The Gillespie Museum

The museum is open through May 29, with lots of new things to see and do for folks of all ages!  Come check us out during regular hours Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  We will be closed June and July, reopening in mid August.

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date on all Gillespie Museum and Volusia Sandhill happenings.

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 outdoor 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 multi-use 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 posts on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter/X (click the link buttons below).  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

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Stay tuned for updates about Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 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.)

Now Open! - Minerals of the Tri-State Mining District - Come see our newest exhibit about this geologically and historically significant region of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas, featuring minerals on loan from the private collections of Gillespie friends and consultants Gary Maddox of Apalachee Minerals and Sam Upchurch, former Professor & Chairman of Geology, University of South Florida.

Now Open! - From Jeweler's Daughter to Museum Founder - Our Nellie Gillespie exhibit - which began as an entry in the Brown Museum of Arts & Sciences International Day of Women and Girls in Science event on February 7, 2026 - opened as an expanded display in the Gillespie this March in honor of Women's History Month. Come learn more about our own Nellie Gillespie, one of the Gillespie Museum founders!

New Fall 2025! Treasures Out of the Attic - featuring lost treasures and fascinating oddities that our curation team has recently uncovered from the depths of Gillespie Collection storage! Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.

Now Open! The Nature Nook - This new permanent exhibit and gallery space features the nature photography of Ray Johnson, along with an ongoing touch table, artifacts, and nature activities. Come check it out in the Rinker Environmental Learning Center (RELC) adjacent to the museum! (Open during regular museum hours except when classes, field trips, and special events are in session.) See museum front desk for info.

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.

Florida Formations - 500 million years of Florida geology - This permanent exhibit is a tale of the state's past environments and climates as told through its distinctive rock units and associated fossils. Cultural Credit available for Stetson undergraduates.

Outdoors and 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.

Join us for upcoming Volusia Sandhill events!

Summer Hours

• Open through May 29, Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• The museum will be CLOSED for summer break during June and July.
• We will reopen by appointment from August 4-19, with full reopening for Fall 2026 on August 20.

The museum will also be CLOSED during the following 2026-27 academic holidays: Fall Break (October 8-9); Veterans Day (November 11); Stetson University Values Day (November 12); Thanksgiving Holiday (November 25-27); Winter Break (December 8-January 11); Spring Holidays (March 8-12); Good Friday (March 26); and Stetson Showcase (April 13).  

Staff may be reached by email ([email protected]) or phone 386-822-7330. Stay tuned to our website and subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date on all Gillespie Museum and Volusia Sandhill happenings!

Admissions and 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, subscriptions 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 and 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.