Details on tickets, opening times and parking can be found just under the story below.

That scratching sound coming just off the lobby at the South Florida Museum is popular this summer. If you're itching for something to explore out of the heat, there's a mystery unfolding this summer in Bradenton.

"It is inquiry based," hints Tiffany Birakis, the assistant curator of collections and exhibitions. "It's focused on science, so we are looking at biology, archeology, math and how that can be applied to learning about a culture."

Rooted deep in the Mayan culture, the 'Mysteries of the Mayan Medallion" is a summer exhibit that brings the rain forest region to life.

"It certainly sounds like it," Tiffany says with a laugh when asked about the background sound effects of macaws, insects and other jungle creatures.

Inside a cave, kids and big kids at heart, can crawl up to glyphs (modern recreations of hieroglyphics). An illuminated puzzle in a dark corner pits kids against a quiz, where they quickly find themselves facing a task as if they were old-fashioned switchboard operators making manual connections at a peg board.

The Field Station puts a new spin on the creatures still around from Mayan times. Everything from beetles to tarantulas are under glass.

Cross a wooden bridge and find an electromagnetic puzzle that collapses if you're too slow putting it together.

Meanwhile, down the hall, another exhibit illustrates the past and the future.

"This is a meteorite that crashed into Earth 45,000 years ago," shares Howard Hochhalter. The Bishop Planetarium's manager (with two Hs in his name) takes pride in his work presenting live star talks. His lectures illustrate what star formations will be in the sky that night.

"That's the lake in the sky that we all have our shores up against," Hochhaltersays. "It's the one thing that connects us all."

Here, when the lights are dimmed, lean back and let Hochhalter do the work.

"I can fly you geographically anywhere on Earth," he marvels over the planetarium's software. "Fly you into the grand canyon, fly you over Mount Everest, into Crater Lake!"

Projected on the ceiling are the heavens across Florida and 47 billion light years away. It's a legacy that Hochhalter instilled in his children's birth names.

"Four children named after stars and astronomers, and now a full-time job here at the planetarium," he beams. "I certainly like to think people will go home and say, 'I am a little bit more curious about that thing in the sky now.'"

About this Destination

Where: 
Bradenton, Manatee County

Hours:
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through  Saturday
Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday

Phone number: 941-746-4131

General Admission:
Adults: $19
Seniors 65+: $17
Children 4-12: $14
Under 4: Free w/ paying adult

Address:
201 10th St. W.
Bradenton FL 34205

Website: http://www.southfloridamuseum.org/

Parking: Free, if you can find a space. Be ready, parking is limited.

Accessibility Note:
The museum exhibits are accessible by ramps and elevators

GPS Longitude & Latitude:
Latitude: 27.49824
Longitude:-82.571517

Latitude: 27° 29' 53.6634"
Longitude: -82° 34' 17.4612"

Drive Times:
From Orlando: 2 hours, 5 minutes
From Tampa: 50 minutes

Tankful on Television
You can catch new Florida on a Tankful stories each Thursday and Saturday on News 13 and Bay News 9. New editions play at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m. Classic Florida on a Tankful stories can be found each Friday and Sunday on Bay News 9 and News 13 at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m.

Tankful on Demand
This story was part of the Florida on a Tankful Summer Road Trip.  Catch the 30-minute special with Scott Fais now on Bright House Local On Demand, Channel 999. Use your remote to scroll to the right to the TRAVEL category. Then SCROLL DOWN to TANKFUL.