Category: Gainesville

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Florida Gainesville United States

The Incredibly Innovative Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention

Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention

If you find yourself in Gainesville, Florida- do yourself a favor and make a pit stop at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention.  The museum aims to inspire youngsters to learn about science, technology, innovations and creativity through hands-on learning labs.  

The museum was named after Dr. Robert Cade, the inventor of Gatorade.  It is located at the corner of Depot Park, a 32-acre park that features a children’s play area, a springs-inspired splash pad, trails, and preserve.  

Permanent Exhibits

The Sweat Solution

In 1965, an important question was posed, “Why don’t football players every urinate during a game?” Due to excessive sweating, athletes were quickly getting dehydrated and putting their health in jeopardy. Dr. Cade created Gatorade to help prevent this from happening to athletes.  Thanks to him, athletes around the world are able to stay hydrated and remain on the field or in the court.

This exhibit is located on the first floor and features several other inventions, such as cooling pads, that have completely changed the sports world.  Be sure to pose for a photo with the Florida Gator uniforms.  Go Gators!

Fun Fact: Abraham Lincoln is the only US President to hold a patent! On March 10, 1849, Lincoln filed a patent for a device for "buoying vessels over shoals" with the US Patent Office. The patent was approved 2 months later.

Mothers of Invention

The Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention teaches that all inventions stem from necessity, curiosity, iteration, and serendipity.  On the second floor rotunda, see examples of inventors that epitomize this philosophy- including our main man, Abraham Lincoln!

At First Flush

What better place to learn about the history of toilets, soaps, and Thomas Crapper than in the bathroom?  That’s right!  This museum features an exhibit it it’s restroom.  While you’re doing business, you can learn how astronauts use the bathroom, how toilets changed history, and who used the first flushable toilet.  What other place can you sit on a “crapper” and learn at the same time?

While you’re at the museum, be sure to marvel at the 160-year-old Gutenberg Printing Press. This printing press was once a prime example of innovation and technology. Thanks to this brilliant design of moveable-type printing, Gutenberg made it possible for Europeans to manufacture large numbers of books for relatively little cost.  The technology allowed for knowledge, discoveries, and literacy to spread throughout Europe.  It contributed to the Protestant Reformation and the Renaissance period in a massive way.

 Even better, stop by the Creativity Lab for hands-on fun.  If you’re lucky, you may even catch a live demonstration from a real scientist! 

 In the fab lab, you can get your STEM on and create super-awesome inventions of your own!  Don’t worry, if art is more your thing the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention has tons of art supplies for your to create your next masterpiece.

The Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention is geared towards kids and young adults however, grown ups will have fun exploring the 26,000-foot “intellectual oasis”, as well.  There is plenty to do for learners, inventors, creators, and scientists of all ages!

Plan Your Visit to the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention

The Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention is open for General Admission Thursday – Sunday 10am-4pm

What is there to do nearby?

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Florida Gainesville United States

Florida Museum of Natural History

The Florida Museum of Natural History is one of the most impressive museums in all of North Florida.  The Natural History museum is part of a complex of museums located on the University of Florida campus.  The permanent exhibit focuses on the 4 f’s- flora, fauna, fossils and folks that have inhabited the state.  (C’mon, you know the 4 f’s was clever!)  

The cool thing about the Florida Museum of Natural History is that most of it is free!  They do, however, charge for the Butterfly Rainforest and some traveling exhibits.

Much of the museum is geared towards older visitors, but younger visitors will have plenty to see and do here, as well!  Our kids enjoyed the Discovery Zone, a hands-on learning lab/play space, and the Butterfly Rainforest.  There were several other hands-on components to the permanent exhibit that kept them entertained as we checked out their collection.

Exhibits at the Florida Museum of Natural History

Butterfly Rainforest

The Butterfly Rainforest is a live exhibit of butterflies that inhabit a gorgeous enclosed space attached to the museum.  There are more than 50 different species of butterflies and moths that flutter around the scenic space.

There is a slight upcharge for this super fun exhibit, but it’s totally worth it.  

Our kids were in awe of all of the butterflies that inhabit this space.  Us adults thought it was a nice, relaxing place to unwind for a few minutes.

We strongly suggest taking your time and not rushing through the Butterfly Rainforest.  There are plenty of benches to kick up your feet and relax for a few moments.  You never know who might join you on the bench!

Smiley met a new butterfly friend at the Florida Museum of Natural History!

Due to the narrow paths within the butterfly exhibit, backpacks and strollers are not permitted.  Wheelchairs, however, are permitted in the space.

Bags larger than 15x15x7 must be checked at the desk prior to entering the exhibit.

Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life & Land

Fossils at the Florida Museum of Natural History

This free exhibit showcases the history of Florida through the Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene epochs.  More than 90% of the fossils in this exhibits are real, and most were found within 100 miles of Gainesville!  

Our kids actually preferred this fossil exhibit over the paid one that was available.

Discovery Zone

The Discovery Zone is a hands-on learning lab where children can learn about the natural world by touching, playing, crawling, and interacting with the materials. The exhibit encourages children to engage in science-oriented activities.  

It also includes true-to-scale touchable objects, and activity stations. Your kid will LOVE playing in this area!  Be sure to show them the video above to get them excited about the museum!

Visiting Information

The Florida Museum of Natural History is located on the University of Florida campus.

The physical address is:

3215 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611

The museum is open on Mondays through Saturdays from 10 to 5 and on Sundays from 1 to 5. 

The museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

 

General admission is free but donations are gladly accepted.

The last tickets are sold 30 minutes prior to closing.  Entrance to the Butterfly Rainforest and special exhibits close at 4:30.

Tickets can be purchased in advance on at the museum’s official website.

What is there to do Nearby?

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Florida Gainesville United States

Finding Shark Teeth with Mudslinger Tours in Gainesville, Florida

Sharks teeth discovered with Mudslinger Tours in Gainesville

Believe it or not, we have found more shark teeth in central Florida than we found on sandy beaches!  Despite being about an hour and a half from the nearest beach, Gainesville, Florida is a hot spot for finding shark teeth.  We recently went shark teeth and fossil hunting with Mudslinger Tours and we were absolutely blown away with our experience!

I’ve had several of my friends’ book tours with Mudslinger Tours over the last few years and they have all ranted and raved about their experience.  I’ve been wanting to go for years now but wanted to wait until the twins were old enough to really enjoy it.  Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait!  We walked away from our four-hour tour with about 100 shark teeth!

In all honesty, I didn’t have much hope of finding shark teeth.  I’ve never been very good at spotting them on the beach.  It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I actually found a shark tooth on the beach…and that was only because it was a megalodon tooth so it stuck out like a sore thumb. Aside from that treasure, I have only managed to find a dozen or so teeth on our beaches.  I guess,  I either don’t have the eye or the patience for it.  The fact that we found over 100 in less than four hours was pretty damn cool.  

It turns out, in order to find shark teeth…I had to leave the beach!

How Are There Shark Teeth in Central Florida?

For millions of years, Florida was underwater meaning you can find shark teeth pretty much all over the state.  Most fossil shark teeth are found in sedimentary rock- which was once the bottom of the ocean!  The best places to find shark teeth are at the beach during low tide and at the edges and bottoms of creeks and rivers.  Water erodes the harder sedimentary layers and helps to expose the fossil shark teeth.

Our Experience with Mudslinger Tours

We booked a half-day morning tour with Mudslinger Tours.  The morning tour lasted from 9 AM until 1 PM, which is more than enough time to get soaking wet in the creek and to find a plethora of shark teeth and fossils.

We left our house in JAX early in the morning and headed inland to Gainesville.  When we arrived at the home where the tours depart, we were immediately greeted by two of the guides and shown a collection of shark teeth and fossils that have been found in the nearby creek beds.  After a quick introduction and rundown of some rules, we walked about 150 yards down the road and down a narrow path in the woods until we reached the creek.  From here, our guide, Rob, split us off into groups.  We were all stationed far apart from each other in the creek, which was great because it gave us plenty of space to work and play.

Rob quickly showed us how to use the scoops and gave us some pointers to help us find the shark teeth.  The key is to dig at least elbow deep, so we found a hole and got to scooping.  We found teeth with pretty much every scoop of gravel we dug out of the creek.  It was absolutely incredible!  The whole creek bed was filled with teeth and fossils.

We worked out a system where one of us would scoop the gravel into the sifting pans, the boys would sift out all of the sand, and Smiley and whomever wasn’t scooping would go through the pan looking for teeth.

Pro-Tip:  Be sure to establish a discard pile so that you don’t scoop through gravel you’ve already searched through.

Once we got into the groove, it was really easy to spot the shark teeth.  They ranged in size from being small enough to slip through the mesh on our sifters to being the size of a dime.  

The four-hour tour was a tad long for our little guys.  They’d scoop and sift for a while and then randomly abandon their equipment to splash around in the creek.  They had an absolute blast and all of that playing in the cool waters wore them out by the end of the day!  On the other hand, our eight-year-old was perfectly content scooping and searching through our pans.

Pro-Tip:  Be sure to pack a snack or a light lunch along with plenty of liquids. 

Booking a Tour with Mudslinger Tours

To book your own tour with Mudslinger Tours, visit their Facebook Page.  Tours must be booked at least a week in advance.  A deposit is due at the time of booking and the remaining balance must be paid upon arrival.

The company operates out of a residence located at:

1414 NW 43rd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32605

Our Tips for Shark Teeth Hunting

The banks of the creek are filled with sharks teeth!  Unfortunately, shark tooth and fossil hunters are unable to dig in the banks.  In fact, you can’t use shovels to hunt in the creeks at all!  Instead, you have to wait for mother nature to erode the banks naturally. 

Here are some tips we learned from our pals at Mudslinger Tours:

  • The best spots to find the teeth are along the waterline at the creek.  This is because the rainwater erodes the banks and washes the shark teeth and fossils into the creek.
  • Find a hole and start scooping! The deeper down you can get, the more successful you’ll be.  We found that by moving a rock, or by finding a pre-existing hole, it cut down on some of the scooping.  The goal is to get in an area that is between elbow and shoulder deep.  If you reach clay, you’ve gone too far.
  • Establish a discard pile. Dump all of your excess gravel in the same pile.  This way, you don’t keep searching through the same bits of gravel.
  • Try scooping with your hands. The folx at Mudslinger Tours will provide you with a super sturdy metal scoop.  It had holes in it that allowed for the sand and water to exit the scoop.  Super handy!  Speaking of hands…you can also use your bare hands to begin establishing your digging hole.  You’ll be surprised by how much sand you can scoop with just your hands!
  • Make sure you’re not scooping in someone else’s discard pile. Your guide will suggest that you find a natural pile of gravel and start your hunt there.  If after a few scoops, you notice you’re not coming up with very many shark teeth or fossils, chances are you’re going through someone else’s discard pile. Move on.

Our Shark Tooth Hunting Essentials

Our kids wore their galoshes into the creek and they had to keep pouring out boot fulls of water and gravel.  In retrospect, we should have packed their water shoes.  Mudslinger Tours provides scoops, sifters, and baggies to collect your treasures.

It is forbidden to use shovels to extract shark teeth and fossils from the sediment.

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Categories
Florida Florida State Parks Gainesville State Parks United States

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park- Where Wild Horses and Bison Roam Free

The Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is one of the most unique parks in the state of Florida.  The park is well-known for being the home to alligators, wild horses, bison, and other creatures native to Florida.  Be sure to stop by the Visitor’s Center to learn about the history of the area, the animals that call it home, and the people that once resided here.  The Visitor’s Center also has a massive window that offer impressive views of the park.  The 50-foot high observation tower, just behind the Visitor’s Center, is another great vantage point.

When we visited Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, we hiked a handful of trails searching for alligators, wild horses, and bison.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have any luck.  We did, however, see several deer, armadillos, turkeys, and countless birds.

We spent a lot of time in the Visitor’s Center where they had a surprisingly large amount of interactive features in their interpretative museum.  The kids really enjoyed looking through the telescopes at the basin, playing in the kinetic sand to mimic erosion, and learning about the animals and people that called this savanna home.

We’re eager to return to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park to check out the north rim where we hope to spot some more of the park’s famed wildlife!

We strongly suggest visiting Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park during the winter or spring, when the weather is much cooler and the air is less humid.  When you visit, be sure to pack plenty of water and bug spray.

Hiking at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

The park consists of eight different trails that provide opportunities for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. 

Leashed pets are allowed on all of the trails with the exception of Bolens Bluff, Cones Dike, and La Chua.  These trails have a large alligator population.

The La Chua Trail and Bolens Bluff may close before sunset when alligators are most active.  

At the park, you’ll see plenty of warning signs about snakes.  I know what you’re thinking- this is Florida, of course there are snakes!  This is, after all, one of the most wild places in the Sunshine State. 

 In 2000, a zoology professor counted 765 snakes in just one visit to the park!  That being said, I’m scared to death of snakes and I didn’t let that deter me.  We didn’t see a single snake on our visit- but that’s probably because we travel with 3 very talkative kids 🙂

The North Rim vs the South Rim

The bluff at the north rim of Paynes Prairie is more pronounced.  The star of the north rim is the La Chua Trail, which is known as one of the best places to see alligators in the wild.  You’ll also probably have a better chance of spotting wild horses and bison here. 

The south rim is where you’ll find the visitor center, observation tower, and many of the trails.  If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to spot the bison and wild horses from the observation tower just behind the Visitor’s Center.

Be sure to ask the rangers where they have spotted the bison and horses recently!

Visiting Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Fees: $4-6 per vehicle
Main Address: 100 Savannah Blvd, Micanopy
Phone: 352-466-3397

The main entrance is open from 8am until sunset, daily.  The La Chua Trail and Bolens Bluff may close before sunset when alligators are most active.  

What is there to do nearby?

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is located just outside of Gainesville in the town of Micanopy.  Gainesville is a huge college town (Go Gators!) and has a ton of cool stuff to do.  Some of our favorites include:

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