Museums Florida Tampa
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Tampa Bay History Center

Tampa, Florida

Culture, General, History, Library

Located along Tampa's Riverwalk, the Tampa Bay History Center interprets 12,000 years of Florida's history, highlighting Florida's first people, Florida's maritime history, including the history of conquistadors, pirates and shipwrecks, and the cigar and cattle industries. A Smithsonian Affiliate museum, the History Center's three floors of interactive exhibits and theaters focus on the Gulf Coast, from prehistoric times to the present through artifacts, artwork, textiles, documents and furniture. Collections include more than 100 rare shipwreck artifacts recovered from Florida waters, items depicting the history of Tampa's cigar industry, and a collection of Seminole Indian artifacts including tools, clothing and ceremonial items.

Tampa Historical Society Association

Tampa, Florida

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

Today, Tampa Historical Society focuses on its Historic Landmark headquarters: the c. 1890 Peter O. Knight House. The House, located in the larger context of Historic Hyde Park, is a perfect tool for interpreting Tampa’s middle class in the era and district where it first grew and stabilized. Through its Collection, its publications, its educational programs, and its events, Tampa Historical Society/The Peter O. Knight House continues a long and successful relationship with Tampa, linking past, present, and future.

Tampa Police Museum & Memorial

Tampa, Florida

Culture, History, Specialized

The Tampa Police Museum is open Mon – Fri from 10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. and is located on the ground floor of the Tampa Police Department headquarters building in downtown Tampa. The entrance is on the West side of the building on N. Franklin Street.

The Peter O. Knight Historic House

Tampa, Florida

Botanical Garden, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

This Folk Victorian house was the honeymoon cottage of Peter and Lillie Knight and one of the earliest residences in Hyde Park, Tampa's first neighborhood. The House exemplifies Tampa's rising middle class's lifestyle in the Gaslight Era. Originally an "umbrella organization" of local history, Tampa Historical Society, headquartered at the Knight House, is now devoted to interpreting Victorian Era Tampa life through the House, its furnishings, artifacts, and programs, and off-site programs as well. Among the off-site programs, the most popular and unique take place at Oaklawn Cemetery (c.1850, Tampa's first public burying ground)in downtown Tampa. The Society also publishes one of the South's most prestigious journals of local history, The Sunland Tribune.

Tampa Firefighters Museum

Tampa, Florida

History

This organization's primary purposes are to: a) preserve the history and heritage of Tampa Fire Rescue's past, present and future, for the citizens and visitors of Tampa, FL and b) offer educational activities to the public regarding fire safety and emergency awareness.

Tampa Museum of Art

Tampa, Florida

Art, Culture

The Tampa Museum of Art opened its spectacular 66,000-square-foot Cornelia Corbett Center in February 2010 to critical and public acclaim. Since opening in its new home, the museum has emerged as a center of the artistic life in the region. Its commitment to accessibility is evidenced by its operating hours (open every day and into the evenings) and its embrace of public art on its 14,000 sq ft facade. The museum specializes in modern and contemporary art while holding a prized collection of antiquities.

The Florida Aquarium

Tampa, Florida

Aquarium, Science

Discover over 10,000 aquatic plants & animals from Florida and the entire globe! Encounter sharks, rays, gators, river otters, rare sea dragons, a giant green sea turtle & more. See the new outdoor, watery-fun exhibit, Explore A Shore!