PALM BAY, Fla., Oct. 25, 2026 —

If you were hoping to stand next to a giant mastodon skeleton in Tallahassee this fall, you'll have to wait. The Museum of Florida History is temporarily closed due to maintenance at the R. A. Gray Building, where construction is underway on the plaza level above its exhibit galleries. The Florida Department of State, which runs the museum, says the Knott House Museum is also closed for renovations.

The good news: history didn't stop. During the closure, the museum has become a "Museum on the Move", offering hands-on activities, online resources and programs, lectures, educational outreach, and even exhibits and displays at off-site locations.

Lunch with a side of history: Oct. 27

The museum's monthly lunchtime lecture series, History at High Noon, features casual talks by local experts. The next one is Tuesday, Oct. 27, from noon to 12:45 p.m.: "Cascades Park: A Journey Through the Centuries."

Brennan Jammer, education coordinator of the Grove Museum, will trace more than four centuries of life connected to the 24-acre park site, with themes including early settlement, civic remembrance and environmental redevelopment. The talk is at the Union Bank Museum, 219 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, and it is free and open to the public. The museum notes that the location of each lecture may change from month to month, so check before future talks.

Art from the orange grove: Florida Citrus Labels

Can't get to Tallahassee? South Floridians can see a piece of the state collection closer to home. Through Dec. 31, the Wray Home Museum at Flamingo Gardens in Davie is hosting the Museum of Florida History's traveling exhibition, Florida Citrus Labels.

The exhibit features twenty-four citrus packing-crate labels that represent the thousands used in Florida between the late 1800s and the 1960s. Long before Instagram, these bold, bright labels were Florida's advertising. The host venue says the artwork helped to create and sustain a favorable image of Florida, linking the state with health, wealth and beauty.

If you go: The exhibit is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 3750 South Flamingo Road in Davie. Flamingo Gardens admission is $24 for ages 12 and up and $17 for ages 3 to 11, and children 2 and younger get in free. The museum visit is included in admission.

Bring an exhibit to your town

The museum's TREX program offers traveling exhibits designed to bring Florida history to life in your community, available to educational and cultural institutions nationwide. Teachers, libraries and local museums can ask about booking one.

What's waiting when it reopens

When the doors open again, the permanent galleries cover over 14,000 years of Florida history: a mastodon skeleton, a Spanish ship, a citrus packing house, a recreated steamboat and stories of Florida's World War II home front. The museum has not posted a reopening date. For updates, call 850-245-6400.

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