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
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Hours
The Mace is open 11am-4pm six days a week and is closed on Wednesdays.
We will be closing early at 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 22nd.
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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.
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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
Fall 2026 Museum Update
Note: We are not offering tours and outreach for Fall 2026.
During Fall 2026, the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History will not be offering guided tours or off-site outreach programs. Our team is currently working behind the scenes on a major collections move to another science building on campus, which requires all hands on deck. The museum itself is staying in the same building; we are just moving our on-site storage and turning that space into more exhibits.
At the same time, we are working to expand our exhibit space and reimagine and improve the overall museum experience for our visitors. While this means we have to temporarily scale back some of our programming, we are excited about what these changes will bring to the museum.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this transition and look forward to welcoming you back with new and expanded exhibits and programs!
What's happening at the Mace?
Events coming soon!
Come meet the staff of the Mace Brown Museum on August 28th at 3:00 pm!
Fossil/Rock/Meteorite Identification or Fossil Donations
We have a very small staff and get a lot of requests for identifications and do not always have staff on call for identification but if you send us your finds to the following emails, we will reach out to you as soon as possible.
If you have a fossil that you would like to have identified, please send photos with a scale to show size along with where you found it to: museum@cofc.edu
If you have a rock or meteorite that you would like identified, please send photos with a scale to show size along with where you found it to: GEO@cofc.edu
If you would like to potentially donate a fossil to the museum, please email: museum@cofc.edu
Donate
If you've enjoyed visiting the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History, please consider making a donation. Your support helps us improve our exhibits, provide hands-on learning opportunities for students, care for our collections, and expand our educational outreach throughout the community.
Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Thank you for helping us continue to share the incredible natural history of the South Carolina Lowcountry with visitors of all ages.
As the museum continues to grow, your support is greatly appreciated.
Donate