Attraction: Museum of Arts and Sciences

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Address:
off Nova Rd./Fla. 5A btw. International Speedway Blvd. and Bellevue Ave
1040 Museum Blvd
Daytona Beach, Florida
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Expert Review of Museum of Arts and Sciences

Family Review of Museum of Arts and Sciences

By Away Travel Expert: Candyce H. Stapen

Family Expert Rating

Recommended for:
Children aged 3 - 5 , 6 - 12 and 13 - 17

Family Expert Tips & Helpful Hints

See the Giant Ground Sloth skeleton
Opened November 2008, the Charles and Linda Williams Children's Museum is part of the Museum of Arts and Sciences

Visitor Information

Description:

An exceptional institution for a town of Daytona's size and reputation (as culturally devoid beyond NASCAR), this hard-to-find museum is best known for its Cuba: A History of Art exhibit, with paintings acquired in 1956, when Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista donated his private collection to the city. Among them is a portrait of Eva ("Evita") Perón, said to be the only existing painting completed while she was alive (it hangs near the lobby, not within the Cuban exhibit). The Dow Gallery displays American decorative arts, while the Bouchelle Study Center for the Decorative Arts contains American and European jewelry, furniture, mirrors, and more. Other rooms include the Schulte Gallery of Chinese Art; Africa: Life and Ritual, with the largest collection of Ashante gold ornaments in the U.S. (these are stunning); and the Center for Florida History, with the skeleton of a 13-foot-tall, 130,000-year-old giant ground sloth. Check out the unique collection of the late Chapman S. Root, a Daytona philanthropist and a founder of the Coca-Cola empire; among the memorabilia are the mold for the original Coke bottle and the Root family's two private railroad cars. The planeta rium presents 30-minute shows of what the night sky will look like on the date of your visit. Note: Even though this is a first-class art museum, children are apt to be bored here.

Contact Frommers

Telephone Number: 386/255-0285

Website: http://www.moas.org

Transportation: Take International Speedway Blvd. west, make a left on Nova Rd. (Fla. 5A), and look for a sign on your right

Price Information: Museum $13 adults, $11 seniors, $6.95 children and students with ID, free for children 5 and under. Planetarium shows $3 adults, $2 children and students

Hours: Tues-Fri 9am-4pm; Sat-Sun noon-5pm. Planetarium shows Tues-Fri 2pm; Sat-Sun 1 and 3pm

Dates Closed: Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day

The details, dates, and prices mentioned here were accurate at the time of publication.