Tampa Area Arts & Culture, Museums & History

The museums, cultural centers and historic sites in the Tampa area appeal to people of all ages and all interests. From Kid's City where children are the grown ups in their own town, to interactive scientific display at the Museum of Science and Industry, to contemporary art and civil war reenactments, there's fun, excitement and learning in throughtout the Tampa area.

Something For All Interests

Note that the selection list is in alphabetical order and indicates the distance to the museum. For those who wish to scroll the entire list, it is in order by distance from the hotel.

Offers more than 450 "minds-on" interactive activities providing a very unique experience for the entire family, and features the largest science center in the Southeastern United States and home of the first IMAX® Dome Theatre. The science center encompasses 254,000 square feet and 65 acres. MOSI has tripled in size to become the largest science center in the southeastern United States.

Florida's only IMAX Dome Theatre features 353 seats and an 82-foot hemispherical movie screen, housed within a distinctive 85-foot blue stainless dome. Completely immersing the viewer, this experience combines the latest technology in cinematography with powerful visual imagery, creating an experience so strong, so compelling, that there is no equal in the film industry today.

MOSI is home to Tampa's only planetarium. Since opening in 1992, The Saunders Planetarium has shown the starry nighttime sky to more than 200,000 guests. Family shows and adult programs are scheduled throughout the day and on weekends. The planetarium staff, with the assistance of the Museum Astronomical Resource Society (M.A.R.S.), sets up telescopes and holds "star parties" Saturday evenings.

USF CAM maintains the university's art collection, comprised of more than 3,600 art works. There are exceptional holdings in graphics and sculpture multiples by internationally acclaimed artists, such as Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and James Rosenquist, who have worked at USF's Graphicstudio. Recent photography and a collection of African art are significant areas of the collection as well. In 1997 Robert Stackhouse chose USF CAM to be the archive of his work, supplying the collection with copies of all of his prints produced throughout his career.

Kids City, Children's Museum of Tampa offers an indoor exhibit that includes a wide variety of hands-on activities. Come explore the streets of a little community built just for kids. In Kids City's Safety Village, children are the grown-ups, roll playing adult community worker roles. Children can visit the bank, shop at the grocery store, be a judge at the courthouse, and stop for some lunch at McDonald's before a stroll along the Hillsborough River. Maps, Field Guides, and Village Searches are available in the Museum for your use.

Tells the story of the development of Ybor City, the cigar industry, and the various immigrant groups that settled there. In addition to the main museum, there is a restored house from the turn of the century showing how the workers of that time lived.

The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is the largest performing arts center in the southeast, housing four separate theaters, a rehearsal hall and on-site restaurant. The Center hosts year-round performances of Broadway shows, and also presents and produces grand operas, cabaret theater, music, dance and special events.

The world's largest dinosaur attraction, offering you and your family a unique opportunity to meet over 100 scientifically accurate, lifelike dinosaurs in a lush subtropical jungle where you can learn, have fun, or just relax. Experience up close and life-sized amazing giants that ruled the earth for almost 200 million years. Hours: Daily 9a-5p.

The Tampa Bay History Center strives to create stimulating museum exhibits, programs and workshops on the five centuries of regional history, archaeology, and multicultural heritage; host or create special exhibits on Florida and U.S. history, archaeology, antiques and collectibles, and promote understanding of history through the collection, preservation, research and exhibition of artifacts and memorabilia.

The SS American Victory is a 57 year-old cargo vessel, which served during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts and is being restored into a mariners' memorial, museum and cruising ship. The vessel is open for self-guided "Restoration Tours" which allow visitors to experience first-hand the 455-foot ship and the restoration of the wheelhouse, galley, weaponry, cargo areas, lifeboat, crew quarters, and other areas. The ship is located adjacent to The Florida Aquarium. Contact (813) 228-8766 to check if the ship is open, as the schedule can change.

Located along the scenic Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa, Florida, the Tampa Museum of Art provides a broad range of art-related experiences for visitors of all ages. The Museum collection includes twentieth-century and contemporary art and a renowned collection of Greek and Roman antiquities. A changing special exhibitions program provides a lively mix of classical and contemporary shows. Complementing these exhibitions are a wide range of classes, lectures, seminars, and children's activities.

Take a walk back in time to turn-of-last-century Florida at this museum. Housed in what was once the Tampa Bay Hotel (built in 1891), it represents one of the finest examples of Moorish architecture in the Western Hemisphere. Now part of the University of Tampa, the building -- with opulent domes, arches and minarets -- houses Victorian art, original furnishings and a permanent exhibit about the Spanish-American War, in which the hotel played a large part. Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-4 pm, Sunday noon-4 pm. US$5 adults.

The Zephyrhills Depot Museum is housed in the restored 1927 Atlantic Coast Line Railroad depot. Opened in October 1998, the museum is governed by the City Council and is funded by city tax dollars and donations. The museum emphasizes the history of trains and Zephyrhills. Four exhibit rooms are being developed: the Abbott Station Room for City history; the Family Room for family history; the Zephyrhills Alumni Room for school memorabilia; and the Railroad Room to house artifacts from the original depot and railroad memorabilia. The freight room houses a gift shop, office area, reference room for Florida and train histories and a model train display. Admission is free.

The mission of the Tampa Gallery of Photographic Arts is to mount exhibitions that present the photographer's vision as vital and central to life and culture. The Gallery's objective is to present shows of works by photographers that have attained international, national and regional recognition and acclaim. The Gallery will also promote community educational programs such as lectures on the historical importance of photography as it relates to everyday life. Other programs will incorporate a hands-on approach using both traditional and digital image making techniques. These will be offered to children and adults. The museum's goal is to enhance the understanding of the art of photography.

On display are tools of the Florida Pioneer Man, showing how he built his house,made his furniture, plowed his fields, harvested his crops, and did his leather-work and blacksmithing. Also the Trilby Depot, the Lacoochee one room schoolhouse, is a 100 year old building. Methodist Church from Enterprise and the two story 1864 restored Overstreet House. On display in the Overstreet House and kitchen addition, are furnishings which reflect the Florida Pioneer Woman's everyday experiences - churning butter, cooking on a wood-burning stove, spinning, weaving, battling and boiling the family wash and doing her household tasks with simple primitive equipment.

The Salvador Dalí Museum is the permanent home of the world's most comprehensive collection of the renowned Spanish artist's work. Compiled by the A. Reynolds Morse and Eleanor Morse over a 45-year period, it is celebrated for its 95 oil paintings, and features excellent examples from Dalí's four major periods - Early (1917-1927), Transitional (1928), Surreal (1929-1939), and Classic (1940-1970s).