The Gillespie Museum

The Gillespie Museum will be closed to visitors in June and July for curating activities. Stay tuned to our website and subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our reopening in mid-August. Staff may be reached by email ([email protected]) or phone 386.822.7330 during the summer.

You are welcome to wander through the grounds, including the Native Florida Landscape and the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem. (Guides to both outdoor spaces are available online at the webpage links above and in the Pollination Station box near the sidewalk between the museum building and the Rinker Environmental Learning Center-RELC.)

See our Educational Resources Page for a wonderful collection of downloadable materials for engaging at-home, museum grounds, 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.

During the school year, don't miss our weekly #MineralMonday, #WingedWednesday and #FollowerFridayposts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (click link buttons below). And...New this year: the Gillespie's on TikTok! Check out our "Meet the Staff" video! Also browse our Throughline Virtual Gallery; this past student project will help you "get your art on" via various creative prompts.

You can also Sign Up for our Mailing List to receive email updates with news and information on museum events and programming, online resources and activities, and other engagement opportunities inside and outside of the museum walls.

Events

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

Dates at a Glance

Fall 2023

August 31 - Science Cafe - The Geological Story of Florida with Gillespie Museum Director Kristen Marshall-Mattson; 6 p.m. in the RELC, 5:30 for snacks/social; Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.
September 16 - Science Saturday - Opening of Petroglyphics, 10 a.m.-noon; Join us for some hands-on rock art and mineral activities to kick off the new school year!
September 16 - December 8 - Petroglyphics - Immerse yourself in our new exhibit of unique rock art by Carolyn J. Haas, on display in the museum.
September 21 - Science Cafe - Underwater Archaeology with Chuck Meide, Director, Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program, St. Augustine; 6 p.m. in the RELC, 5:30 for snacks/social; Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.
October 19 - Science Cafe - Demystifying the Florida Black Bear with Mike Orlando, FWC, Bear Management Program; 6 p.m. in the RELC, 5:30 for snacks/social; Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.
October 28 - Science Saturday - Mostly Green Halloween - Our annual family-friendly fall fair! 10 a.m.-noon; Outdoor activities, crafts, & explorations. Costumes encouraged!
November 9 - Science Cafe - Is Water Lettuce Native? with Allen Dray and Paul Madeira, USDA, Invasive Plant Research Laboratory; 6 p.m. in the RELC, 5:30 for snacks/social; Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.
November 18 - Science Saturday - Founder's Day Celebration! 10 a.m.-noon; It's the Gillespie Museum’s birthday! Join us for some special activities!

Spring 2023

January 10-May 3, 2023 - Minerals in the Artist's Palette - New fall 2022 exhibit on the historic use of minerals in art on display in the Gillespie Museum. Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.
January 26 - Science Cafe - Developed Shorelines and Climate Change with Dr. Robert S. Young, Director, Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, Western Carolina University; 6 p.m. in the RELC, 5:30 for snacks/social; Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.
February 11 - Science Saturday - We Love Rocks & Minerals! 10 a.m. - noon; the Gillespie Museum's Valentine's Day celebration!
February 23 - Science Cafe - Snakes 101 with Dr. Jason Ortega, Stetson University biology; 6 p.m. in the RELC, 5:30 for snacks/social; Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.
March 18 - Science Saturday - STEAM Festival! 10 a.m. - noon; Join us in celebrating everything Science Technology Engineering Arts & Mathematics, woohoo!
March 30 - Science Cafe - Bird Populations and People with Dr. Chris Marsh, Director Emeritus, Spring Island Trust; 6 p.m. in the RELC, 5:30 for snacks/social; Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.
April 15 - Science Saturday - Earth Day at the Gillespie! 10 a.m. - noon; Our annual celebration of the planet & its wonders!
April 18 - The Bone Wars: Museums, Fossils, & National Identity - New student exhibit Opening and Gallery Talk with Katie Wedderstrand; Learn about the hyper-competitive period of national and international fossil-hunting at the turn of the 20th century; 5:30 p.m. in the museum, don't miss it! Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates. Exhibit open April 15 - May 3, 2023.
April 20 - Science Cafe - Historical Uses of Florida's Springs with Robert Mattson, retired Senior Environmental Scientist, St. Johns River Water Management District; 6 p.m. in the RELC, 5:30 for snacks/social; Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.

Stay tuned for updates about Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 exhibits, events, and programs... Join our mailing list to keep informed!

Exhibits

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

(For a complete listing of the museum's online educational resources, including selected exhibit materials, see our Educational Resources Page, or download this comprehensive Overview of Gillespie Museum Online Resources.)

The Bone Wars: Museums, Fossils, & National Identity - New Student Exhibit, Opened April 15! Come learn about the Bone Wars (1870s to 1910s), a period of hyper-competitive national and international fossil-hunting, in this installation based on Gillespie Museum staffer Katie Wedderstrand's senior research project. On display through May 31, 2023 in the museum.

Wonders of the Web Telelscope - Now Open! Our latest exhibit takes you on a tour of the known universe with breathtaking images from both the Webb and Hubble space telescopes. On display through May 31, 2023 in our Environmental Gallery in the Rinker Environmental Learning Center (RELC), adjacent to the museum.

Minerals in the Artist's Palette - Opened fall 2022! This new exhibit investigates the use of natural mineral pigments in art across the ages and around the globe. On display through May 31, 2023 in the museum.

Meteorites/Rocks from Space - Come explore space rocks at the Gillespie! Learn how rock fragments from outer space reveal clues about our planet and the solar system in this small display of iron meteorites and silica-based tektites from the Historic Gillespie Collection. Continuing in the museum through May 31, 2023.

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

Storied Stone explores some of the fascinating narratives and lessons—geological, historic, cultural and spiritual—of the world of minerals and crystals. Last chance to see! Exhibit closing June 2023.

Outdoors & Grounds

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.

Summer Hours

Open through May 31 with regular hours: Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Museum closed to visitors June and July.

We look forward to seeing you in August! Stay tuned to our website and subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our reopening in mid-August. Staff may be reached by email ([email protected]) or phone 386.822.7330 during the summer.

Admissions & Membership

Walk-in Visitors

No admissions fee. Donations support educational programming.
The Gillespie is proud to be a Museums for All participant.

(We are pleased to offer discounted museum memberships to SNAP EBT cardholders.)

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

Students: $2.50
Teachers/Chaperones: No charge

Membership

Benefits include special members-only programs, gift shop discounts, subscription to our weekly e-newsletter, and participation in the ASTC Passport Program.
Plus, your membership directly supports our educational programs and exhibits! Apply for your Gillespie Museum membership today!

Identification & Donation of Specimens

Unfortunately, we are not able to assist with specimen identification or to receive acquisitions of collections or new specimens at this time. Thank you for your understanding.