Didn't realize there was a Black History Museum in Thomasville! A planned trip to some museums in…read moreMontgomery was canceled and I was looking for something closer to home - and voila! I called to verify the hours of operation and Ms. Wills was so very pleasant. In calling back to inform them that a group would be coming, we were informed that there is a scavenger hunt available for the kids - which they loved! Before we started the self-guided tour, there was a video to explain how Mr. Hadley's passion came to life via the museum. Then we were told of the various sections, with some history given on a few of the exhibits. There are loads of paraphernalia packed in the space; so many sentimental items. Good news - the museum is moving to a larger space soon, which is great because everything will be more spread out to view. This tour would be wonderful for student/school related field trips (small groups). Kudos to Mr. Hadley and his staff for sharing this history and keeping us reminded. If we don't know the history, however "ugly" it may be, we will certainly repeat it - horrors and all. Of note, only $5 entrance fee for adults, $3 for kids (discount applied if there is a group).

I want to be clear from the very beginning. Visually this is not a 5-star museum, but it IS a…read more5-star effort by a man with a passion spanning more than two decades. Jack Hadley Black History Memorabilia, Inc. (a non-profit organization) was founded in 1994. It was birthed from his son's desire to continue the yearly tradition of Black History Week after local teachers dismissed hosting it one year. Jack helped his son put together a rudimentary poster board presentation with a few clippings from magazines such as Jet and Ebony. What Jack discovered by this desire to help his son was the need for black history to not only be preserved in their area, but celebrated and proclaimed. Thus his quest began to collect artifacts, stories and collectible memorabilia, amassing over 4,669 pieces of African American artifacts with emphasis on Thomasville's First Black Achievers. Originally he would partake in traveling shows before eventually landing a facility of his own located at the former campus of Douglass High School. The current set-up is in what I assume was the old gym, but as Jack explained in his brief tour of the museum, he does have full access to the rest of the school and will someday (with proper funding) expand. [ THE EXPERIENCE ] I'd only come to Thomasville to see the 400-year-old tree known as The Big Oak. While there I discovered a town loaded with history, some of which is featured here in Jack Hadley's Museum. I was intrigued since my heart's desire is to return to Washington, DC to experience the National Museum of African American History & Culture. I arrived to what looked like an abandoned school with a few men painting the doors. I wasn't sure if I was in the right place or if they were open, but one of the men pointed me towards the correct entrance door. A young gentleman greeted me and informed me it was a $5 surcharge for adults, to which I initially said, "we'll come back another time." I could see a portion of the museum and it honestly looked too cluttered for me. I'm a 'less is more' person as well as EXTREMELY detail-oriented, so places like this overload my senses. I prefer larger, simpler displays and here it felt like I was looking at 1,000 open books. Just as I was turning away, Jack came into the room and encouraged me to stay to take a tour. He was particularly interested in having my 14-year-old son come inside. He told me to forget about the admission fee, he would waive it if we would take the tour, which started with a 5-minute video. What I REALLY appreciated about his collection were the local stories you most likely will not hear about anywhere else. One story was personal to Jack, of how the plantations were taken over by investors from the north whom built homes for local blacks, one of which Jack grew up in. He told of how one woman by the name of Pansy Ireland Poe would send black children to college and pay for it herself. He also told of stories of slaves that were actually PAID for their work, something I'd never heard of! The museum also touched on sports, politics, poets, musicians and other artists but inevitably cannot escape the darker parts of our past such as slavery & the Jim Crow era. After our tour, I promptly paid double the admission fee, even though Jack had waived it upon entry. I wanted him and his staff to know I appreciate what they are striving to achieve. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] I can't speak for all African-Americans, but I will shamefully say as for me, I've bounced back and forth being both proud and dismayed of my skin color. Not ashamed mind you, just not as proud at times as I should have been. But how could I be? Pride often comes from knowing who you are. So much of our history has never been told, lost or deleted altogether. Only in the last decade or so I've begun to discover the history that was hidden from schoolbooks and common publications. History that would have made me walk a little taller, stand a little firmer and climb a little higher had I known of the achievements of my people dating back beyond biblical times. Recent movies such as The Help, Green Book and Hidden Figures were a complete surprise to me as well as discoveries of my own. I have a passion for covered bridges, and through my quest to discover the remaining bridges still standing in the south, I came across the story of Horace King; a slave whom earned his freedom building bridges that still stand over 100 years later. He even engineered the floating staircase in an Alabama courthouse that remains in use today. It makes me think of the current term Make America Great AGAIN, to which I think "again" should be dropped. How great we would have been if all men & women of all races had been allowed to freely explore their talents, abilities and been uninhibited in their contributions. So I APPLAUD YOU Jack Hadley for what you have managed to accomplish here in Thomasville, GA. May it continue to grow, improve and spread for generations! 2019/60

Came here for a wedding and it was truly a gorgeous venue! Be aware that you will have to walk a…read morelot on pebbles (go figure) so wear the right heels. We had to walk quite a bit to reach the ceremony and it was a little confusing even with some people to help guide you at the beginning by the parking. It's huge and I didn't get to explore that much but it was so beautiful!

There's a lot of history at Pebble Hill. Originally a working cotton plantation. Then it…read moretransitioned to a dairy farm. A fire destroyed a part of the estate in the early 1900's and was rebuilt within a few years. The tour gives you a rundown on the plantations' history, with a walk through the 16 bedroom/19 bathroom home. There's lots of art, antiques and displays of awards from varied horse competitions. Seems the owners were really into horses. The property has multiple buildings. Some used for private events. Some used for wedding receptions. Some buildings are even rented by folks who live on the grounds year round. Speaking of the grounds, I'll bet they're beautiful in season. I'm not much into museums or history. But it's nice to see how the other half lived.

It was open 8/1/20, and worth the trip. The $2 each was a small price to pay for a big adventure…read more Joe took our admission fees. He was friendly and shared a lot of information with us. We also took a map of the museum and a map for the Cracker House, which Joe told us was built in 1860s - original house except for roof. We only had 30 minutes to look around the museum and house. In the museum, we read as many of the informative displays as we could. We enjoyed the exhibits with stuffed animals and signs identifying them. Outside, we toured all of the house's rooms and buildings. Beautiful and well created! This is a perfect place to take the family, to learn about FL history, and be proud of our roots.

Educational, historical pine pitch industry museum about the Florida pine tree, its uses and…read morefuture. Ecology, biology and geography all wrapped up in an easily accessed exhibit inside a beautiful octagonal pine building, set on the acreage of an original cracker homestead, also walkable, viewable. Forest Capital Museum is closed over the lunch hour; we waited and it was definitely worth the wait.

This museum for creativity and invention established in 2018 and located in a corner of Depot Park…read morein Gainesville inspires future inventors, entrepreneurs and visionaries. Open four days a week Thursday to Sunday 10am to 4pm. Admission $15 for adults, 5-17 $10, college students snd seniors $12.50 and under 5 is free. Established and named after Robert Cade, the lead inventor of Gatorade, reflects his view of combining science and art in a manner of purposeful creativity. There are exhibits on inventions and technology that came from University of Florida. The museum caters to people of all ages and young children. STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) workshops are available where attendants can meet living inventors. A little gift shop located at the front lobby. Parking is free.

We were back in Gainesville, and since it was a cold, rainy day, we decided to h go again using our…read moreNorth American Reciprocal museum membership. In exactly one year, they had changed and updated practically the whole museum except the Cade/Gatorade section which was partly updated. I was impressed. This is a great museum for kids of all ages ,and adults too, especially if they are interested in STEM, creativity and inventing. Plenty of fun, hands-on learning and inspiration for future careers.

The art is lovely but the museum is perpetually in a state of renovation. The front desk attendants…read moreare bored and not enthused about the amazing art displayed.

From the owner: The Museum of Fine Arts, a division of the College of Fine Arts at Florida State University, is a…read moremajor art exhibition space and an integral part of the Tallahassee community. The choice of quality exhibitions plays a dominant role in the Museum's efforts to reach its goals with respect to the general public and the university community. The scope of MoFA's programming ranges from national-impact, scholarly presentations of works never previously exhibited, to the work of regional artists and students.

We were looking for something to do for the day and decided to take a ride to the Tallahassee…read moreMuseum. It is more outside, so don't forget water to keep yourself hydrated. We loved the car part dinasaurs and the animals. The staff was friendly. The nature trail was a little boring and not well marked, but it didn't stop us from loving the experience.

Lived it. Exactly what we expected and we didn't expect too much. The visuals were worth the walk…read more Some animals are naturally shy. Staff was five stars. Great value.

Closed For Renovations Until Late 2026…read more Since Yelp requires at least 85 characters...blah, blah, blah, blah. Please don't show up and then bless them out in a 1 star review because you discover they are closed. They don't control this page on Yelp. Yelp does. I notified Yelp of the temporary closure and so far they've done nothing.

Great place! Friendly staff. Free parking. Nice cool A/C…read more You can donate and they have suggested donation numbers, but you're not forced to. It's actually bigger than I thought, so lots to explore. I was there during the alligator exhibit which was very neat. There was a life-size alligator in there and that was how I learned how big alligators really are! The gift shop sold gator sticks so I thought that was interesting

Visited the Old Hamilton County Jail as part of Paranormal Kicks Cancer, an orginisation that…read moreraises funds for kids who have cancer. They are currently renovating the Jail, so there are spots that are works in progress, but the location is a historical land mark. It is a reportedly (ok, It IS) a HAUNTED location! We were actually able to do an over night, which gave us the ability to actually investigate the location thoroughly. I personally had the experience of the "presence" of a guard walking toward me while I was in their walk way at the Solitary Confinement area. We experienced phantom voices, voices on the ovulous, and shapes appearing and interacting on the FLIR camera. Overall it was a really fun investigation. I look forward to future events.

VERY HAUNTED BUILDING! 3 start rating is because the building needs to be cleaned and remodeled due…read moreto mold and possible lead paint or other things. But we had an awesome time with the investigation. The building needs someone to come in and give it some TLC for sure and add cameras inside and out! Fix the bathroom!!!!