THINGS TO DO

Planet Pioneers: To Mars and Beyond

Thru April 23

Planet Pioneers: To Mars and Beyond is an immersive and interactive STEM-based exhibition designed for children ages 5 to 12 and their families. From rocket launches to landing and building a habitat to a base, there is plenty to see and do. Visitors will engage in 17 different hands-on learning stations that explore themes such as adapting to new environments, the challenges that await humans on distant worlds, and how technology developed for space impact day-to-day lives on Earth. Experience what it takes to be the next generation of space goers, learn about the challenges – and risks – of being an astronaut, and help settle new worlds for the future of humanity. The exhibit is included with general admission.

Museum of Science and History / 904-3966674 / 1025 Museum Circle, Jacksonville, FL 32207 / themosh.org

Clay County Agricultural Fair Advance

Ticket Sales • Thru March 29

Tickets are on sale now for the 2023 Clay County Agricultural Fair. Regular ticket prices are $12 for adults and $8 for seniors/children. Children 5 and under receive free gate admission. Advance sale ticket prices are $8 for adults and $5 for senior/child tickets. This year, fans can purchase a 2023 Fair Fan Pass. Enjoy all 11 days of the 2023 Fair for $75 plus a $5 processing fee. Special Family Packs are also available. The Family 4 Pack is $50 and includes 4 Gate Admissions and 2 Ride Armbands; the Family 6 Pack is $100 and includes 6 Gate Admissions and 4 Ride Armbands. Valid any day except Saturday. Advance armbands will also be available for purchase for $17 each. Armbands will be good for any day except Saturdays. Concert tickets are also on sale now. Tickets purchased for concerts include gate admission. The 2022 Clay County Agricultural Fair opens March 30 and runs through April 9, 2023.

Clay County Fairgrounds / 904-284-1615 / 2493 State Road 16 W, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043 / www.claycountyfair.org

Beyond Van Gogh • Thru February 26

Beyond Van Gogh is a new truly immersive experience. While other shows use virtual reality or still images, this show incorporates both still and moving art. Masterpieces, now freed from frames, come alive, appear and disappear, and flow across multi-surfaces. The show is projected on every surface around you, which makes you feel as though you have stepped directly into a Van Gogh painting. The visual artwork is accompanied by a beautiful score. Tickets start at $23.99 for children and $39.99 for adults. Children 4 years and younger enter the show for free and do not require a ticket when accompanying an adult with a ticket.

Immersive Art Space / 800-441-0819 / 119 West Beaver Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202 / vangoghjacksonville.com

Winter 2023 Boy Scouts Workshop

February 4, 9am to 12:30pm

Discover what it takes to be a good citizen in your community. Learn the rights, duties, and obligations of citizenship and how you can demonstrate good citizenship in your community. Cost is $36 per scout.

Museum of Science and History / 904-396MOSH / 1025 Museum Circle, Jacksonville, FL 32207 / themosh.org

Home Depot Kids Workshop

February 4, 9am to 12noon

Offered the first Saturday of each month between 9am and 12 noon. All kids get to keep their craft, receive a free certificate of achievement, a workshop apron, and a commemorative pin while supplies last. Kids can build their project and finish it with paint. Free for kids 5 to 12. This month’s project is a Valentine’s Vase. Area Home Depot Stores / www.homedepot.com

Frank H. Peterson Career Academy Showcase & Auto Show

February 4, 10am to 2pm

Frank H. Peterson hosts Peterson's Automotive Showcase Gateway to Florida along with its Career Academy Showcase. The academies will also be open for prospective students and families to tour. Admission is free, but if you want to enter in your vehicle, you must pay $25. Categories include classic, antiques, American, imports, lifted truck, lowered truck, and street rods. There will be trophies in each class. For those who plan to stay for the day, the Culinary Academy will be open for lunch. The Cosmetology Academy will be open for tours and will be adding hair tinsel and fairy hair to attendees. In addition to the car show and tours, the Early Childhood Education Academy will be hosting activities for preschool children, and the Robotics Academy will be sharing robot demonstrations. The event is free. Frank H. Peterson Academies / 904573-1150 / 7450 Wilson Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32210 / dcps.duvalschools.org

Citi Free First Saturday

February 4, 11am to 4pm

Free admission every first Saturday of the month at the Cummer Museum, sponsored by Citi. Visiting exhibits on display include Rockwell Kent: The Shakespeare Portfolios and Outside In. These are in addition to the Permanent Collection of more than 5,000 works. The Permanent Collection spans from 2100 B.C. through the 21st century and includes masterpieces created by Mildred Thompson, Peter Paul Rubens, Winslow Homer, Thomas Moran, Whitfield Lovell, Norman Rockwell, and Romare Bearden. It is also home to the Wark

Collection of Early Meissen Porcelain. Please note, not all works from the Permanent Collection are on display at any given time. The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens / 904356-6857 / 829 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32204 / www.cummermuseum.org

Stomp! • February 4, 3pm and 8pm

Stomp is an explosive, inventive, unique experience for audiences of all ages. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. There will be two shows, one at 3pm and one at 8pm. Tickets start at $39.

Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts / 904-632-5000 / 300 Water Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202 / www.fscjartistseries.org

Thrasher-Horne Center: Blue Man Group

February 4, 7:30pm

Blue Man Group premieres in Orange Park for a limited engagement on their new North American tour. The show features signature drumming, colorful moments of creativity, quirky comedy, original music, custom-made instruments, surprise audience interaction, and more. The show is approximately 75 minutes long and is performed without an intermission. While this production is friendly for the whole family, please note it features loud music, bright lighting, strobe lights, haze, and other atmospheric effects. Because of that, the show is best suited for ages 3 and up. Tickets start at $39.

Thrasher-Horne Center / 904-276-6815 / 283 College Drive, Orange Park, FL 32065 / www.thcenter.org

The Old Florida Museum Home School

Experience 2023

February 7-10, 10am to 2pm

This interactive experience is designed to expose students to the daily living activities of the Timucuan Indians, early Spanish exploration and settlers, as well as the field of archaeology. This is a whole day excursion so pack a lunch. This interactive experience is facilitated by costumed guides providing history and instruction in the use of tools, games, and take-home projects for each historical time period, including the Timucuan Indian Program, Spanish Colonial Program, Florida Cracker Program, and Dirt Detectives Archaeology Program. The cost is $19.95 per person for ages three and up.

The Old Florida Museum / 904-824-8874 / 7900 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast, FL 32127 / www.floridaagmuseum.org

Demo: Fairy Garden at Michaels

February 11, 3pm to 5pm

Michaels hosts a Fairy Garden Demo. Come in-store and learn about all the products they have for you to make your perfect fairy garden. Free, and no registration is required.

Area Michaels Stores / www.michaels.com

The Big Bounce America

February 17-19

The Big Bounce America returns to Jacksonville for one weekend. The event features over 13,000 square feet of bounce house space, a live DJ, climbing towers, basketball hoops, slides, ball pits, confetti blasts, bubbles, competitions, and more. There will be Junior Sessions for ages 7 and under, Bigger Kids Sessions for ages 15 and under, and Adult Only Sessions for ages 16 and up. Tickets are $35.

Riverfront Plaza / 2 E Independent Dr, Jacksonville, FL 32202 / thebigbounceamerica.com

Planetarium Night Live presents “The Honeycomb Telescope: Discoveries from JWST”

February 17, 7pm to 8:30pm

The Bryan-Gooding Planetarium at MOSH presents Planetarium Night Live!, a program that allows you to expand your mind and explore the cosmos through space simulations, storytelling, interactive demonstrations, and immersive, live-narrated video projection under the Planetarium’s 60-foot dome. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with its signature hexagonal shape, is widely recognized as one of the most prolific space-discovery contraptions humans have ever created. Jaw-dropping findings overflow in this evening dedicated to what the JWST has taught us so far. Doors to the Museum open at 6:30pm; show starts at 7pm. Suggested for ages 13 and up. Admission is $10 for MOSH Members and $12 for Non-Members.

Museum of Science and History / 904-3966674 / 1025 Museum Circle, Jacksonville, FL 32207 / themosh.org

World of Nations Celebration 2023

February 18, 10am to 7pm; February 19, 10am to 6pm

The City of Jacksonville hosts the 31st Annual World of Nations Celebration. Experience more than 30 cultural destinations through educational aspects, authentic cuisine, crafts, dance, and many other traditions. All ticket sales are cashless. Only Visa, Discover, American Express, and Mastercard Credit and Debit Cards are accepted at the gate. Tickets are $5 each, plus fees, if purchased in advance, and children 3 and under are free. Tickets purchased at the gate are $8 for school-age children (4-17) and $10 for adults. Countries participating in the World of Nations Celebration include The Bahamas, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, U.S.A., U.S. Virgin Islands, and Venezuela.

Tailgaters Parking / 904-630-3690 / 225 Tall-