Florida
Below is an alphabetical list of places throughout Florida offering educational opportunities to children and families. If you would like to narrow your search to places in your area, please enter your city in the search box. If you know of a great place to go, please let us know so we can share it with other homeschoolers!
For a complete list of Florida state parks, visit the Florida State Parks official website. In addition, the Florida Association of Museums offers a searchable database of more than 340 Florida museums.
Historic Spanish Point offers fun and educational programs for all ages throughout the year. Students can learn about the prehistoric and pioneer past of southwest coastal Florida through their unique program featuring costumed docents, a weaving project, storytelling, a guided tour of the historic site, and even a hands-on archaeological dig. This program supports the state’s curriculum for social studies, grade level equivalency, FCAT testing, and Florida Writes! (Osprey)
LEGOLAND Florida is a 150-acre interactive theme park in Winter Haven, Florida, dedicated to families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. With more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, LEGOLAND is geared towards family fun! LEGOLAND also offers Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs for groups of 15 or more that include LEGO building, applied learning on life-sized machines, teacher guides, 45 minute educational sessions, and full day admission. (Winter Haven)
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a not-for-profit institution fostering understanding and appreciation of tropical plants, especially epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants), through programs of research, conservation, education and display. Selby Gardens is perhaps best known for its living collection of more than 6,000 orchids.The 9.5-acre bayfront property is an open-air and under-glass museum of more than 20,000 colorful plants, many collected in the wild on over 150 scientific expeditions to tropical rain forests by Selby Gardens research staff. Seven greenhouses are the heart of botanical research and plant identification, for which Selby Gardens is internationally recognized. (Sarasota)
The Museum of Discovery and Science offers over 200 fascinating interactive exhibits. See sharks and the largest living Atlantic coral reef in captivity, hang out with bats, be charmed by a 12-foot snake, plus pet alligators, turtles and iguanas. Explore our new 11,000 square foot nature trail and learn about Florida's amazing Everglades in the Living in the Everglades exhibit. Discover our place in aerospace at Runways to Rockets, our new space exhibit, and take a simulated trip to the Moon or Mars. Make it a play date at the Discovery Center, designed especially for children under seven. (Fort Lauderdale)
The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) is the largest science center in the south, and home to Florida’s only IMAX® Dome Theatre. MOSI also includes Kids in Charge! The newest and largest children’s science center in the nation. MOSI’s facility, located in Tampa, Florida, encompasses over 400,000 square feet and includes a Planetarium, a Science Works Theater, and hands on exhibits. They offer many programs, including homeschool programs. You won't want to miss this one! (Tampa)
The Orlando Art Museum offers a variety of art classes and daily gallery activities. Their classes offer something for every budding artist! Located in Orlando, Florida. Please visit their website for more information. (Orlando)
The Osceola County Historical Society presents the Pioneer Village & Museum. Located in northwestern Osceola County, Florida, its grounds feature several late-19th century structures that depict life when citrus was king, Crackers ruled the scrub, and everyone lived simply off the land and their ingenuity. Take self-guided or group tours of their authentic Cracker House, General Store, Blacksmith's Shop, One-Room Schoolhouse, and Citrus Packing House. (Kissimmee)
Dozens of fun, hands-on interactive exhibits based on scientific principles challenge visitors' ideas about science and technology at the the South Florida Science Museum . Interactive exhibits show you how to create clouds, generate electricity with a bike, marvel at optical illusions, and build and control your own robot! Natural history exhibits feature "Suzie," a 22,000 year-old mastodon found in Palm Beach County. Also, authentic and reproduction skeletons of whales, sharks and dinosaurs bring history to life. Native and exotic sea life from warm waters around the world populate the museum's aquariums, while an acre of naturally landscaped outdoor trails features over a dozen original interactive exhibits. Exciting laser shows and star shows thrill young and old alike in the Marvin Dekelboum Planetarium. (West Palm Beach)
Come see why The Florida Aquarium is ranked in the top 10 Aquariums in the country by TripAdvisor.com and ranked in the top 5 "Kid-Friendly Aquariums" by Parents Magazine! They have many exhibits and activities and offer many programs, including a homeschool program. (Tampa)
Teach beyond the classroom! The Van Wezel Schooltime Performances present high quality, nationally and internationally renowned artists and performances for area students. These theatrical adventures bring curriculum to life! Programs are carefully selected to correspond with the Sunshine State Standards and the Sarasota County Curriculum. Schooltime Performances run from October through April. (Sarasota)
Learning is fun for the whole family at the Imaginarium Hands-On Museum and Aquarium. Touch live sea life, be blown away by a hurricane, run through a rainstorm! Your admission package to the Imaginarium provides hours of fun and entertainment for the entire family through hands-on science exhibits. You will enjoy the new 3-D film, SOS Planet, a hands-on experience at our marine touch tank with stingrays and more, exhibits displaying live fish, sharks, turtles, swans, and iguanas, daily Hands-On Fun Shows with LIVE animals, the opportunity to become a TV weather forecaster in our mini-studio, the Sporty Science Arena, a virtual sports simulator, and so much more! (Fort Myers)
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo features natural outdoor exhibits for more than 2,000 animals from Florida and similar habitats include a Native Florida Wildlife Center and manatee hospital, Asian Gardens, Primate World, Free-Flight Aviaries, Wallaroo Station children's zoo, and Safari Africa. The Zoo also features rides, shows and hands-on interactive exhibits designed to give you a WILD experience. Homeschool classes are offered in the Spring. (Tampa)
The Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS) is the primary art, history and science museum in Central Florida. Located on a 90-acre Florida nature preserve in Daytona Beach, the 86,000 square foot facility is host to over 30,000 objects including the finest collection of American Art in the southeast, the largest collection of Cuban art outside of Cuba, a significant Chinese art collection, and Florida's prehistoric Giant Ground Sloth. Also on display, is Coca-Cola entrepreneur Chapman Root’s lifetime collection of Americana, including two private rail cars. The museum’s theater, planetarium, and children’s center make for a truly interactive experience. (Daytona)
The Museum of Science and History (MOSH) is a nonprofit organization that provides an educational and entertaining environment for all ages. They offer hands-on exhibits, activities, programs, and fieldtrips. (Jacksonville)
Visit the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum and see permanent exhibits that include displays and artifacts devoted to Citrus County’s pre-history and its pioneer days, and to more recent developments, such as the impact of the citrus and film industries on Central Florida. Traveling exhibits, such as Florida Cowboys: The Last Frontier, come to the museum on a regular basis. The Museum Store offers hard-to-find books about Florida history, ecology, and geology, as well as gift items. Admission is free! (Inverness)
The Orlando Science Center offers hands-on fun for all ages through engaging interactive exhibits, live programming, giant-screen films, school field trips and school-break camps. (Orlando)
On April 15th 2011, the Junior Museum of Bay County officially became the Science & Discovery Center of Northwest Florida. Dedicated to promoting Science, Technology, engineering and Math (STEM) based programming, the Science and Discovery Center's new mission is to educate and inspire children and adults through hands-on, interactive exhibits and programs that promote discovery of science, technology, and history. (Panama City)
The Tampa Bay History Center is offers a new, 60,000-square-foot History Center in Tampa’s bustling Channelside district. Take a journey through 12,000 years of powerful stories and follow in the footsteps of the first native inhabitants, Spanish conquistadors, pioneers, presidents, sports legends and railroad tycoons. Stroll through a 1920’s-era cigar store and explore exhibits about the places and people who shaped the Tampa Bay area. The four-floor History Center boasts a stunning atrium, interactive and immersive exhibits, theaters, map gallery, research center, event hall, museum store and the internationally acclaimed Columbia Cafe. (Tampa)
The Pier Aquarium is a private, not-for-profit aquarium and marine education science center located in downtown St. Petersburg at The Pier on the waterfront. Discover our fun, interactive Fresh Fish Theater featuring live creatures from Tampa Bay and around the world. The action - and drama - never stops with our daily 1-4pm Touch Tank Experience and fish feeding. Students and teachers can experience the marine environment up close and personal through our innovative award-winning education programs on land and at sea. (St. Petersburg)
