The Florida Museum of Natural History is nearing the end of its expansion and renovation project, and plans to welcome visitors back next month.
The museum, closed for renovations since March 2025, previously anticipated reopening in late 2026. Jaret Daniels, curator and interim associate director and director of exhibits and public programs at the Florida Museum, said a date has yet to be finalized.
Construction is in its final stages, but the museum must finish preparing its renovated spaces before welcoming visitors back Nov. 23.
The expansion includes additions to both sides of the building on UF’s Cultural Plaza. A new western addition will provide permanent space for the museum’s education department and Thompson Earth Systems Institute, including offices, conference rooms and storage areas.
The front of the building will feature a redesigned facade, a new gift shop, an expanded entrance lobby and a multipurpose room for lectures and other programming.
Among the additions is the Inspire Gallery, which will display specimens and artifacts from the museum’s collections. The gallery will also house Science Up Close, an interactive program designed to connect visitors directly with researchers.
Daniels said the program will give visitors opportunities to engage with UF faculty, staff,students and postdoctoral researchers through conversations and presentations about their work. The museum also hopes to feature researchers and laboratories from other departments across UF.
Beyond the expansion, the museum has used the closure to make improvements to its existing facilities . The upgrades include new lighting, carpeting, improvements to the temporary exhibition gallery and new landscaping and features in the Butterfly Rainforest.
Daniels said the improvements will allow the museum to accommodate contemporary traveling exhibits while improving the overall visitor experience.
Although construction is winding down, the work is far from finished. Daniels said crews are completing the building’s final details while museum staff prepare to move into the new spaces.
Once construction is complete, staff will need to move merchandise into the gift shop, relocate specimens and artifacts, and test the building’s infrastructure and computer systems before reopening.
“It’s kind of a combination of a really nervous time for us because a lot of work still needs to be done, but also really exciting because you can see all the pieces falling together,” Daniels said.
He said progress is becoming increasingly visible as crews complete the building’s exterior..
While its public exhibits have remained closed, the museum has continued connecting with Gainesville residents through outreach programming.
Daniels said the museum’s education department and other staff shifted their focus toward bringing educational programs into the community. The museum conducted hundreds of programs at different venues throughout the construction period, reaching audiences despite closure.
Some events will continue this fall, but the museum is now shifting toward preparing its exhibits and educational programs for reopening.
For Daniels, the reopening will be an opportunity to introduce visitors to both the museum’s new spaces and the improvements made to its existing exhibits.
The museum is working through the remaining details to ensure its exhibits and new spaces are ready for visitors.
“We’re getting to that point where we’re really getting excited to have our doors back open and welcome the public back into this building,” he said.
For UF students like Logan Chase, the closure meant losing access to a familiar campus destination.
Chase, a 20-year-old UF accounting junior, visited the museum a few times before it closed for renovations. He first went during his freshman year for a class assignment.
He recalled exploring the museum with a friend and seeing exhibits about Native American history before visiting the rainforest.He hoped to return earlier this month but found the museum was still closed.
“I was really looking forward to going back,” he said. “So I’m excited to go again when it reopens.”