Gillespie Museum, DeLand

About Gillespie Museum

The Gillespie Museum in DeLand features one of the Southeast's premier historic mineral collections alongside seasonally changing exhibits on earth science and natural history topics. Visitors explore the indoor galleries during regular Tuesday through Friday hours, with monthly Science Saturdays and Science Cafes offering additional programming. The museum grounds extend beyond the building to include the Native Florida Landscape and the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem, a one-acre restoration project on the DeLand Ridge. This outdoor classroom showcases native sandhill species including longleaf pines, turkey oaks, wiregrass areas, and plantings of Greeneyes, Coreopsis, and Gopher apples. Visitors can wander these spaces using available guides and participate in outdoor activities such as leaf transpiration investigations, soil profile studies, scavenger hunts, and pollinator observation projects. The museum serves students, community groups, and families interested in environmental education and ecology. General admission is free.