John Gorrie State Museum
John Gorrie State Museum
John Gorrie State Museum
4
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
28 within 5 kms
Attractions
24 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
118 reviews
Excellent
47
Very good
49
Average
18
Poor
4
Terrible
0
Kristen M
10 contributions
Aug 2023
My children learned a lot about Gorrie in their elementary school, so we made a special stop to see this sweet (small) museum. It's a one room museum and half of it is dedicated to Florida National Parks. The other half is about John B Gorrie. It's $2 per person. Spent about 15-20 minutes in there.
Written 13 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
the5neumanns
Philadelphia, PA100 contributions
Aug 2010
Why anyone else gets a Nobel Prize and John Gorrie didn't is something I will never understand. The museum is about 20X20 and cheap-less than a dollar for the kids and maybe 1.25 for me. There are a few dioramas and other displays, of which 1/3 are related to the Prince of All Men Who Gave Us Conditioned Air, the remainder are about the bay and local history. The people who work there take it VERY seriously considering the museum is the size of a good hotel room-and they totally MAKE the experience. They quiz the kids before you leave, are nice to a fault and they can also answer any questions. Strangely, maybe because I am a Northerner, I find it a little warm inside. They have a few souvenirs for sale too.
Written 9 March 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
63Thomas2016
Killeen, TX12 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
Wow! I never knew this little fact about Apalachicola before but don't pass it by with out a quick visit.
Written 3 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Irene R
County Durham, UK788 contributions
Oct 2015 • Couples
Visited the Ice machine museum whilst in apalachicola - interesting hour spent learning about the invention of refrigerators and the positive impact they had on the community . Also about cotton. Lovely member of staff who just let us wander. Very cheap entrance fee.
Written 20 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MTravi
Nashville, TN259 contributions
Jan 2016 • Couples
This museum is about Dr John Gorrie and his invention of the first mechanical cooling machine. There are models, dioramas, artifacts of Dr Gorrie, and a video which lasts about 20 minutes. Souvenirs are also available for purchase but credit cards are not accepted. The museum is open Thursday to Monday 9-5 eastern time and entrance is $2 per person. They take lunch around 12-1 and usually close the museum then. John Gorrie's grave is across the street and a monument to him is at the church across the street from the grave.
Written 2 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cww1946
Ocala, FL8 contributions
Jun 2015 • Couples
We were a group of four senior citizens visiting the John Gorrie Museum on June 4, 2015. The museum was small, but interesting. The ranger didn't tell us about the informative 20 minute video. We had to ask to see it. We were the only visitors. He didn't offer any seating. Surely a state museum has folding chairs. It was a long 20 minutes standing in one place.
Written 6 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Larry535678
Lynwood, IL8 contributions
Apr 2015 • Solo
John Gorrie was incredibly important in changing how the south became a valued place to live. This is just a one room museum but does a good job of explaining the reason he worked on inventing an ice machine-in 1851-and its eventual impact. He died just four years later without getting financial backing for his invention but many millions of us living with air conditioning are grateful to him without even knowing what he did.
Written 28 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KMW-FL
Port Saint Lucie, FL686 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
John Gorrie State Museum is one room with divided partitions that chronicle the history of the first ice machine (predecessor to air conditioning) and its creator Dr John Gorrie. It has several displays that depict the process by which Dr. Gorrie finally patented his ice making machine. There is a replica in the museum. It is a self-guided tour with the displays well documented and an attendant on hand for any questions you might have. The museum is located across the street from Dr. Gorrie’s grave and another monument in front to the church he attended. 2$ per person to tour the museum.
9am-5pm Thursday-Monday
9am-5pm Thursday-Monday
Written 19 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Virginia730
Fort Myers, Fl, USA21 contributions
Dec 2012 • Family
If you live in warm Florida you are bound to appreciate this man. A doctor who wanted to cool his patient suffering from a high fever so he built a contraption that pioneered the way for modern air
conditioning. A true HERO in my book! This should become a pilgrimage for Southerners. This
ice making machine idea of his is similar to refrigerated air used in the west long ago. I say go,
look and marvel at his creativity. We owe him one!!! Besides Apalachicola is a wonderful place
to be. Their oysters are delightful. Enjoy the ride down there. I did.
conditioning. A true HERO in my book! This should become a pilgrimage for Southerners. This
ice making machine idea of his is similar to refrigerated air used in the west long ago. I say go,
look and marvel at his creativity. We owe him one!!! Besides Apalachicola is a wonderful place
to be. Their oysters are delightful. Enjoy the ride down there. I did.
Written 16 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mixa's Travels
Oldsmar, FL4,139 contributions
May 2012 • Couples
A Florida State Park Museum it gives a good overview of Dr. John Gorrie and how he came to invent the ice machine. There is a very good video that tells the story of how Dr. Gorrie wanted to find a way to cure/eliminate yellow fever and malaria eventually resulting in his inventing an ice machine. This invention’s impact was huge as it lead to the ability to have air conditioning which opened up a whole new world for Florida and other southern states which previously were avoided in summer months. This is a one room museum that showcases Gorrie and even has a replica of the original ice machine. It would be good to have seats to watch the video. It is 20 minutes and a long time to just stand in front of a TV set.
Written 17 May 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing