Florida Museum public exhibits close for expansion; plan is to reopen in late 2026

The Florida Museum of Natural History’s Powell Hall and its public exhibitions, including the “Butterfly Rainforest,” are temporarily closed for a large-scale expansion project.

“This is an unprecedented experience for all of us. We welcome the opportunity to engage with the community in new ways during the renovation and look forward to sharing the improved Florida Museum exhibition building with visitors when we reopen,” said Florida Museum director Douglas S. Jones.

The museum will continue to maintain an active and engaging presence in the area during the closure with a variety of unique off-site educational programs. Department of natural history research staff members, including 31 faculty members and hundreds of employees, will be unaffected by the construction project, and regular activities will continue in all 18 collections in Dickinson Hall, the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, and the Special Collections Building, which are not open to the public.

The expansion will update the building’s facade, classrooms and expand the Collectors Shop. A new exhibit space will focus on the value of science exploration and the importance of life on Earth through self-directed exploration and interactions with scientists. A two-story addition to the west side of Powell Hall will see the creation of additional offices and educational spaces for the Thompson Earth Systems Institute and the museum’s education department.