A museum that appealed to everyone was the vision of Dr. William Daniel Sugg when he founded the South Florida Museum in 1946, said Suzanne White, the museum's curator for the past eight years.
"Everyone can find something interesting here," she said.
Dr. Sugg's vision reaches near perfection next year when the final phase of a multimillion renovation opens on the museum's second floor. Since its founding with the Tallant Collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, the South Florida Museum acquired its star attraction, Snooty the Manatee (1949), who is now 58 years old; built a new museum with exhibit space, a planetarium and aquarium (1966), and embarked on its most ambitious project with a $7 million total renovation of its galleries and an endowment fund (2000).
The museum is first and foremost an educational institution with a mission to help the community protect its cultural and environmental heritage.
"If we teach newcomers the value and importance of the environment, we can let them know how important it is to protect it," White said.
This month, the museum plans to open a permanent installation about Bradenton, River Heritage Hall.
"We'll talk about the history and culture of Bradenton, from European contact to the importance of water transportation and industry, to about 1968," White said.
The museum's holdings are extensive. For generations, individuals have donated countless numbers of collections and artifacts, including shell and rock collections, military memorabilia, surgical instruments, decorative items, navigational equipment, antiques, household items, and even a Ford Model T.
"People have really, really deep roots here," White said.
The museum has an ever-changing, fascinating exhibit called "Visible Storage - Collection Study Gallery." The display cases and pull-out drawers show items as they are catalogued in a behind-the-scenes manner. It's a lot like a thrilling snoop in your grandparents' attic.
The other two second-floor environmental exhibits will be "Rivertine," scheduled to open in the fall, and "Estuarine," in 2008. The tour will end with an underwater view of the Gulf and its natural inhabitants, at the second-floor entrance to the Parker Aquarium and Snooty's home.
"It all flows together," joked Alan Haines, the museum's acting director.
The Bishop Planetarium, completely rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2001, also adds programs frequently, with the most recent show being "Black Holes."
"Scoundrels, Scalawags & Treasure: Pirates!" - curated by the museum - and "Florida's East Coast Pirates" - from the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences - open in the East Gallery May 19. Plans for September include an exhibit on motorcycles.
Haines said the recent $7 million capital campaign, "Strengthening the Legacy," chaired by board president emeritus Dan S. Blalock Jr., has enabled the museum to become the premiere institution in Bradenton.
"He is the guy behind what we are able to do today," Haines said.
