All About Elephants offers an inside look into the world of elephants past, present, and future. Offering school programs, clinics, and lectures, it is an up close and personal look at these great creatures as they roam in free-style enclosures. Together with our team of experts, you can help with our mission to provide care and a home for all needy elephants while learning, teaching, and instilling awareness about them. We also provide an inside look at a variety of other species of animals domestic and exotic. Our museum has a large collection of fossils, artifacts, and elephant memorabilia sure to amaze young and old alike.

Educational tours are held every day but Thursdays; by appointment only. Tours can be booked for individuals, families or for large groups. (Schools, camps, scouts, day cares, churches, etc.)

The tour is a guided tour where we will talk about the animals and answer questions. We will also have demonstrations as well as a visit to our museum and gift shop. Visitors will also see our Grant Zebras Piere and Tache, African Spurthighed Tortoises Bert And Ernie, Red Foot Tortoises Daisy and Rosy, Ostrich Katherine, Emu Peepers, Cockatoo Bob, and Amazon Parrot Murphy. Access to our picnic area can be arranged (inquire when making reservations). The tour will run an hour and a half to two hours. Tour times vary according to our animal’s schedules and seasons.

Rates: $20/ adult and $10/ child 9 and under, 2 and under are free. Group rates available


www.allaboutelephants.com

Check the website for class schedules
Ages 8 and up
Fees vary by class

The Cade Museum brings programs and events to our community to inspire creative thinking, future inventors and early entrepreneurs. We connect those who would like to invent with those who are already well on their way. We work to increase students' knowledge of and love for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) in a way that they can apply to their own passions for creating, inventing and experimenting.

Program Director: Patty Lipka plipka@cademuseum.org
Click here to see a class schedule

River Ranch Water park features water and land activities including: •15,000 sq. ft. wave pool •600 ft. lazy river •Water slide •Volleyball courts •Many other recreational & aquatic (water) activities. River Ranch is available for use for group events by reservation, Sunday through Friday from 9am – 6pm, with evening sessions available Sunday through Thursday from 7pm – 11pm. Our normal operating season runs from mid April through August. River Ranch is available to groups of all sizes and types.

www.riverranchwaterpark.com

We are primarily a conservation and educational facility and we rescue exotic animals in need. We also have a rehabilitation license for native wildlife. We provide educational opportunities and activities for a wide variety of people including school groups, college and vet students, 4H groups, and continuing education for veterinarians. Every visitor gets information about the different species we have. Every tour stresses important facts about conservation and preservation and the balance of nature. We serve as a continuing education facility for student volunteers of all ages. Special tours available for all school, camp and church children's groups.

contact@cswildlife.org
www.carsonspringswildlife.org

Self-guided tour: Pick up a brochure and enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the authentic working farm. The homestead consists of 18 buildings, including the family farmhouse with original furnishings, a 1880's kitchen outbuilding, a general store, post office, and a functional cane syrup complex. See costumed interpreters working the farm in the lifestyle of the 1880's to 1940's as they perform daily chores, work the crops, and tend to livestock.

Historic tours: Join us on a tour that will teach you about a way of life post Civil War to mid-1940’s. Discover an authentic working farm and learn about how this farm was operated by a Floridian family, the Dudleys. Follow a park staff or docent in period clothing as they talk about the homestead consisting of eighteen restored buildings, the farm animals, the gardens and the local history. 11:00 am., every 2nd Sat, Oct - May.

Guided-tours: School groups and organizations must make reservations for tours one month in advance. Groups are limited to 40 people. Please call the park office for group tour guidelines and information.


www.friendsofdudleyfarm.org

Self Guided School Group Visits Self-guided visits are suitable for any school groups that prefer to visit the Museum without the benefit of docents or staff. Reservationsare required for all self-guided visits of 10 or more students to ensure a positive experience for your group. A staff member will greet your group and facilitate check-in. After that, your group leaders are entirely responsible for the educational experience of the students. Exhibit & Educator Guides are available for each of the permanent exhibits and many of the temporary exhibits. They contain information about the exhibits, discussion questions, classroom activities and related resources.

Guided School Programs: Join our museum docents for hands-on classroom activities and interactive walks through our state-of-the-art exhibits and outdoor natural areas! We offer six different themed programs; five are indoor and one is outdoor. The programs are individualized to provide age appropriate activities. Please check the website for specific details on each program.

1 hour programs are available at 10AM and 11:15 AM
Rates range from $3 to $5 per student. One chaperone per ten students is admitted free of charge.

www.flmnh.ufl.edu

The Fur, Feathers & Fins program allows children to learn about the characteristics and habitats of fish, reptiles, birds and small animals.   Lessons in science, math and geography come to life through this hands-on field trip.   As students develop a respect for animals, they will also develop a greater sense of responsibility.

Trained tour leaders modify the field trips to be grade appropriate.   The FREE Fur, Feathers & Fins field trip will help children in grades K-8 develop and enhance skills in:
  -Basic needs for animal care
  -Animal habitats and characteristics
  -Environmental issues and animal survival
  -Animal respect
  -Math, reading and science



Click here for more information
www.petco.com

In a cooperative project with the Alachua Astronomy club, artist Elizabeth Indianos created monuments to represent the planets of our solar system.   Each of the ten, fourteen foot tall concrete monoliths is covered with tactile and visual information including: scientific facts, symbols and poetry.   The linear path of monoliths stretches along 8th Avenue, spaced in ratios of the actual distances between the planets on a scale of 4 billion to 1.


www.floridastars.org/solarwalk/solarwalk.html
www.gvlculturalaffairs.org/website/services/APPT/APPT_projects.html

Animals improve our quality of life.  If you know someone who would be encouraged by a visit from one of our special horses, please contact us.  Our horses work with children and adults in hospitals, hospice, assisted care facilities, group homes or confined at home.  We also work with at risk and abused children, foster children and adults and children with disabilities.  Each visit is different.  We adjust the time and activities to the needs of the participants.  With children we often bring stuffed toy horses and our Gentle Carousel coloring book as a gift.  If Gentle Carousel participants would like photographs taken with our horses, we will make sure there is a photographer available.

Reading is Magic Program: Many children have never seen a horse up close or touched a horse but they dream of it!  Gentle Carousel's reading incentive program for elementary schools and preschools is called Reading Is Magic.  Gentle Carousel Therapy Horses with the help of "Magic" and friends bring real horses inside classrooms and libraries to inspire young readers.  Reading Is Magic has a special focus on struggling or at risk readers.  Poor readers are at increased risk for dropping out of school, substance abuse, delinquency and poverty.


jgarciab@bellsouth.net
www.horse-therapy.org

As a family of teachers, Greathouse Butterfly Farm has a soft spot for educators. In the 10 years since we started farming butterflies, we have made it our mission to inform public and private school students about butterflies and the environment. We are working on grade-specific curricula to help Florida's teachers. Greathouse Butterfly Farm produces Grow-A-Butterfly Kits, Adopt-A-Butterfly Kits, Butterfly Hatcheries and Painted Lady larvae cultures for teachers. Classes and groups come to our farm for educational field trips where they learn about butterflies, insects, plants and recycling. We also bring Greathouse Butterfly Farm to your school with our classroom presentation, library presentation or our stage performance. Greathouse Butterfly Farm is committed to sharing our love for Florida's butterflies and its natural history with generations to come.

Programs at the Farm: Students will explore a butterfly farm and demonstration gardens where they will learn more about the life cycle of a butterfly and that all living things have basic needs, such as air, food and water. They will also gain a better understanding of how important camouflage and adaptive methods are for survival. Please visit the website for details on programs available to come to your school or library.


www.greathousebutterflyfarm.com

Kirby's Farm is home to Florida's Largest Private Railroad! There is a REAL train on the farm! Climb aboard history on the pride of the farm, The Kirby Farm Railroad. Our train’s history dates back to the Denver and Rio Grande Western, the original narrow gauge to steam through the Rocky Mountains! But the railroad is just one part of the vision we have. We are excited about introducing our educational farm. We focus on educating today’s kids, and helping families build memories that will last a lifetime! Being developed under the direction of a local passionate elementary school teacher, the farm will be an unforgettable experience for you and your children to come back to again, and again!

www.kirbyfarm.com

Kiwanis Safety City is a partnership between Gainesville Fire Rescue and the Kiwanis Club of Gainesville.  It is a 2 acre facility with a opening pavillion, fire station/ city hall, and a bike building.  We offer fire safety, 9-1-1 calling information, bike and pedistrian safety, passenger safety, and electrical safety.  The facility is open to all members of the community and member groups.

Hours: By appointment; Monday through Saturday.

PCW classes are taught on site at daycares and preschools only.  Our Program is for Boys and Girls (beginning at age 3) giving them a chance to experience dance and theatre in a fun and loving atmosphere among their peers.  We are the only dance program that exclusively uses certified professionals in the field of dance and dance education to teach young children.  In all classes your child will learn to move, create shapes with his/her body, and pantomime using proper technique that is developmentally age-appropriate and specific.


LPCWnorthernfl@yahoo.com
www.lpcw.com

We provide a unique educational setting, permitting students and visitors close viewing of animals in a working conservation center environment. Our education programming is available to students and groups of all age ranges. We provide school and private group programs on site and occasionally offer local school or event outreach programs. Students gain an appreciation of bats, their habitats and ecosystem dynamics.

Lubee is open for school/private tours on Monday - Saturday, from 12.30pm to 4pm. We prefer to schedule group tours on THURSDAYS, so please select a Thursday if at all possible. Tours of the Center are by appointment only. A tour lasts approximately 1 to 1.5 hours in total, and consists of a 20 min presentation on “ Bats are Superheroes”, introducing the world of bats, their basic biology, and the ecological role bats play in our environment. This is followed by a 30-45 min visit thru the Bat Center to see the bats – including Large flying foxes with wingspans of over 5 ft. Students will interact with keepers and be able to ask questions.


info@lubee.org
www.lubee.org

School groups will learn about the history of Gainesville and Alachua County, the Matheson family and the Museum's collections in a docent-led interactive tour. Some tours may include an architectural walking tour of the Southeast Historic District's Victorian-era homes. Teachers may download the Matheson Museum?s Curriculum Guide, a teacher?s introduction to the tour experience with suggestions for pre- and post-activities for the classroom. A student activity packet, with games and puzzles about area history, will soon be available on-line. In addition, the Matheson Museum offers tours by appointment only to school groups, families and adults.

www.mathesonmuseum.org

We offer more than a dozen animal and nature themed programs. Morningside Nature Center is the home base for much of the programming Nature Operations Division offers. However, programming is also available at a number of nature parks throughout Gainesville as well as at a school or center. Programs are designed to meet the developmental needs of the grade. Some programs are offered only part of the year while others are offered year round. All programs will include time outdoors. Please come prepared to be outside—rain or shine! Programs take place at a number of Gainesville’s nature parks. Visit website for details.

Rates vary by program. Visit website for details

www.natureoperations.org

There are three types of advanced appointments: Guided Zoo Tour at either 9:30, 10:30 or 11:30 a.m. (depending on availability), Planetarium Show or Combination (Zoo Tour & Planetarium Show) Advanced scheduled Zoo Tours and/or Planetarium shows are available on the same day depending upon the schedule so advanced scheduling is required. Our tour guides are the students enrolled in the Zoo Animal Technolgy program and we work around their class schedules. The guided tour of the Teaching Zoo takes approximately 45-minutes to one-hour. Planetarium shows are available and can be either 60-minutes to 90-minutes depending on the show. The actual show itself may only be 30-minutes or 60-minutes but we allow 15-minutes before a show for seating and lighting and another 15-minutes at the end of a show for a question/answer session.

Rates
Groups visiting Zoo Only: $4 per student & chaperone
Groups visiting Planetarium Only: $4 per student & chaperone
Groups visiting Zoo & Planetarium: $7 per student & chaperone

www.sfcollege.edu

Skunkie Acres Zoo is open from 10 a.m. until Dark Daily, Holidays included.   We welcome School Groups, Daycares, and Field Trips.  There is no Admission charge to our Zoo.   We have many different animals for you to enjoy.   Come and visit with our newest addition "Mariah Wind" our Cougar.   Visit with Amara and Gustah, our Columbian Wolves, Bandit the Raccoon, Foxy Lady, Rita, and Fang, our Foxes.  We have Deer, Possum, Armiddilo, African Tortosises, and don't forget our Skunks.   Meet Billy our mascot or one of our other many colored Skunks.   The Zoo is run entirely on your Donations.   We accept donations of cash, animal feed, bedding, etc...

Trail Rides We have 1 Hour Horseback Trails for $20.00 per person and a 2 Hour Trail which is $35.00 per person.   These are very scenic and Beautiful Trails and there is always the chance to see some of Florida's Wildlife.   We also have a 3 Hour Trail which goes down by the Beautiful Suwannee River for $50.00 per person.   Children are welcome on our trails however children under the age of 16 must wear helmets per State Law.   We have Helmets available for your use at no charge.   Children 5 and under can ride with a responsible adult on the same horse for no additional fee.   All Proceeds from Trail Rides goes to help support the Animal Rescue and Zoo.

School Programs and Field Trips Our Objective here at Skunkie Acres, Inc. is to educate Children about animals here in our State of Florida and also about animals from around the world.   Children receive hands on educations about animals and lessons on the importance of animals to our world. Our Goal is to interest the School System in affordable and educational field trips right here in Northern Florida.   We have something for all ages from Horseback Riding to a Walk Thru Zoo, to Petting Farms and much much more.We have a spacious tent with seating to rest or to enjoy your lunch upon. We also have available an exotic zoo with benches available.   We also have ample parking and can handle bus parking.   Each of our field trips will have a guided tour by a professional guide and animal handler with questions and answers.   Flyers will be presented to all children and chaperones.   There is a minimum of 1 Chaperone for every 10 Children.   Our intentions will be to try to keep the age groups in their selected locations.   Children will also learn the importance of cleanliness when interacting with animals.   We stress the importance of hand washing when handling animals.   We have several hand washing/sanitizing stations available throughout our animal areas.We have specific days for horseshoeing and farriering.   Horseback lessons are available but are not included in our field trips.

Parties Our Birthday Parties include unlimited Pony Rides and Bounce Castle Rides.   We have a covered picnic area complete with tables which is decorated in either blue or pink for your child.   We provide guided tours thru our Zoo for the children and they even get to hold a Skunk.   The Birthday child gets his/her 8x10 Framed picture on a minature buckboard pulled by a minature horse.   We provide the plates, napkins, and forks.   You bring the cake and ice cream.   We do not charge for adults attending the party we only charge for the children.


www.skunkieacres.com

The Museum of Entomology (FSCA) is open to researchers from all over the world, and tours by local school classes and individuals are available. Please feel free to contact us and request information on receiving a tour. The FSCA has been designated as the central repository for terrestrial and non-marine arthropods for the State of Florida. Among the 22,400 drawers, 352,221+ slides, and 294,200+ vials of the Museum of Entomology, are an estimated 9 million prepared specimens including 3,500 primary and at least 15,000 secondary types. Millions more specimens are in 33,000 bulk alcohol containers and various dry samples. These, together with the other holdings, place the FSCA among the top 10 North American entomological collections. In addition, the FSCA includes extensive holdings in literature pertaining to arthropod taxonomy, including the books and journals of the FSCA library.

Click here for more information.