New Moon Rises, which features the dramatic landscapes captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) between 2009 and 2015. Along with these stunning images of the dynamic lunar surface — complete with impact craters, recent volcanic activity and a crust fractured by the shrinking of a still-cooling interior — we also have a new addition to the exhibition: a lunar meteorite on loan from Colorado expert Dustin Dickens, owner of Top Meteorite. This lunaite — that is, lunar meteorite — was blasted into space after an impact on the moon’s surface. Eventually it fell to Earth and landed in the Sahara Desert. In a somewhat serendipitous manner, Dustin offered to loan us the moon rock after we reached out to him for some professional help reconditioning another meteorite in our collection.Visit now to see our out-of-this-world exhibition! A New Moon Rises will be on display through Jan. 13. Visiting the exhibition is included in the cost of general admission.A New Moon Rises was created by the National Air and Space Museum and Arizona State University and is organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. As a proud Smithsonian Affiliate, the South Florida Museum helps build bridges between our community and the national heritage preserved and displayed at the Smithsonian. Together, we strive to reach larger audiences with stories that stimulate curiosity and inspire learning. Please join us for these special moon-themed programs: Daily Lunar Landscapes Planetarium Show Humans have contemplated the moon for countless generations and set foot on its surface in 1969. Today, robotic spacecraft continue to study, map and photograph the moon with remarkable detail, giving us views that only astronauts have seen with their own eyes. These views reveal the moon as a stark, startling, beautiful place. Using NASA data and the Bishop Planetarium’s state-of-the-art visualization system, we take you to the moon to experience it for yourself. We invite you to join us for Lunar Landscapes, a flight across the surface of the moon to view some of the best sites showcased in our special exhibition A New Moon Rises. Presented without narration, Lunar Landscapesallows you to experience this remarkable journey as you wish — as astronaut, scientist, dreamer or poet. We put the moon within your reach. Showtimes: 2 p.m. Sunday & Tuesday-Friday and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. This Saturday, Dec. 8:Mission to the Moon 2.0 This program — part of our popular IQuest series geared toward smart and curious students in grades 6 to 8 — will explore changes in the moon since humans last visited.IQuest programs are designed to inspire out-of-the-box solutions to real-world problems. 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8. Cost: $5, includes a slice of pizza and a drink. Register now. Introducing Our Newest Pathways Tour: Backyard Fossil Finds Have you ever wondered whether the rock you picked up in your backyard was a fossil? Or you knew it was a fossil, but weren’t sure of what? The South Florida Museum has a new Pathways tour to help teach you more about Backyard Fossil Finds in the Sunshine State. You can learn what the most common fossils are and even send an email to our experts so they can help you identify your find. Pathways — Compelling Connections for the Chronically Curious is the smart-phone and tablet-based app we developed to connect visitors to the objects in our collection and the many stories they have to tell. The app, available for free in the Apple and Google Play stores, provides an always-changing visitor experience to the Museum as we regularly add new tours to our lineup. These interactive and interesting narratives go beyond traditional text panels and include customized graphics, video and audio. Our newest tour — Backyard Fossil Finds — takes you to the “Land of Change” and “Florida’s Fantastic Fossils” where you can check out — and touch — all the fossils on our discovery cart and learn how they came to be. To take a Pathways tour, just download the app before your visit. (Search for Pathways SFM.) Then launch it, choose your tour and set off on a journey of discovery. After you finish Backyard Fossil Finds, don’t forget to check out one of our other Pathways tours: Women Making History: Learn more about six women who were pioneers of their time.Museum Celebrities: Highlights some of our most popular objects.Cousins or Coincidence?: Shows the connections between manatees and mastodons.Adventure of a Water Droplet: Is a fun family tour that shows how a single water droplet moves through the water cycle. Make the Museum Your Must-Stop for the Holidays Still looking for that perfect gift for the moon lover in your life? Or the budding astronomer? Or maybe you’re looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the holidays with a celebratory show or one that can take you back in time. If so, the South Florida Museum is a must! We’re brought back two of our most popular holiday programs — Let it Snow and Star of Bethlehem and we offer the perfect gift for the Museum & science lover or star gazer on your list. Let it Snow Is showing daily in the Bishop Planetarium through Dec. 23. This crowd-pleasing favorite features a variety of festive classics from Frank Sinatra and Chuck Berry to Burl Ives and Brenda Lee. The 32-minute show includes a stunning multi-media finale by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and is a fun and entertaining experience for all ages, especially families. Showtimes:Tuesday through Friday: 1:15 p.m.Saturday: 11:15 a.m.Sunday: 1:15 p.m.The show is included in the cost of regular admission and Museum Members always get in free. The Star of Bethlehem returns on Dec. 20 & 21 — and tickets sell out fast! This star has been a popular topic at planetarium shows since the 1940s, with hosts presenting explanations that would account for the star described in the nativity story. Was it a comet, a supernova or something else entirely? Join Bishop Planetarium Manager Howard Hochhalter as he takes guests on a forensic journey that compares historical records to what was really happening in the skies some 2,000 years ago. Tickets sell out fast! Cost: $8 for Museum Members; $10 for non-members. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 20 Tickets 7:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 20 Tickets 5:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 21 Tickets 7:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 21 Tickets December Programs |
| KidSpace: Saturday & Dec. 22Fly Your Kids to the Moon — and Beyond KidSpace,
on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of most months, is designed to encourage
kids (and their favorite adults) to learn more about our solar system
and beyond. Our out-of-this-world digital star system lets you take off
from Earth’s surface and fly to places humans have never gone: the Sun,
the planets, other moons of our solar system, newly discovered solar
systems in our galaxy and beyond. KidSpace is designed for elementary-school ages (grades 1-5) and their grown-ups and begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Bishop Planetarium.When: 10:30 a.m.Cost: $3 for Members; $5 for non-members.Please note: Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis; pre-purchased seats will be held until five minutes prior to program start time then released for re-sale (no refunds or exchanges will be given after the start of the program). Museum admission is not included with your KidSpace ticket price.Dec. 8 TicketsDec. 22 Tickets Lunch & Learn: Dec. 12 & 26 Veggies and Polar Animals are Lunchtime Fodder Twice a month, Lunch & Learn programs feature a talk by our staff about a different aspect of the world or things going on in the Museum. Bring your own bag lunch or stop by a downtown restaurant and get it to go! When: 12:15 to 1 p.m.Cost: $3 On Dec. 12, Aquarium Director Virginia Edmonds will share a what it means to have a veggie-based diet during “It’s Not Just Salad: A Vegan’s Guide to Becoming a Vegan or Vegetarian.” Get Tickets On Dec. 26, Director of Education Tish Sacks will talk about the animals living in some of our coldest climates during “Brrr… The Life and Times of Polar Animals.” Get tickets Stelliferous Live: Dec. 26 Your Astronomy Questions Answered Here! Join us for our monthly live star talk, Stelliferous Live, at 7 p.m. in the Bishop Planetarium on the fourth Wednesday of most months with our expert astronomer Howard Hochhalter. You’ll take a tour of the upcoming month’s stars, planets and constellations and talk about current events in astronomy. Then, the floor is yours during an always-fun question-and-answer session. Stelliferous Live is great for curious adults and inquisitive kids alike. Come prepared with your curiosity and your questions and expect to leave a bit smarter about your universe. Cost: $3 Museum Members; $5 for non-members. Paid reservations required.Refreshments: Beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks available for purchase.Please note: Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis; pre-purchased seats will be held until five minutes prior to program start time then released for re-sale (no refunds or exchanges will be given after the start of the program.Dec. 26 Tickets think + drink (science): Dec. 12Reinventing the MuseumThe South Florida Museum is at the forefront of change as museums across the world redefine their role in the 21st century. From the design of exhibits, to the use of technology, to an ever-expanding suite of community engagements, your local museum is helping to reshape what it means to be a museum. Join Jeff Rodgers, Provost and Chief Operating Officer of the South Florida Museum for a look at the past, present and future of our very own treasure.When: 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 12Cost: $3 Museum Members; $5 non-members. Paid reservations required.Beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks available for purchase.Please note: Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis; pre-purchased seats will be held until five minutes prior to program start time then released for re-sale (no refunds or exchanges will be given after the start of the program).Dec. 12 TicketsSTREAM Saturdays: Dec. 15Hands-On Happening for FamiliesOn STREAM Saturdays, you’ll find hands-on, family-friendly experiments and games, crafts and stories or themed scavenger hunts at the Museum from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Go at your own pace and visit one or all the activities before enjoying the Museum for the rest of the day! STREAM Saturdays are the 3rd Saturday of each month from October – May.STREAM Saturdays activities are included with Museum admission (no reservations necessary).Activities run from 10 a.m. to Noon.Children must attend with a parent or guardians.On Dec. 15, we will be exploring “Rocks and Minerals.” About the South Florida Museum As the largest natural and cultural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the South Florida Museum offers engaging exhibits as well as educational programs that interpret the scientific and cultural knowledge of Florida, the world and our universe. In addition to permanent exhibits, the Museum features a constantly changing lineup of temporary exhibitions — offering something new to discover with each visit. The Museum includes the all-digital Bishop Planetarium Theater — the only one of its kind on Florida’s Gulf Coast — and the Parker Manatee Aquarium, home to our Stage 2 Manatee Rehabilitation Program. Visit SouthFloridaMuseum.org for hours, info and admission details or call 941-746-4131. |
