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 Depicting the Endangered (Winthrop Art Department)

This exhibit features the woodblock prints and mixed media monoprints by Winthrop University Art students to increase public awareness about the endangered species of North and South Carolina.  Museum of York County’s Natural History Curator, Dr. Steve Fields compiled a list of 58 species for Myles Calvert’s printmaking class and Seth Rouser’s drawing class to choose from.  Alongside the learning and honing of artistic processes, students conducted research to learn more about each species and incorporated this information into aspects of their work.

Vernon Grant Gallery featuring Depicting the Endanger (Rock Hill Elementary Schools)

This exhibit displays over 50 illustrations of endangered species of the Carolinas by students from eight different elementary schools in Rock Hill.  Grades K-5 learned about mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, plants, and a species of mollusk whose populations are most vulnerable.  Also included is the text from Mt. Gallant Elementary art teacher, Heather Gregory’s children’s book, Caring for the Carolinas.  

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!