The Tallahassee Museum is not your typical museum. The mostly outdoor museum is packed with fun stuff for kids to do (and adults too) and lots of room to run around and explore. There are animals, a little farm, old Florida buildings, a train caboose you can climb into, a playground, zipline, and more. The atmosphere exudes beautiful old Florida with dripping cypress trees and oaks providing shade. Boardwalks wander through animal enclosures where you can see all sorts of Florida wildlife in their natural habitats. You might even glimpse a dinosaur peeking out of the swampy waters. The museum is great for a half-day adventure, picnic, birthday party or outdoor event, with the park hosting musical events and other activities throughout the week.
A Day at the Museum
Passes and Tickets
We have a yearly pass to the museum which is worth its weight in gold. Actually, it’s worth $75 for the friends and family pass but has paid for itself many times over. The pass comes with two free tickets and discounts to the zipline. A family pass comes with 2 membership cards and entry for up to 3 family members or friends with you, so if the grandparents are visiting they can get in for free.
Daily admission rates are $12 per adult and $9 for children ages 4-15. Kids 3 and under are free (yay!). Parking is free.
Parking and What to Bring
Our typical day at the museum starts as soon as they open to beat the Florida heat. The park opens daily from 9-5 except for Sundays when they open at 11 am. Parking is free in a shaded dirt and gravel lot. We bring a baby stroller as the museum is 52 acres and we tend to do a lot of walking. Lots of families bring wagons for multiple toddlers or small kids to sit in. Once our youngest is old enough to sit up on his own we plan on doing this. We already have a beach wagon that is easy to pull across the dirt and wooden boardwalks. A wagon is especially handy if you are bringing a cooler for a picnic lunch, or have lots of baby paraphernalia to carry around.
There are several water fountains and restrooms located throughout the park but it’s worth it to bring a water bottle as it gets hot.
Gift Shop
Once you get your tickets at the visitors center there is a small gift store with cards and puzzles and clothes that’s fun to look around while your family gets situated/takes last-minute bathroom breaks.
Farm Animals and Old Farm Buildings
We like to visit the farm animals first off. There are pigs, cows, chickens, sheep, and absolutely adorable goats that like to stand on tables. Keep an eye out for the infamous white squirrels. They like to roam around this area. Around the farm area are old buildings dating back to the 1880s. There’s a small garden and mules to look at too. Volunteers are always around to feed the animals and they’re happy to talk about them.
Snake Enclosure and Visiting Animals
After the farm, we like to check out the snake enclosure and the visiting animal area. The museum gets a visiting animal every few months or so. The most recent was the cutest creature called a Fennec fox. It looks like a tiny fox with big ears. If you’ve ever seen Zootopia, it’s this little guy:
Dinosaurs
Next, it’s time for dinosaurs! My daughter’s favorite is the giant pink dinosaur visible from the park entrance. Along a wide dirt trail are partially hidden dinosaurs made from old auto parts. If your kid loves dinosaurs they will love looking at all the life-size dinos. (Odds are if your kid is a kid they will also love the dinos.)
Artist Jim Gary created the dinos out of used car parts. Each dino has an info plate with its name and stats and a very handy pronunciation guide so you can sound smart when your child asks “What’s THAT?” “Why, it’s an al-o-SAUR-us!”
The last dinosaur is a plesiosaurus swimming in the water. You leave the dinosaurs behind and walk across a long wooden boardwalk over to the animal areas.
Animal Enclosures
The animal areas consist of several loops of boardwalks and trails winding their way through large zoo-like enclosures. The animals reside in their natural habitat. There are lots of informational plaques along the way to tell you about each animal. The sign by the fox area says, look up! There are foxes resting in trees, and there are!
You loop through foxes and skunks, deer and turkey, and big cats that eye you like you are their next snack. They have a bobcat, cougar, and Florida panther, and what the difference is I can never remember.
The wolves have a large area and hang out in the back. The black bear enclosure has a huge boardwalk over the water where you can see kayakers paddling Lake Bradford on one side and look over to the bear enclosure on the other side.
The bird enclosure has just recently been renovated. There are bald eagles and owls and other birds.
Caboose and Buildings
If you’re new to the museum and want to check out everything, this is a great time to wander over to the caboose. There are several buildings in that area that are fun to explore including a small plantation house, church, and old schoolhouse.
Playground and Trail Break Cafe
We usually save the playground for last. It’s located next to the Trail Break café, restrooms, and a water fountain. There is also a small outdoor amphitheater, picnic tables, and a shaded picnic pavilion popular for birthday parties. The playground is a great place to relax and let the kids run wild (if they have any energy left). It’s also a great location to check out the brave Tree-to-Tree Adventurers zipping and balancing from tree to tree.
Tree-to-Tree Adventures
The Tree-to-Tree Adventures is the Tallahassee Museum’s popular ziplining course. The course runs throughout the trees above the museum and includes different obstacles such as flying skateboard, hanging balance beams, and, of course, ziplines. Hours are 10-4 Wednesday through Saturday and 11-4 on Sundays. You must be at least 54 inches tall to participate. If your kids are not tall enough for the course, the museum also offers the Treemendous Adventures course for kids. Located in between the playground and farm area, it’s a smaller obstacle course for children 41-60 inches. It offers 11 obstacles and a zipline, and typically takes 30-45 minutes to complete. Definitely check it out, and if your child is too nervous at first, there are plenty of picnic tables and benches around to watch other kids complete the course and see how much fun they are having!
Helpful Info
Website: Tallahassee Museum
Location: 3945 Museum Dr
Tallahassee, FL 32310
(850) 575-8684