The Gillespie Museum

Out of caution, the Gillespie Museum is closed to visitors and has canceled April events.

See our new Educational Resources Page for a wonderful collection of downloadable materials for engaging at-home and outdoors learning.

The Gillespie Museum features one of the premier historic mineral collections in the southeast, and seasonally changing exhibits on an array of earth science and natural history topics. With native ecology interpretive and research areas and other multiuse eco-areas across its grounds, and a dedication to inspired environmental programming, the Gillespie has become a center for science education on campus, in the local community, and beyond.

Find out about museum hours, contact information, membership, school programs and more.

View all ongoing museum Events and News, or individual Science Café and Science Saturday schedules.

Please check upcoming events for cancelations; programming will be updated as campus health guidelines evolve.

Dates at a Glance

Fall 2019

November 14 - Rescheduled - Science Café - Florida Stewards, Gallery Talk with photographer Dustin Angell, 6-8 p.m.
November 15 - Rescheduled - Stetson Stewards Photo Booth with Dustin Angell, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Early December - Rock Your Stocking! Holiday Shopping at the Gillespie Museum Shop

Spring 2020

January 16 - Science Café - Florida Stewards, Opening and Gallery Talk with photographer Dustin Angell, RELC Environmental Gallery, 6-8 p.m., exhibit runs through March 13
February 5 - Science Café - The Ecology of Port Royal Sound, Kristen Mattson, 7-8:30 p.m.
February 8 - Science Saturday - We Love Rocks and Minerals, 10 a.m.-noon
February 27 - Science Café - Florida's Own Gems: Agatized Fossil Corals, Sam Upchurch and Gary Maddox, 7-8:30 p.m., Agatized Coral exhibit runs through May 1
March 19 - Canceled - Science Café - Facing Down Disaster: Selected Tales of Resilience Planning from the Southeastern Coastal Zone, Jason Evans, 7-8:30 p.m.
March 20 - Canceled - Opening of Agatized Coral Magic Florida Ball: A Collectively Found Exhibition, RELC Environmental Gallery, 5-7 p.m., exhibit runs through April 18
March 21 - Canceled - Science Saturday - Physics Extravaganza, 10 a.m.-noon
April 18 - Canceled - Science Saturday - Earth Day Celebration, 10 a.m.-noon
April 20 - Canceled - Volunteer Workday in the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem, 1:30-3 p.m.
April 24 - Canceled - Watercolor Workshop & Arbor Day Celebration, 2-4 p.m.

View all current Museum Exhibits, as well as an archive of selected past installations.

Florida Stewards runs through March 13 in our new Environmental Gallery in the Rinker Environmental Learning Center (RELC), next door to the museum. Come and check it out!

Our Fall 2019 exhibit Agatized Coral and Other Silicified Fossils, featuring Florida's state stone, is now open through May 1, 2020!

Florida Formations - 500 million years of Florida geology - a tale of the state's past environments and climates as told through its distinctive rock units.

Storied Stone explores some of the lessons—geological, historic, cultural and spiritual—of the mineral world.

See what's happening Outdoors at the Gillespie Museum.

The Grounds of the Gillespie Museum and the adjacent Rinker Environmental Learning Center (RELC) provide natural space for outdoor education and place-based research, constituting an integral part of the continuing environmental programming and initiatives of the museum and of the larger Stetson community.

The acreage surrounding the Gillespie features the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem restoration project, as well as our Native Florida Plant Landscape. It also provides greenhouse and garden space for Stetson's Hatter Harvest, a sweet home for Stetson Beekeeping, and seasonal replenishment for our Seed Library.

Museum Hours

Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The museum is occasionally open weekday evenings for Science Café lectures or other special events and programs.

Saturday: Open once a month for Science Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The museum will be closed during 2019-20 academic holidays, including Fall Break (September 30 - October 1); Thanksgiving Weekend (November 27 - 29); Winter Break (December 9 - January 13); Spring Holidays (March 2 - 6); and Good Friday (April 10). Staff may be reached by email (gillespiemuseum@stetson.edu) or phone, 386.822.7330.

Admissions

Walk-in Visitors

No admissions fee. Donations support educational programming.

Educational Programs (Classes K-12, scouts, homeschool groups, etc.)

Students: $2.50
Teachers/Chaperones: No charge

Membership

Benefits include gift shop discount and participation in the ASTC Passport Program.