Museum of Science & History

The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) is a museum in Jacksonville, Florida. It is a private, non-profit institution located on the Southbank Riverwalk, and the city's most visited museum.It specializes in science and local history exhibits. It features a large traveling exhibit that changes quarterly, three floors of permanent and signature exhibits, and the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium.

The roots of MOSH go back to 1941 when the Jacksonville Children's Museum was chartered. The first permanent home was a Victorian mansion in Riverside. Construction began on the current location downtown in 1965, and the facility opened in 1969. The Jacksonville Children's Museum became the Jacksonville Museum of Arts and Sciences in 1977 and six years later, they were accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The name was changed to Museum of Science and History in 1988 and 37,500 square feet (3,480 m2) of space was added, including the planetarium then known as the Alexander Brest Planetarium. 

MOSH manages more than 36,000 objects and specimens broken into six distinct collections for the purposes of exhibition, research, reference and hands-on learning. The collections are: Natural Science Collection, Living Collection, History Collection, MOSH Archive, and the Library Collection.

The Living Collection inspires appreciation and respect for Northeast Florida’s wildlife in support of the museum’s mission. The Living Collection consists of more than 80 live zoological specimens who are cared for and exhibited on a permanent basis; including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.