Appleton Museum of Art

We loved our visit to the museum today. It was our first time and it happened to be free. We did a donation and would have been okay with paying the regular price of $10. They have very nice collections and exhibits. We loved the American, African, Asian and European pieces. Really outstanding. Thank you for creating and maintaining this beautiful museum. We would love to visit again soon.

This is a beautiful museum with a very nice diverse collection. I love pre-Columbian art so that gallery was my favorite, but all of the galleries were wonderful. I appreciate that each art piece has a placard next to it to tell you the time period, artist name, and information about the piece. Some museums aren’t displaying that information anymore and I feel it takes away from the learning experience. I would definitely recommend stopping by!

Absolutely was more than I expected. Super friendly employees. Super clean restrooms, elevator, snack machine and soda machine (but don’t take it into the museum). Beautiful inside and out. So many neat and exquisite items. Nice courtyard. I only dislike the remove the painted horse to the basement sometimes. Should always be in display.

Great museum. As of July 2025 admission is $10 per adult and worth every penny. As someone who enjoys art, it was one of the more memorable museums I have visited! It's set up very easy to follow too!

What a great treasure trove of beautiful art in a variety of forms. From maritime paintings to Samurai artifacts, this museum had everything. I was fortunate to benefit from free admission for their free first Saturday program (check it out!) My husband really enjoyed an exhibit of oil color paintings of springs, some of them local to our central Florida area. I loved the Japanese Samurai artifacts and the African artifacts. Lots of sculpture and artifacts peppered throughout were in addition to the abundant and thought-provoking wall art. The layout of the museum was organized and gentle, with a staircase or elevator as necessary to the 2nd floor, also full of art. The center had a lovely garden with fountain and protective lion statues. The building and property made a lovely home for the treasures inside. I thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would recommend the museum to anyone in the area looking to burn a couple of hours immersed in culture and history.

This museum has a culturally diverse collection of artifacts and art pieces that literally span the globe and the centuries. Modern works on local themes are also on prominent display. Children can enjoy a well stocked "hands on" project area as well. The first Saturday of every month has free admission allowing for all members of the community access to this beautiful place.

We had a great time at this museum! So many things to look at and the Christmas Santa collection and nutcrackers were amazing! Some really cool exhibits and the art room was super fun as well! Free to do whatever art project available and everything is provided! A great place for kids especially! Some things you can make and take home, other projects stay and are posted on boards on display! Very interesting and lots of fun! We really enjoyed our day there! Cute gift shop that's not overly priced and had some cute things to buy to remember the trip! Loved it overall! The only thing I thought we might see is some art by V Van Gogh or Renoir but none. Oh well, still a great museum! $8 to get in with AARP or senior discount. They have other discounts as well for teachers, firefighters, military etc! AND they have free Saturdays once a month! Check it out!

This is a wonderful museum with some compelling art and an extensive Christmas collection. Senior tickets were only $8 and the staff was very friendly. It was a beautiful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

So, I'm not a big art person, but I had heard a lot of great things about this museum, so when I FINALLY went, I was kind of disappointed. It's $8 admission if you have one of the applicable discounts (I had AAA) but it wasn't as big as it appears on the outside. I liked the temporary exhibits but I wouldn't come back. The Harn Museum in Gainesville is larger, has more exhibits and it free admission so I was definitely surprised by this. I'm giving it 3 stars, because the area is nice, friendly staff, nice parking and it's on a beautiful property, I just had higher expectations. If it weren't for those things listed it would probably be 2 stars.

I was surprised to learn that Ocala not only had an art museum but that it was free admission on the first Saturday of the month. I had to check it out and went with a friend for the free admission day. There's a surprisingly large collection from nearly every continent going back centuries (makes you wonder a little bit how exactly Mr. Appleton came across all these ancient artifacts...). There are also modern exhibits that include local Florida artists. Budget at least a couple hours to really see everything. The fountains out front are peaceful and sometimes food trucks part on site so you can grab lunch after building up an appetite inside. Overall I was quite impressed.

Wow. I have been to Museums in big cities. Beautiful Museum. Clean. Manicured. Interesting. 2 levels. Indian exhibit. Asian exhibit, water exhibit......staff professional... Great for all ages. A must see in Ocala. Thank you.

Went on a Saturday , first Saturday of the month to be exact which is free. They have new exhibitions seasonally and so we saw some similar stuff but they had a contemporary art exhibition throughout the museum. It's not too big or too small for a museum , I think it's just right for a quick walk around. You can also take your time to take in the art since it's so calm inside and every time we go every guest is considerate and friendly . We have talked with a couple of guests as well that come like us every few months to see the new displays. The people who work at the museum are so helpful and willing to recommend things you should check out as well and not miss out on. Every now and then they have a food truck parked outside which I think is on the free admission Saturdays. Lovely place for a slow afternoon.

Celebrating #museumday in Ocala. A beautiful museum and much larger than expected. Great exhibits of African, Asian, European, and Pre-Colombian art. Special exhibit called Finding Beauty showing drawings and costumes from the Beauty and the Beast production at the Ocala Civic Theatre. Worth a visit!!

A varied collection worth seeing. Well curated. Modern, pleasant surroundings. Worth visiting.

A nice trip with 2 floors of at to look at. Had a great time. Not sure if it is something you want to do more than once a year.

Since 2014 I have been able to enjoy walking the beautiful an peaceful grounds that surround the Appleton Museum and Ocala Civic Theater as have many of my neighbors who live close by. I have always felt safe there But that changed as of yesterday morning when my neighbor and I were harassed and threatened by the Appleton's security guard. He pulled into the parking lot as we were crossing the parking lot with my small dog that had just walked across a small portion of the medians by the parking blocks.. In a very terse voice he bellowed that we could not cross here. We apologized and redirected ourselves to the blacktop and continued walking. The security guard started to follow us in his car literally cutting us off and then jumped from his car to stand less than 3 ft from me to berate us, yelling that we were to go to the sidewalk that we could not walk there.. I told the security guard that I had been walking this parking lot for more than 7 yrs and had never had a problem. He informed me very rudly that I could contact the Appletons office to complain but while he was there we could not walk there.. I moved away from him because he was very irrate and was scaring my dog so I headed for the sidewalk while my neighbor tried to speak with the guard explaining that we weren't trying to make him feel disrespected but to follow his request .. I made it to the sidewalk by the fountains and looked back to make sure my neighbor was alright when I noticed the security guard driving recklessly through the parking got and once again jumping from his car to cut me off towering over me he continued yelling that I needed to go to the side walk. I explained I was trying to leave by the sidewalk that I was standing on and that he was harassing us and that he needed to step away from me that I was trying to get to the sidewalk that led back to the Civic theater .. at this point he started pointing towards HWY 40 and saying no that sidewalk .. I informed him I do not walk on silver springs blvd as it is not safe with all the cars and exhaust and with my small dog I didn't want anything to happen and that I was going back to my the way I came as he had told me to do .. at this point there was a worker there as well that had stepped from the side of the building where there are 2 machines close to the building to work on the tiles in the building. I walked towards him trying to get away from the guard. He continued to follow us demanding my ID .. and my name. I once again asked him to stop harassing us that we were leaving.I WILL NEVER AGAIN VISIT THE MUSEUM AND I FIND THIS VERY SAD AS I AM LITERALLY A 5 MIN WALK FROM THERE. And I hope that all of my neighbors realize that this sort of treatment from the security is unacceptable and will no longer visit the museum either. And may I add as well there are NO "no trespassing or dog walking " SIGNS SAYING THAT WE ARE NOT TO WALK ON THE GROUNDS and no signs about dogs being with you either.. and as a responsible dog owner I always carry bags with me as well.

Exceptional art and antiquities museum in Ocala, Florida. I can't believe what a terrific collection of Pre-columbian and African arts as well as a strong collection of European paintings and sculptures. Many of these paintings I have never seen in reproductions. I absolutely love this! Most of the works in major museums such as the Met in NY have been reproduced hundreds of times over. These were largely new to be with the exception of the Pierre August Cot painting-- Spring (two lovers sitting on a swing). I am infatuated with this museum. $8 general admission, $6 for seniors.

I have been to this particular museum several times as I grew up in Ocala. Everything is so beautiful and in pristine condition. The artwork takes you back in time and the sculptures allow you to actually feel like you are a part of a different culture. On this visit I came with my family to see a display of some of the countries finest high school artists and my little brother happened to be one! The staff showed us exactly where to go as we arrived a little before closing but they were happy to accommodate us. I will always have a special place in my heart for the Appleton because of all the memories I have there.

No one would expect to find such an extraordinary art collection in a sleepy town like Ocala. The quality and scope, were it in Tampa, would make this a premier gallery destination. Just wonderful!

One of my favorite places in Ocala. I love the bended stick structure outside...be sure to walk through it to get a good appreciation of it! Inside, there is always something new going on, and Artspace is super cool for the kids.

Don't trust your GPS, take the directions off the website. This is an amazing collection of antiquities and art in an unexpected place. The Asian and European art brings you face to face with the past. We had the opportunity to visit during the Norman Rockwell exhibition. In the past I had visited the Norman Rockwell Museum in MA, this exhibition was a behind the easel of the artist. Visit the manicured grounds, the crystal clear fountains and be greeted by one of Rodin's Thinkers.

What a sweet way to spend a rainy day. Mr. Appelton, I applaud your philanthropy! For $25 you can become a member and listen to great music on the first Thursday of the month. It's still Ocala, but that's okay. You can "come as you are".

My girlfriend took me here because they were having the exhibit on Princess Diane dresses. Of course first we went through all the Mayan crafts that they had first then went through all the very high class dresses.

The other day,I spent a fine,enriching day at this art museum.I appeciated its fine panoply of 19th Century paintings,primarily by French and German Realistic and Naturalistic painters.Painters well-represented included;William Adolphe Bougereau("Young Sheperdess"),Jules Dupre("Reflections"),Pierre August Cot("All Soul's Day,Pisa")Jean Leon Gerome("Odalisque")Charles Jacque,Adolph Schreyer,John Herring,and American Edwin Weeks("Market Day"),among othersI I also enjoyed its small collection of Old Master paintings,including excellent paintings by Nicolas Maes and Paulus Potter("Cows in Pasture").I found this art museum to be very aesthetically charming.Considering Ocala is a small city,this art museum was a pleasant surprise

I had the opportunity to attend the advance opening of "Art of the Chopper" this last Wednesday evening at The Appleton Museum, here in Ocala. This exhibition tops the Diana tour that was held here several years ago. It really doesn't matter if you are a motorcycle enthusiast or not, this one of a kind presentation is for all ages. For those of us over "50" - memories of Peter Fonda & Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider will come to mind. For the "younger" generation - there are 30 sculptures that will be the topic of conversation for quite some time. Originally exhibited at the Clinton Library in Arkansas - Tom Zimberoff has brought more culture to Ocala (thank you, Tom). Biketoberfest (Daytona Beach) starts next weekend and timing is perfect. Many of us that ride will be sharing our experience with others - but again, even if you have never thought of motorcycles as art - this is a must see!

What a pleasant surprise! With rain in the forecast, we were looking for something indoors to do on our trip to Orlando and came across the Appleton. The robot exhibit was amazing.