The Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS) is the primary art, history and science museum in Central Florida. Located on a 90-acre Florida preserve the 86,000 square foot facility is host to over 30,000 objects including the most complete Giant Ground Sloth Skeleton in North America and the largest permanent exhibition of Cuban art outside of Cuba. Also on display is Coca-Cola entrepreneur Chapman Root's lifetime collection of Americana, including two private rail cars. The museum's theater, planetarium, and children's center create an interactive experience for each guest.

MOAS is a not-for-profit educational institution founded in 1955 and chartered by the State of Florida in 1962. The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. MOAS renews over 5,000 memberships annually representing over 17,000 individuals. The Museum publishes Art & Sciences magazine quarterly along with catalogs and books specific to its permanent collections.

The Dow Museum of Historic Houses (formerly known as Old St. Augustine Village), located in the heart of the nation's oldest city, is owned and operated by MOAS. With one city block and four centuries of history, the Dow Museum is the perfect place for visitors to begin their tour of St. Augustine. Included in the 1572 town plan of St. Augustine, the site consists of five houses dating from 1790 - 1910 with exhibits of historic furnishings, fine museum collections, and a series of outdoor exhibits.

Another off-site exhibit MOAS has to offer is Gamble Place. Nestled among the Spruce Creek Preserve, this stunning property features Florida's rich natural environment and a unique historic past told by the property's three historic houses. Gamble Place has been developed and restored by the Museum of Arts & Sciences in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy and the City of Port Orange. It is now a 175-acre park with trails that cover five different ecosystems and is home to many endangered and threatened species.

MISSION STATEMENT

The basic purposes of the Museum are:

• To render educational and cultural service to the local community, the region, and the State of Florida through collection, conservation, presentation and interpretation of original and significant objects which are important components of the artistic, scientific and historical legacy of our multicultural and multi-ethnic society.
  
• To achieve this mission by developing, building and maintaining multinational and multidisciplinary collections, exhibitions, research, and teaching facilities within the scope of the Museum, namely the broad areas of art, science and history, with particular emphasis on Florida history; and to initiate, exhibit and promote, alone or in conjunction with other museums or educational institutions, programs for bringing about a better understanding and appreciation of the world in which we live.