Florida has an extremely long history, reaching back millions of years, and there is a state-of-the-art free museum in Gainesville where it is all on display: The Florida Museum of Natural History.
Dynamic exhibits reach back to the Pliocene geologic era, 3 to 4 million years ago, when a land bridge formed joining North and South America. The “Great American Biotic Interchange” then took place, and many animals from South America eventually migrated to Florida. Humans arrived about 14,000 years ago and spread throughout the state.
There are fascinating exhibits, with full-size dioramas depicting each period of Florida’s long history, as well as reconstructions of ancient plants and animals, including the skeleton of an extinct mammoth and the actual skull of a saber-toothed tiger. Also exhibited are the rich archaeological and historical stories of Florida’s people, from the Paleoindians to the arrival of Europeans.
The Florida Museum of Natural History is currently closed for renovation and will reopen in 2026. In the meantime, there are several excellent online exhibits available.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is the executive producer.
