Brevard Museum of History & Natural Science
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| www.myfloridahistory.org |
Brevard Museum of History & Natural Science
2201 Michigan Ave.
Cocoa, FL 32926
2201 Michigan Ave.
Cocoa, FL 32926
AT A
GLANCE: Brevard Museum of History & Natural Science
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Parking
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Plentiful and free
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Amount of time needed
to peruse exhibits:
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25-35 minutes
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Amount of time needed
for gift shop
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15 minutes
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Dress code
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Whatever you are
comfortable wearing
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Be sure to…..
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Really take some time
with the Windover Exhibit, and play with the Museum’s hands-on bone
identification station.
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Nearby/other
establishments to visit
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From Scratch
Restaurant
Ron Jon Surf Shop |
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Walkability, general
downtown area / amount of traffic
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This area is not
walkable for visitors. The Museum is
located in a suburban area, and further excursions require a car.
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Safety, in terms of
type and number of crimes committed in general area
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Imagine the safety you
feel in a suburban city block. It is generally
safe, yet it doesn’t hurt to lock your car and put valuables out of sight.
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The Brevard Museum of History & Natural Science is a small place that
tries to do too much, in my opinion. You
enter the exhibits to the left of the ticket counter into a room with a huge
skeleton. Don’t be afraid, it’s the
skeleton of a Giant Ground Sloth. They roamed
Florida during the Ice Age, traveling in herds.
The impressive jaws of a Great White Shark are nearby, as well as the
skeleton of a Saber-Tooth Cat, and a Mastodon.
This room has many fun photo opportunities.
The Museum has an exhibit that you should slow down and
read the placards, and that is the Windover Exhibit, which explains how ancient
skeletons were discovered, and what the Windover folks were like.
You will pass a citrus exhibit showcasing Florida’s
citrus exhibit, and an exhibit showing the history of “Crackers.” In Florida, the term “Cracker” refers to the
early settlers who came to Florida to raise cattle. Crackers got their name from the sound of a
whip (*crack*) used to drive cattle.
The Brevard Natural History Museum has a relatively
new exhibit presenting the Hubble Telescope.
It struck me as odd as to why the Museum selected that exhibit, being a
natural history museum. Take a few
minutes and marvel at the photography from the Hubble Telescope on
display.
You should be ready for the gift shop by this time,
which true to Florida tradition; you have to pass through to get to the exit.
The Museum’s gift shop takes up a goodly amount of space, considering the
overall size of the museum. They do a
good job with their selection of books, with the first book rack on your right
specializing in Florida’s native wildlife, birds, and other creatures. The next rack offers a selection regarding
local history. The space between the two
book displays small carvings and art by local artists. The last rack presents additional books
related to Florida’s wildlife with an emphasis on ocean dwellers and wetland
birds. The gift shop has souvenirs
representing the Space Industry, which is odd because the Kennedy Space Center
(KSC) is only 40 minutes away. The KSC
gift shops rank among the best, and is the place to go if you want Space
souvenirs. Note: The KSC gift shops are
scheduled to be reviewed in the upcoming months. Postcards are on a spinning rack in the
center of the gift shop, along with scatter pins and less expensive items for
children. T-shirts of various designs
and color are for sale in the cabinet on the far side of the gift shop, by the
exit.
I have mixed feelings about the Brevard Natural
History Museum’s gift shop. On the one
hand, it has many specialty books related to Florida’s local history and its
natural history. Conversely, it doesn’t
make good use of space. This gift shop
has potential. It’s time for lunch.
Get lunch at From Scratch, a restaurant specializing
in local dishes. If you’ve put off
trying grits, try them here. The
macaroni and cheese is incredible, too. I had both of these and couldn’t believe how
good they were. Their food prep area is
visible, so I chatted up the two chefs trying to gain insight on how they made
their food so good. My conversation went
like this:
Me: How do you get your mac and cheese to taste
so good?
Chef #1: It’s how you make it.
Me: Ok, how do you make it?
Chef #1: *smiles*
Me: What about your grits? They were about the best I ever had.
Chef #2: It’s how you stir it.
Me: I didn’t know that. How do you stir it?
Chef #2: *smiles*
Sigh…denied.
Here’s their website: http://www.fromscratch321.com/
Your best bet for quality shopping is in Cocoa
Beach, located across the Indian River from Cocoa. To those of you who are a certain age, you
may remember Cocoa Beach as the hometown of Major Nelson from the show “I Dream
of Jeannie.” There is a street in the
southern part of Cocoa Beach named for that show. You’ll recognize it when you see it.
Cocoa Beach has many “touristy” shops, but it has also
has a shop that you should plan to see:
Ron Jon Surf Shop. It’s a big
shop with two levels of surfing themed items such as actual surfboards, bathing
suits, shorts, dresses and much more.
Ron Jon’s has some cool items for the home, too. If you have a hankering for bamboo wind
chimes, this is the place. My friend,
Martha, had such a hankering when we visited Ron Jon’s. Martha is a classically trained musician, and
had to “test” every single bamboo wind chime.
She heard differences; I heard clunk, clunk, and clunk. My point is that there’s something for
everyone at Ron Jon’s. Plan to do some
early Christmas shopping here. http://www.ronjonsurfshop.com/location/detail.aspx?LocationId=7
The Museum is tucked away on a suburban street, and
I don’t want to discourage you from visiting the museum because of its
location. I highlight a restaurant and
and retail shopping in this post to encourage quality stops you can add to your
day’s agenda.
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