Exhibits

Museum of York County

Explore the Carolina Piedmont and its connections to the world at the Museum of York County!

Explore the wild wonders of nature with our award-winning exhibitions and programs that explore a variety of natural history topics. With more than 2,000 specimens at your fingertips, the Naturalist Center allows visitors to explore their interests hands-on. Experience a journey back in time to encounter the strange, gigantic, fierce, and fantastic beasts that once roamed the Carolinas in Ice Age Carolinas: Exploring Our Pleistocene Past. In the Settlemyre Planetarium, travel the cosmos from the comfort of your seat with state-of-the-art digital projection and new programs. A playful learning space awaits our youngest visitors in Tot Town. Educational gardens, a Nature Trail, and a picnic area offer outdoor experiences. 

On View at the Museum of York County

Changing Exhibits:

Know Your Nature

An interactive, nature-themed exhibit. Packed with fun, hands-on activities, the exhibit highlights ways for kids and families to discover, appreciate, and experience the natural world around us. Learning is an adventure as you explore the wildlife of the Carolina Piedmont – climb a rock outcropping and explore the hidden nooks and crannies of trees, rocks, and streams.

Nature Nook Gallery featuring Citizen Science

This exhibition features the winning photographs from the Museum of York County’s third annual photo contest. Each month, participants from the community focus on a different, naturally occurring theme of flora and fauna.

Vernon Grant Gallery featuring Critter Ties

Vernon Grant (1902-1990) was a prolific commercial illustrator who spent the latter half of his life in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  Though probably best known for his gnome characters, this exhibition of 20 original paintings, posters, and prints focuses on his use of animals to achieve his trademark playful and imaginative tone.

Permanent Exhibits:

Naturalist Center

The only Smithsonian-styled education center in South Carolina, with more than 2,000 specimens at your fingertips, will guide your learning adventures from the Piedmont and across the globe. 

Ice Age Carolinas: Exploring Our Pleistocene Past 

Experience a journey back in time to encounter the strange, gigantic, fierce, and fantastic beasts that once roamed the Carolinas! Featuring life-sized models, taxidermy mounts, diorama and habitat settings, fossils, interactives, and interpretive displays, Ice Age Carolinas portrays the Carolinas’ prehistoric landscapes and wildlife during the Pleistocene Epoch from 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. See, touch, and learn about fossils and the fossil sites in South Carolina that helped paleontologists piece together this fascinating story.    

Carolina Piedmont Halls Landscapes and Lifeways: The Carolina Piedmont 600 Years Ago and Today

Spy on the creatures that only come out at night.  Compare the present landscape with the Piedmont of the 1400s, before European exploration and settlement – when bison roamed around the river’s edge and humans fashioned tools of wood and stone.

Tot Town

Based on the imaginative artwork of nationally-known illustrator and long-time Rock Hill resident Vernon Grant, a playful learning space awaits our youngest visitors in Tot Town!