Photo courtesy of the Florida Museum of Natural History

The Florida Museum of Natural History will open a new permanent exhibit, the “Beverly and Jon Thompson Discovery Zone,” on July 17. Designed for children ages 8 and under, this interactive exhibit provides opportunities for families to discover and learn together. The Discovery Zone features age-appropriate exhibits designed to teach children about plants, animals and people.

With a large passion flower vine featuring zebra longwings (Florida’s state butterfly) in all stages of development and a small fishing boat where children can go on a pretend Gulf of Mexico expedition and identify the species they catch, your kiddos are sure to enjoy themselves at this new exhibit. Children will also have the opportunity to see a fully articulated human skeleton and a replica T. rex skull, view items under microscopes and enter a forest habitat.

The exhibit is free, but it does have a limited capacity for visitors, so scheduled entry times may be required. For more information visit Floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/discovery-zone-open or call 352-846-2000.