This place is so cool! We visited the American Muscle Car Museum during a recent weekend in…read moreMelbourne, Florida. The museum is only open to the public during fundraisers for nonprofit events during the year. There was a car show outside along with a 50/50 drawing. Inside the huge museum you will see the private collection that includes over 50 pace cars, over 50 Shelby's and a large collection of Porsches in addition to many other types of vehicles. The cars range from 1950-1970 classics and current day muscle cars. My only complaint is that the descriptions of the cars are in frames on the floor so you have to constantly bend over to read about the cars. We spent 2 hours visiting the museum. Admission to the outside car show and parking was free, it was $30 to go inside the museum

So much to see Very clean…read moreGreat people to answer all your questions Thank you for the opportunity to spend a whole day there Much Success !!!

What a TREASURE to find this place! Haha…read more I wasn't expecting to find this site and my found it when looking for things to do in the area near Disney's Vero Beach Resort. We came due to a windy day that made it near impossible to go to the beach, or the pool - or for doing most outside activity with younger kids. So off we went to the museum. I had seen some documentary type films about Mel Fisher's work and heard about his background - but it was very impressive to watch the informative video of the man, his wife and family and the origins talks their treasure finding lives! The history was quite exciting and the museum has wonderful pieces that proved colorful details and fantastic artifacts, as well as excellent guides and exhibits to demonstrate the history and stories shared through the museums many artifacts and their display. Thanks for a job well done and for sharing the TREASURE we found while visiting the museum to learn more about the history of the finds and the family and others that made it all possible. We had a family of 4 - two adults and our 7&9 year old children. Everyone enjoyed it and they offered scavenger hunt type map with information and learning to be used through the visit with special surprises at the end after completing the museum!

It was cool seeing Spanish treasure and learning about the shipwrecks that Mel fisher found.read more

The McLarty Treasure Museum is located in Sebastian Inlet State Park. A late July hurricane in 1715…read moresank a Spanish treasure fleet near here as they were sailing from Havana, Cuba to Spain. Eleven of the twelve ships filled with gold, silver, jewels, and other goods from the New World sank off the coast between present day Melbourne Beach and Vero Beach. 1,000 lives were lost and the cargo was scattered over a 40 mile area. Approximately 1,500 men, women, and children who survived the disaster reached the shore and made a camp along the barrier island near the place where the fleet's flagship had sunk. The treasure was mainly salvaged by Spain over the next four years and taken back to Havana Cuba. In the early 1940's, amateur archaeologist Charles Higgs discovered evidence of the salvage camps in the dunes near the Sebastian Inlet. A hurricane in 1955 washed away some dunes around the camps, revealing many artifacts and silver coins. The wreck was eventually rediscovered by treasure hunters in the 1960's. Salvage efforts by local builder Kip Wagner and his Real 8 Company recovered thousands of coins, pieces of jewelry, and several cannons. These discovery led to the establishment of a State Park and the McLarty Treasure Museum. The McLarty Treasure Museum was created by Mr. Robert McLarty, a retired attorney from Atlanta who lived in Vero Beach and donated the land. The museum has a large exhibit room with displays on Ais history, the ancient first inhabitants of this area and the history of the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet including artifacts, displays, and a 45 minute movie by A&E, The Queen's Jewels and the 1715 Fleet. Not to be missed is the display of Kangxi porcelain, a delicate Chinese blue-and-white pattern that was packed in mud for protection during the journey. There is also a gift shop. Behind the museum is an observation deck modeled to look like a pirate ship that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean where the ships are believed to have sunk. During storms, the treasure has been known to wash ashore to this day. Admission to the museum is $2 and while small it is engaging and worth a visit. Especially when combined with a visit to nearby Sebastian Inlet State Park and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.

What fun! A very small but interesting museum covering the 1715 treasure fleet located on what used…read moreto be the survivors' and salvagers' camp. It's part of the Sebastian Inlet State Park and there's a nominal admission fee. There's a short movie which was interesting enough, observation deck (without beach access, though there's plenty nearby), and enough interesting things to see in about an hour if you run through it and don't watch the movie. I think my favorite exhibit was the scrap book of articles, letters, and testimonies of treasure hunters who've actually found treasure on the beaches here. Really makes you want to start hitting the beaches hunting for bobby dazzlers! lol. We also thought we'd hop across the Indian River and also visit the Mel Fisher museum but this was enough treasure fever for one day. Another time. Super friendly helpful staff rounds out the experience.

I love a history museum, especially one that's free, and the Brevard Museum of History and Natural…read moreScience checks both boxes. With more than 3,000 fascinating artifacts in its permanent collection, there's so much to learn and explore. The Brevard Museum, Inc. was formed in 1969. The museum is currently operated by the City of Cocoa in a building tucked away in the quiet College Green Estates housing subdivision. If you didn't know it was there, you could easily drive right past it. The museum has two wings to explore. One focuses on Florida's natural history, featuring Ice Age fossils, including a giant ground sloth and mastodon, along with exhibits that recreate life in 1800's Florida. The other wing traces the region's human history, beginning with indigenous people, the Spanish colonization of Florida, and continuing through pioneer life, before ending with the Space Age. Exhibits cover a wide range of topics, including Florida's Indigenous peoples, Ice Age and modern wildlife, early Brevard settlers, Spanish ships, the citrus and turpentine industries, Flagler's railway, space exploration, arrowheads, artifacts from the Seminole, Miccosukee, and Ais peoples, shells, and casts of prehistoric and modern animal fossils. The Albert and Grace Taylor exhibit displays the personal effects of pioneers Albert and Grace Taylor. Grace Webster Taylor was a resident of the City of Cocoa, who passed away on December 27, 1945. There are also replicas of a one-room schoolhouse, a general store, and the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. The exhibit that fascinated me most was about the Windover archaeological site. In 1982, a bulldozer excavating a pond for a new housing development uncovered several human skulls. Archaeologists soon determined that the remains belonged to an ancient Indigenous community that had lived in the area approximately 7,000 to 8,000 years ago. Over time, researchers recovered the remains of 168 individuals from the peat at the bottom of the pond. The peat created remarkable preservation conditions, protecting not only the skeletons but also soft tissues, including some brain tissue. Research conducted by Florida State University revealed a wealth of information about Florida's earliest inhabitants. Textiles recovered from the burials provided rare insights into ancient weaving techniques, while preserved stomach contents offered valuable clues about their diet. The museum exhibit displays a preserved skeleton, a bust of the "Windover Woman," and a recreation of the unique wet archaeological excavation. Unlike many local history museums I visit, this one has activities for kids making it more family friendly. There is a Discovery Room designed for children, where there are toys and a rocket capsule they can climb into along with other hands-on activities to enjoy. Behind the museum is a nature preserve and the Johnnie Johnson Nature Trails. The winding network of paved and natural-surface trails meanders through 22 acres of native Florida upland and wetland ecosystems surrounding Clear Lake, making it a fun way to extend a visit. There is so much local history packed into this small, free museum. The exhibits on archaeology, Florida history, natural science, and the Space Age are interesting for all ages. This is a wonderful budget friendly activity outside of the typical tourist destinations.

Overall Rating: 3.5 Atmosphere: 3.5| Price Per Artifact: 5.0…read more Cool little museum, especially considering it's completely free. There are some genuinely interesting artifacts and exhibits, although the place could definitely use an infusion of newer, more up-to-date material. The strangest part is that they don't even accept donations. Apparently, ever since the city bought the museum, they're unable to accept money at all. So admission is free, but visitors can't even contribute a few dollars to help them update or add exhibits. Overall, it's a cool museum and worth checking out, especially for free. There's just a lot of untapped potential, and with a little investment, it could be much better.

**OVERALL REVIEW**…read more Last year when my friends and I went on the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, Museums, and Launchpads Tour, Sands Space History Center - which I will shorthand simply to "Sands" for the remainder of this review - was supposed to be the first location on said tour. Unfortunately at the time, Sands was closed for renovation. Now many months later, I get the chance to return to Sands to see what I missed. For a history museum that is free to the public, this is one of the better space museums to check out. I will be the one to admit the amount of displays of actual artifacts and periphenalia from space history is "limited" compared to other museums in the area, but it surely delivers on history. If you like to read, learning the history of a particular set of NASA and space history, which I will explain further in the review, as well as enjoy a live presentation and Q&A with current astronaunts, Sands is definitely the museum worth going to. Did I mention Sands is free to the public? Though an address is provided, it is best to detail how to get to Sands as you'll be exiting from SR-528 onto the road leading to the private military base. This is correct, and you'll almost drive up to the military base gate, but instead you'll be turning into the last public section which happens to be where Sands is. The Navajo Rocket should be a giveaway as where to turn. Upon arriving at a trio of buildings, the updated Sands is a blue building with a mural of an astronaut on it. Entering the double doors, you'll first be in the lobby where the front service desk and restrooms are. There are plenty of pamphlets detailing what you'll see in Sands as well as many other museums, not just in the space industry, but along the Space Coast. The restrooms are also located here. There are two parts about Sands that need to be detailed. The first is the "museum display" part located along the walls. Sands concentrates on the 41 launch complexes (LC) that NASA used starting with, of course, LC-1 and 2. LC-1 is the oldest complex in which it launched the very first shuttles and rockets. Going clockwise around the wall, the latter LCs will have information on how they contributed to the space industry such as what shuttles and/or rockets they launched. Some even have artifacts to view, too, as their tags explain their relationship to the LC. As mentioned earlier, there are 41 LCs and they have information spanning all four walls of the large assembly-like room. Speaking of assembly, the middle of the room is setup like an auditorium with chairs lined into rows. At times, astronauts and other imporant space figures will come by and speak, sometimes giving a more personal hands-on insight to past LC events or telling stories of their own adventues during their active tenure. Finally, there is a small gift shop on the southside of the building. It has numerous souvenirs for patrons to buy such as stickers, magnets, clothing, puzzles, and more. This is actually a lot, and I mean A LOT, for a museum that doesn't cost anything to enter to provide. On a sidenote, Sands is also part of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and Space Tour, primarily as the first and last stops of said tour. And for the kids, there is a scavenger hunt they can partake in, or if they want a more dynamic approach on learning, there is a touchscreen kiosk complete with interactive displays to even keep kids with ADD and/or ADHD entertained. Ultimately, I am giving Sands a perfect five-out-of-five star rating for its review. Just so much to learn, so much to experience, and all for free, I am definitely recommending Sands to anyone who asks about it.

Having grown up with Dad working in the early space industry/Cape Canaveral, I thought this little…read morecampy, community space history center was amazing. The volunteer there that led our tour was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the space program. it turns out he and I grew up three years apart and not too many miles apart. we reminisced over when Ron Jon's was a small little bikini shop in Cocoa Beach. ( if you don't know it, it covers three city blocks now.) They had a scavenger hunt for the kids, and they were happy to explain all of the memorabilia in the small, but authentic history center. This is a must see for the old timers; I consider myself one of them since I grew up in the 60s with my dad involved at the Cape. I'm not sure if this center would have much meaning to the younger kids, but we enjoyed it immensely. Even my son and his early 40s thought it was amazing. and it's free :-)

My son really enjoyed all the tanks and different eco systems with different fish. They have a…read moresmall gift shop, and getting in is super affordable $5 per person kids under 3 get in free. They have a small touch tank area with lots of cute sea snails, sea cucumbers, sea slugs, and hermit crabs.

This is a small aquarium that specializes in educational content. Perfect for elementary school…read moreage children. There is a touch tank habitated by a number of different sea creature and a very enthusiastic guide. Not expensive and not overcrowded. Very enjoyable.

Great exhibits. Good parking. Near beach so great day trip. Something for guys, gals, and kids!read more

This is my family's go to museum! They have frequent events that are extremely interesting and fun!…read moreHighly recommended.

For a small aquarium this place is very informative and interactive. I suggest more for children…read morebut as an adult you also learn a lot. Don't expect to see penguins, dolphins, and stingrays or larger sea animals here. This aquarium can be done in 2 hours but It can take longer if you read all the information and partake in the various activities they have. I enjoyed the station where you can touch the different sea creatures like the shrimp when you stick you finger in the water in holds on to your finger. The have an array of tropical fishes and hermit crabs and other smaller sea animals.

Sooo cewl!!! Ok, this place ROCKS! All the local Floridian sea life: things you wouldn't imagine…read morewould be right here! Coral reefs, sea hares, seahorses, etc................ And then, there is a "touch tank" where you can touch some of the creatures. They even have peppermint shrimp that will eat the dead skin off your fingers if you want!

This is a very cool experience for several reasons first it is filled with local history including…read moredocuments, photos and artifacts. Secondly it's cool as in a great place to get out of the Florida sun. Entry into the museum is included in the entrance fee when entering the park, the museum is located on the south side of the inlet. The Sebastian Fishing Museum is devoted to the rich cultural history of Sebastian's fishing industry. The lives and history of the people who lived in Sebastian were interwoven with fishing and the Indian River Lagoon. The museum commemorates three of Sebastian's early families that operated fish houses: Sembler, Smith, and Judah. Inside you will find a replica of an original fish house and dock. A homemade fishing boat, nets, fishing gear, and photos of fishing in the lagoon are also on display. There is also a gift shop offering some pretty cool stuff!

They closed at quarter till four, not 4 o'clock as posted. Wouldn't even let us into the gift shop.read more