Explore the Museum
Whether it's Native American artifacts, England's largest colonial plantation, railroad memorabilia, or pictures of life 100 years ago, you are sure to find exhibit items to satisfy your interests! Be sure to allot at least an hour if you want to delve into the details of exhibits!
The Attic
The first thing visitors see upon entering the museum is a wall of items straight out of Grandma's attic — or maybe Grandpa's attic. See a lifeguard flag purloined by college students and returned after 50 years by a guilty conscience. Check out a banquet menu whose offerings would land the cook in jail today.
Stroll down the hall surrounding the center exhibit to follow a timeline of New Smyrna History, starting with fossils and the earliest Americans and ending with a tribute to New Smyrna's Vietnam War veterans.
Visitor favorites include
- Beautiful embroidered tapestries made through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s
- Civil War displays
- Fishing and hunting displays
- Household items from 100 years ago
- Photographs of New Smyrna in the late 1800s and early 1900s
The Archaeology Lab
Although the lab is not open to the public, you can still peer through the window and catch a glimpse of our archaeologists at work, and see displays of local digs and finds.
Research Library
The second floor of the museum houses the Sweett Exhibit, an extensive collection of Native American artifacts found in New Smyrna, and the Sheldon Research Library.