Museums and Galleries (Self Guided), Jacksonville

The Museum of Science and History (MOSH ) is a private, non-profit institution located on the Southbank Riverwalk, and the city's most visited museum. It specializes in science and local history exhibits. It features a main exhibit that changes quarterly, three floors of permanent permanent exhibits, and the Bryan Gooding Planetarium. The roots of MOSH go back to 1941 when the Jacksonville Children's Museum was chartered. The first home was a Victorian mansion in Riverside. Construction began on the current location downtown in 1965, and the facility opened in 1969.

The Jacksonville Children's Museum became the Jacksonville Museum of Arts and Sciences in 1977 and six years later, they were accredited by the American Association of Museums. The name was changed to Museum of Science and History in 1988 and 37,500 square feet (3,480 square meters) of space was added, including the planetarium then known as the Alexander Brest Planetarium. The last building renovation occurred in 1994 resulting in a total of 82,200 square feet (7,640 square meters). In 2010 the Planetarium was upgraded with a new projector, sound system, and interior work, and renamed the Bryan Gooding Planetarium.

Operation hours: Monday to Thursday: 10 am - 5 pm; Friday: 10 am - 8 pm; Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm; Sunday: 12 pm - 5 pm.

Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville was founded in 1924 as the Jacksonville Fine Arts Society, the first organization in the Jacksonville community devoted to the visual arts. In 1948 the Museum was incorporated as the Jacksonville Art Museum, and in 1978 it became the first institution in Jacksonville to be accredited by the American Association of Museums. In late 1999 the Museum acquired its permanent home, the historic Western Union Telegraph Building on Hemming Plaza, adjacent to the newly renovated City Hall, and became the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art.

In 2000, a series of preview exhibitions opened in a temporary exhibition space while the building facade was restored to its original Art Deco style. The interior was completely refurbished to house the Museum’s galleries, educational facilities, a theater/auditorium, Museum Shop and Café Nola. Total renovation was completed in 2003, culminating in a grand re-opening in May of that year.

After moving to its downtown location the Museum experienced rapid growth in both membership and the size of the permanent collection. The many substantial additions to the collection increased not only its quality, but also its size to almost 800 pieces. In November 2006, JMOMA became the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville.

Operation hours: Tuesday - Saturday: 11 am – 5 pm; Thursday: 11 am – 9 pm; Sunday: 12 am –5 pm.

The LaVilla Museum is a museum of African American history and culture located in the Ritz Theater in Jacksonville. Opened in 1999, museum documents the culture and history of people of African descent (most slaves, some free, and not all Americans) in northeast Florida prior to that territory's entry as a U.S. state in 1845, as well as LaVilla neighborhood of downtown Jacksonville (which was once a large and thriving African American community).

LaVilla was home to so many poets, artists, musicians, authors, and playwrights that it was known as "the Harlem of the South". The highlight of the museum tour are two animatronic representations of James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson, LaVilla natives who composed the famous American Civil Rights Movement song, Lift Every Voice and Sing. Rooms in the building evoke African American life throughout the 20th century by recreating a typical home living room, a Christian church, a barber shop, and a school room.

Operation hours: Monday to Friday: 8 am – 5 pm.

The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum is one of ten Karpeles Manuscript Library Museums in the United States. It displays manuscripts and documents from the private collection of David and Marsha Karpeles, the world's largest such collection, as well as art exhibits. The museum opened in 1992 in the former First Church of Christ, Scientist building, constructed in 1921. Initially museum was privately owned by David Karpeles, a former math professor who had made millions investing in real estate and then taken up manuscript collecting. In 1983 he began opening museums across the country to house his collection, now the world's largest. The museum features three or four exhibits from Karpeles' collection a year, as well as exhibits from other collectors and around six art exhibits.

Operation hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 10 am - 3 pm.

This unusual gallery was built by James Phillip Brown in 1994 and underwent a few renovations till 2006. Artist Jamali was an unusual, interesting person with his own point of view. His works are not common or boring. They are made with love and have a spirit of expressionism, which is a new art movement. You may see the art works and sculptures by these artists. All of them are unique and have their own energy, because the master put his soul in them.