Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach)

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Museum of Arts and Sciences
Established
Location 352 South Nova Road
Daytona Beach, Florida
Type Art, Science
Website Museum of Arts and Sciences

The Museum of Arts and Sciences, often referred to as the MOAS, is a museum in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. The museum a member of the American Association of Museums and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. It is home to over 30,000 objects, making it one of the largest museums in central Florida.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The MOAS was founded as a non-profit educational institution in 1955. It wasn't until 1962 when it was chartered by the State of Florida.[1]

[edit] Exhibits

Some notable exhibits include:

  • The most complete giant ground sloth skeleton in North Americahoused in a Florida fossil gallery
  • The largest permanent exhibition of Cuban art outside of Cuba
  • Coca-Cola entrepreneur Chapman Root's lifetime collection of Americana, including two private rail cars, the second largest collection of Coca-Cola memoribilia in the world (featuring original molds and the original patents for the bottle), indy race cars, teddy bears, and quilts.
  • While about half of the exhibits are permanent, there are many exhibits which change every few months.
  • A great collection of International Decorative Arts and Early American Furniture and Art
  • A gallery of Chinese art and a collection of Japanese Prints
  • A space dedicated to Florida history that rotates displays from the MOAS permanent collection (Florida Pirates, Early Maps, Plantations of Florida)

[edit] Other places of interest

The museum also has it's own theater, planetarium, cafe, and children's center. MOAS will open the first science center in the area in winter of 2008. The Charles and Linda William's Children's museum will house world-class hands-on science exhibits in a 9,000 square foot state of the art facility.

The Dow Museum of Historic Houses (formerly known as Old St. Augustine Village), located in the heart of the nation's oldest city, is owned and operated by MOAS. With one city block and four centuries of history, the Dow Museum is the perfect place for visitors to begin their tour of St. Augustine. Included in the 1572 town plan of St. Augustine, the site consists of five houses dating from 1790 - 1910 with exhibits of historic furnishings, fine museum collections, and a series of outdoor exhibits.

Another off-site exhibit MOAS has to offer is Gamble Place. Nestled among the Spruce Creek Preserve, this stunning property features Florida's rich natural environment and a unique historic past told by the property's three historic houses. Gamble Place has been developed and restored by the Museum of Arts & Sciences in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy and the City of Port Orange. It is now a 175-acre park with trails that cover five different ecosystems and is home to many endangered and threatened species.

[edit] References

[edit] External links