The exhibit, called “Florida: Your Back Yard” opened on April 20 and runs through Sept. 30 at the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science.
The exhibit teaches visitors about the different environments found in Florida, from the underwater to wetlands to forests and the effects we have on the ecosystems.
The exhibit is just one of the things to experience at this unique museum.
For more than 40 years, the Tallahassee museum has been providing exciting opportunities to learn about the rich history and natural beauty of North Florida and South Georgia. The museum is one of the few museums in the nation combining a natural habitat zoo of indigenous wildlife, a collection of historical buildings and artifacts and an environmental science center on a beautiful 52-acre lake side setting.
The live display of native species, several of which are no longer present m the wild, is the state's only zoological collection solely devoted to indigenous wildlife. The museum's display of these animals in their natural settings is very distinctive and has served as a model for other zoos around the nation. The museum is one of only three places in Florida where the state's official animal, the Florida panther, is displayed and its story told. The red wolf, another museum resident, is extinct in the wild.
The museum's historical buildings include Bellevue, the 1840s plantation house and home of the great-grandniece of George Washington. Bellevue is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is an excellent example of mid-19th century plantation "cottage" architecture.
An 1880s farm house and farm complex show the traditional log and frame construction once prevalent in the surrounding counties and represents the agricultural lifestyle that donated the region until the 1940s. The 1880s farmstead also serves as a stage for many living history demonstrations.
Several of the museum's historic buildings have particular significance for the African-American community. The Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, built in 1937 by a black congregation, traces its founding to a slave preacher ordained in the 1850s. The 1890s room Concord Schoolhouse, established to educate children of former slaves, is a powerful reminder of the struggles and strides made in black education in Florida. The B.O. Wood Turpentine Commissary was once a "company store" where black turpentine workers shopped.
Museum hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:30-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $6.50 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4.50 for children ages 4-15 and free for children under 4.
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