Mace Brown Museum of Natural History

Discover the natural world through fossils, artifacts and more!

 

What will you see when you visit the Mace Brown Museum?

  • Dinosaur bones
  • Ocean life through time
  • Mammals of North America and the Carolinas
  • Mosasaurs 
  • Cave bears 
  • Evolution of Whales 

And, don't miss the giant jaw of the extinct shark Megalodon!

Visit

Admission is free, and donations are always welcome! Since museum is located next to college classrooms, we ask that visitors be considerate of noise levels while exploring the exhibits. Questions? Email us at museum@cofc.edu.
  • Hours

    The Mace is open 11am-4pm six days a week and is closed on Wednesdays.

     Upcoming Holiday Hours:

    The museum will be CLOSED on Tuesday, December 17th through Thursday, December 19th. 

    The museum will be OPEN regular hours Friday, December 20th through Sunday, December 22nd.

    The museum will be CLOSED on Monday, December 23rd through Thursday, December 26th.

  • Parking

    There are several public parking options:

    • Metered parking is available along Coming Street next to the building north of Calhoun Street
    • Metered parking along Calhoun Street in front of the building
    • 1 hour parking on Duncan Street behind the building
    • The St. Philip Street Parking Garage (89 St. Philip Street) is the closest parking deck, located at the corner of St. Philip Street and Vandorhorst Street (north of Calhoun Street).

    Please note that College of Charleston parking lots are ticketed at all times and require a valid CofC parking permit.

  • Directions

    The museum is located on the second floor in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Building at 202 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC 29401.

    This building is at the corner of Coming and Calhoun Streets, and a red museum sidewalk sign is at the main entrance during open hours. Feel free to ask someone if you need help finding it! 

Guided Tours and Off-Site Talks

We offer staff-led tours for groups of all ages! Tours are about 30 minutes long and cover the main highlights of the museum. Tours are not required for informal groups to visit-- we are free and open to the public! If you would like to request a tour for your group, please complete this booking form and museum staff will be in touch soon.

As the museum is located within a College of Charleston building, we ask that tour groups be conscious of noise levels as not to disturb nearby classes.

Since we are a small museum, we cannot accommodate groups of more than about 20 people at a time. If you group is larger, we ask that you consider splitting the group and booking two back to back time slots to ensure everyone can see and hear the tour guide properly. (Participants must be capped around 40 people for this option.)

If you have a group larger than 40 people, we may be able to arrange for our staff to come speak at your school or organization, with fossil specimens to show and touch. (If you would like to book an off-site visit, please check the option for off-site visit in the booking request form.)

Booking Request Form

What's happening at the Mace?

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Mace Brown Museum of Natural History (@macenaturalhistory) • Instagram photos and videos

Donate

As the museum continues to grow, your support is greatly appreciated. Please visit our giving page if you would like to donate.

If you are interested in donating a specimen to the museum, please contact museum@cofc.edu.

Donate