The Gillespie Museum

The Gillespie Museum is open with regular hours, Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Come see what's new at the museum in the New Year!

You are also 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.

Follow Us

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

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.)

Minerals in the Artist's Palette - Opened November 12!  Our newest exhibit investigates the use of natural mineral pigments in art across the ages and around the globe.  On display through May 3, 2023 in the museum with cultural credit available for Stetson undergraduates.

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 3, 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. 

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.

Museum Hours

• Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• The museum is occasionally open weekday evenings for special events and programs.
• Saturday: Open once a month for Science Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.

The museum will be closed during 2022-23 academic holidays, including Fall Break (October 6-7); Thanksgiving Holiday (November 23-25); Winter Break (December 12-January 9); Spring Holidays (February 28-March 3); and Good Friday (April 7).  Staff may be reached by email ([email protected]) or phone, 386.822.7330.

Admissions & Membership

Walk-in Visitors

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

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.