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Directions and Parking

Ticket Prices

Group Visits and Tours

Floor Plan Map

Hours

Butterfly Rainforest is open all year, seven days a week except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Please note: Last ticket sold 30 minutes prior to closing.

Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving & Christmas

• Cameras and camcorders are welcome. Tripods, monopods and commercial photography are prohibited.
• No food, drinks or gum permitted in Museum exhibits.
• Due to the limited width of the paths, backpacks and strollers are not permitted in the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit.
• All Museum exhibits are wheelchair accessible.

Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida Cultural Plaza
SW 34th Street and Hull Road
PO Box 112710
Gainesville, FL 32611-2710
(352) 846-2000

GPS coordinates: N29^o 38' 9.5" W82^o 22' 10.9"

Driving Directions

From Interstate 75: Take exit 384 and travel 1 mile east on State Road 24 (Archer Road). Turn north (left) on State Road 121 (SW 34th Street). Travel 3/4 mile to the third traffic signal. Turn east (right) on Hull Road. The entrance to the University of Florida Cultural Plaza is on the south (right) side of Hull Road.

From U.S. 441: Travel 2 miles west on State Road 24 (Archer Road). Turn north (right) on State Road 121 (SW 34th Street). Travel 3/4 mile to the third traffic signal. Turn east (right) on Hull Road. The entrance to the University of Florida Cultural Plaza is on the south (right) side of Hull Road.

From Jacksonville: Take I-10 west to US 301 South (exit 343) towards Starke staying on 301 to Waldo - 37.6 miles. From Waldo veer right (Gainesville sign) and drive 10 miles southwest on SR 24 (becomes Waldo Road in Gainesville) to the junction of SR 222/NE 39th Avenue. Turn west (right) onto SR 222/NE 39th Avenue. Cross over Main Street and then US 441/NW 13th Street. Continue to NW 34th Street. Turn south (left) and travel 3.5 miles to the traffic signal at Hull Road. Turn east (left) onto Hull Road. The entrance to the University of Florida Cultural Plaza is on the south (right) side of Hull Road.

Bus Routes

Off Campus: Use Regional Transit System (RTS) Routes 20, 21 or 34. See the RTS web site for detailed routes and schedules.

UF Campus: During the Fall and Spring semesters, use the "Harn Park & Ride #1" (Lakeside) route. See the RTS web site for detailed routes and schedules.

Parking

Reserved parking for museum visitors - excluding University holidays - is $4 per day (cash only), 8:45 am - 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The reserved parking area is immediately east and north of the Harn Museum of Art in the UF Cultural Plaza. Please see attendant in gated booth.

Parking is free on weekends and State holidays.

Designated parking spaces are available for visitors with disabilities.

Bus Parking

Please see Visitor Services while dropping off passengers in front of the museum.

• All prices subject to change.
• We accept cash, Travelers Checks, American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover.
• All tickets are for that day only. Re-entry with ticket stub, wristband or hand stamp.
• Butterfly Rainforest is an outdoor exhibit. NO REFUNDS for inclement weather.
• Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult when visiting Butterfly Rainforest.
• The Florida Museum's Admission Assistance Program provides financial assistance to economically disadvantaged school children, other individuals and community groups. For more information, please call (352) 273-2057.

  Learn more about the benefits of Membership...

* Donations are accepted for the Florida Museum of Natural History; suggested amounts are $6 for adults and $4 for children. Admission donations help support the Museum's exhibitions and education programs. The Museum accepts cash, charge or checks made payable to UF Foundation.

** Discounts cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.

BUTTERFLY RAINFOREST EXHIBIT ANNUAL PASS

The Butterfly Rainforest Annual Pass Program will be discontinued on Dec. 1, 2009. All current passes will be honored through the expiration date printed on the card. We appreciate all of our patrons that helped support the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit through the purchase of an Annual Pass.

Still interested in supporting and receiving unlimited free admission to the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit? Sign up for a MembershipPlus today! A portion of your dues goes to support the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit.

Get a detailed map of the Museum along with descriptions of current and upcoming exhibits:

Download the Florida Museum Floor Plan Map (PDF)

Visit seven ports of call along the most biologically diverse river in the world, the Amazon. Encounter amazing creatures including notorious piranhas, enormous anacondas, beautiful stingrays and mysterious pink dolphins. Investigate the region's incredible biodiversity through hands-on activities, original artifacts, live fish in uniquely designed tanks and participate in a celebration of the Amazon River! Learn More...

This addition to the Florida Museum is dedicated to research and education about butterflies, moths and global biodiversity. The Butterfly Rainforest is a four-story, outdoor screened enclosure with waterfalls, a walking trail, lush subtropical and tropical plants and hundreds of live butterflies. Learn More...

Cultural Plaza Friday Night Sights

Round out your UF Football experience on the Friday night before the Gators take on FSU! Enjoy a performance at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Prior to the performance, see the collection of international art at the Harn Museum of Art and explore the natural world here at the Florida Museum. Both museums are extending their hours to 7 p.m. Learn More...

11th Annual Trashformations Art Show

 Ever wonder how milk jugs can morph into beautiful wading birds, or how gears and gadgets can become gigantic bugs? See middle, high school and college students transform 'waste' into recycled art! The awards ceremony and reception are on Friday, Nov. 20 from 5 - 9 p.m. and the Florida Museum will display winning entries through Dec. 6

Museum Announces Search for Three New Curators

The Florida Museum of Natural History, located at the University of Florida, is one of the country's premier museums dedicated to studying biological and cultural diversity. Qualified applicants are invited to apply for three tenured or tenure-track positions in Archaeology, Invertebrate Paleontology and Lepidoptera. Learn More...

Donation of Butterfly Collection Will Boost Biodiversity Research

 A gift of more than 2 million butterfly and moth specimens to the Museum from Dr. William and Nadine McGuire contains hundreds and possibly more than 1,000 new unnamed species, and will help researchers better understand biodiversity and environmental changes. The gift brings the number of specimens in the Museum's collection to more than 9 million, one of the world's largest. Learn More...

Calling All Collectors!

 Crazy about toy cars or have a monstrous collection of microscopes? Please join us for the 31st Annual Collectors Day and share your collection with the community on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The application form below must be submitted by Dec. 30, 2009.

31st Annual Collectors Day Online Application

Science Stories is an ongoing series featuring Florida Museum natural science research.

 Researchers have used plant fossils discovered in Colombia to provide the first reliable evidence of how Neotropical rainforests looked 58 million years ago. They found many of today's dominant plant families – including legumes, palms, avocado and banana – have maintained their ecological dominance despite major changes in climate and geology. Learn More...