Nature on Display
The "Florida Fossils" exhibition was particularly appealing to me, especially the collections relating to marine life. The massive shark jaws and skeletons of prehistoric animals were very interesting and shockingly large. Being able to see the size of these creatures captured my attention immediately. The skeletons and sculptures helped me to understand the size Florida's first land animals, something I would not have really grasped through any other medium.
Nature and Ethics
The museum contained multiple signs informing visitors of ways that humans can both positively and negatively impact the environment. The "Our Energy Future" exhibit provides hands-on activities that allows you to learn about ways to reduce energy use at home. By demonstrating simple ways to conserve energy and by displaying the beauty of nature, the museum allows you to connect with nature and instills an ethical responsibility to protect and conserve it.
Nature and the Human Spirit
The "South Florida People & Environments" and the "Northwest Florida: Waterways & Wildlife" exhibits allow you to step out of your ordinary life and walk through a northwest Florida cave, stroll alongside the Apalachicola River, observe Florida's extensive tidal marshes and barrier islands up-close, and enter the palm-thatched Calusa leader's house during a political ceremony in the year 1564. The interactive and immersive exhibits of the museum allow you to submerge yourself in Florida's nature to discover organisms and people that you would not otherwise be able to see. This, in turn, allows us to better understand who we are and appreciate the majesty of the natural world.