Seven Sebring Area Museums to Celebrate International Museum Day
Seven Sebring Area Museums to Celebrate International Museum Day
SEBRING, Fla. (May 9, 2018) – Visit Sebring is pleased to announce that seven local museums will participate in this year’s International Museum Day (IMD) with special docent-led tours, scavenger hunts for kids, public receptions, presentations, new exhibits, raffles, free admission, discounts and extended hours scheduled to occur on or around May 18. The purpose of IMD is to raise awareness that museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples. In 2017, more than 36,000 museums in 157 countries participated with special events and activities.
Archbold Biological Station will offer a Natural History Collection Tour from 2:00-3:30 PM on May 18. Archbold’s 270,000 specimen natural history collection is one of the largest in Florida and offers a remarkable overview of the species in our region. Scientists from around the world utilize this collection, which is normally off limits to the public. Archbold researchers will introduce visitors to the collection and demonstrate how they are digitizing it to make the data free and available for anyone in the world to access.
Address: 123 Main Drive, Venus
Phone: (863) 465-2571
Avon Park Depot Museum will hold extended hours until 7 PM on May 18. Docents will provide guided tours of the museum, rail dining car, and a walking tour of Avon Park’s Mile-Long Mall. A new Highwaymen exhibit will be on exhibit for this event. Refreshments will be available in the dining car.
Address: 3 N. Museum Avenue, Avon Park
Phone: (863) 453-3525
Children’s Museum of the Highlands will offer a free Walk Through Event on May 18 from 1-4 PMinviting the public to come and see what the Museum is all about. And from 2-4 PM, the STEAM Team Exhibit will be available for families to come explore, learn, and play! STEAM Team Exhibit play is included with paid daily admission or museum membership.
Address: 901 US Highway 27 North, Sebring (Located inside the Lakeshore Mall)
Phone: (863) 451-5385
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum will be offering docent-led tours from 9AM-5PM and two special speaker programs scheduled on Saturday, May 19. First, former Park Ranger and CCC Museum Curator Darrel Smith will reflect on the life of a CCC recruit in his living history presentation, “The Best of Times, Worst of Times” at 10AM. Second, at 11AM, CCC Museum Curator, David Schmidt will present a program on Charles R. Knight, the great American wildlife artist who became internationally famous for his groundbreaking and authoritative paintings of dinosaurs, mammoths, and the early humans of ancient Earth. Children who participate in a CCC “History Detective” Scavenger Hunt will receive a free pair of beginner binoculars. This program may be shown a second time at 1PM. Park admission fee per vehicle.
Address: 5931 Hammock Road, Sebring
Phone: (863) 386-6094
Highlands Museum of the Arts (MoTA) will have on exhibit “Renaissance Thinkers of the Digital Age” featuring the artwork of Highlands County’s Gifted Education Program. On May 18, from 10AM-4PM, MoTA will be hosting self-lead trivia scavenger hunts, leading attendees through the Museum followed by a Public Reception in honor of the student artists from 5-7 PM. Admission is, as always, free. Donations are very much appreciated.
Address: 351 W. Center Avenue, Sebring
Phone: (863) 385-6682
Museum of Florida Art & Culture (MOFAC) will unveil its newest exhibit,“Little Slices of Heaven on U.S. 27,” on Thursday, May 17 at 1PM at a public reception. It is a traveling exhibit focused on the unique tourist attractions which developed following the construction of U.S. 27; an almost 500-mile highway running down the middle of the state from approximately Tallahassee to Miami. Nicknamed the “backbone of Florida,” U.S. 27 served as the state’s principal highway before the construction of I-4 and I-75; bringing new visitors to Florida’s less traveled areas. This led not only to an increased appreciation, and ultimate preservation, of Florida’s natural wonders but it also spurred the development of several creative, educational, and witty delights up and down the stretch. The exhibit features destinations and attractions which existed from 1934 – 1970. It is a visual road-trip through bygone Florida via photos, videos, memorabilia, artifacts, and fine art on loan by Florida artists as well as art and historical institutions.
Address: 600 West College Drive, Avon Park
Phone: (863) 784-7240
