What's a museum without exhibit galleries? Though some national park units have visitor centers and museums with extensive exhibits of objects from the park's museum collection and archives, in the five south Florida parks, we don't. Instead, visitors will see objects in a few display cases at De Soto National Memorial, Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, and Dry Tortugas National Park. There are many reasons for this limited display of original artifacts, such as vulnerability to hurricanes, heat, and humidity. Since the vast majority of our collections remain, and will always remain, safely locked behind closed doors in Everglades National Park, Tallahassee, Florida, and other locations, we offer to the public virtual exhibits through this museum portal.
Virtual Exhibits

Well before the creation of Everglades National Park, people lived in Flamingo.This unique place has provided beauty and inspiration.

Florida women led the effort and owned Royal Palm State Park, created in 1916 and the nucleus for the eventual Everglades National Park.

The Anhinga Trail archeological site is an ancient Native American fishing and hunting site located in Everglades National Park.

Mission 66 was a nationwide program in the mid-1900s to modernize facilities in the national park system, including Everglades.

This exhibit celebrates the establishment of Everglades National Park through a series of handsomely illustrated first-day covers.

These works of art tell the story of the first 100 years of the NPS, including Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park.

Screenshot of Google Arts and Culture Florida National Parks exhibit page, featuring a multicolored painting by Charley Harper
Other Area Museum Exhibits
Visitors to south Florida interested in seeing museum exhibits about life and nature in south Florida may wish to visit these museums:
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Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum: Nestled in the heart of the Everglades on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is home to more than 180,000 unique artifacts, archival items and experiences. Come and learn about the Seminole people and their rich cultural and historical ties to the Southeast and Florida, as they have made Big Cypress their home for thousands of years.
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Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center: Enter the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center and take a journey into the world of the native plants and animals of the Keys, both on land and underwater. Leave with an increased awareness and appreciation of the need to protect and conserve the ecosystem of South Florida. The Center features over 6,000 square feet of interactive and dynamic exhibits including a mock-up of Aquarius, the world's only underwater ocean laboratory.
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Miccosukee Indian Village: Just 30 minutes west of Miami-Dade County, experience how the Miccosukee Indian Tribe existed and still exists in ‘The Heart of the Florida Everglades.’ Visit the Miccosukee Indian Village and let our experienced guides take you on a tour of our history, culture and lifestyle. See a variety of demonstrators and displays from woodcarving to patchwork, beadwork, basket weaving and doll making. Get up close to the Florida Alligator and learn how the species has thrived in the Everglades for centuries. History and culture are reflected through our renovated Indian Museum. A short film and historical artifacts are also highlighted.
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Museum of the Everglades: The Museum of the Everglades, located in historic Everglades City, is devoted to displaying local history from early Native American times to the present. Permanent exhibits tell the story of adventurers stubborn enough to persevere in Southwest Florida's "Last Frontier". The Pauline Reeves Gallery offers monthly exhibits from local and regional artists. The Museum of the Everglades is part of the Collier County Museums system.
Occasionally the South Florida Collections Management Center will loan items from the south Florida national park units to these and other museums for special exhibits. We will post notices here of opportunities to view our collections on exhibit in institutions outside our parks.
Last updated: November 3, 2023