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. The Mace is open 11am-4pm six days a week and is closed on Wednesdays. Questions? Email us at museum@cofc.edu.
  • Hours

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

     Upcoming Closures for maintenance:

    The museum will be CLOSED on Friday, July 24th. 

    We will be OPEN on Saturday, July 25th.

  • 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

Note: Tour and outreach requests for Summer 2026 are now closed and we pausing booking for Fall 2026.

We offer staff-led tours for groups of all ages! Tours are about 30 minutes long and cover the museum's main highlights. 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. Please give at least 2 weeks' notice before your desired tour date.

As the museum is located within a College of Charleston building, we ask that tour groups be mindful of noise levels to avoid disturbing nearby classes. 

Since we are a small museum, we cannot accommodate groups of more than about 20 people at a time. If your group is larger, we ask that you consider splitting it and booking two back-to-back time slots to ensure everyone can see and hear the tour guide clearly. (Participants must be capped at 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.) Outreach is limited to the immediate Charleston area, except under specific conditions due to staffing constraints. 

Booking Request Form

What's happening at the Mace?

Check us out on Instagram and Facebook:

Mace Brown Museum of Natural History (@macenaturalhistory) 

Events coming soon!

Promotional flyer announcing “Meet Our New Curator Dr. Jake!” with a photo of a man in front of a fossil display, plus event details for Friday, August 28th at 3:00 pm, in an underwater-themed design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swim on over to the museum on Friday, August 28th at 3:00 pm to meet our new curator, Dr. Jake Wilson!

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