This first-rate history museum presents the region's Seminole and Miccosukee people, Cracker pioneers and cattle breeders, and Tampa's Cuban community and cigar industry. The cartography collection, spanning six centuries, dazzles. At the time of research, the museum had just announced an $11-million expansion involving pirate history and a 60ft replica of a pirate ship.
Tampa Bay History Center
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.44 MILES
The theatrical exterior of the Salvador Dalí Museum speaks of great things: out of a wound in the towering white shoe box oozes a 75ft geodesic glass…
28.49 MILES
With 1136 acres of unspoiled wilderness, Fort DeSoto is one of Florida’s premier beach parks. It includes 7 miles of beaches (including a dog beach), two…
23.36 MILES
Directly to the south of Honeymoon, this park is accessible only by boat and is virtually as nature made it: unspoiled and pristine. Consequently, it…
0.34 MILES
Tampa's excellent aquarium is among the state's best. Cleverly designed, the re-created swamp lets you walk among herons and ibis as they prowl the…
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11.6 MILES
Like a patchwork quilt of variegated greens tossed out over Tampa Bay, this 3700-acre preserve protects a diverse aquatic and wetland ecosystem. At the…
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24.6 MILES
The epic sliver of sand that is Pass-a-Grille Beach is the most idyllic barrier-island beach, backed only by beach houses and a long stretch of metered…
6.52 MILES
This theme park has 10 loosely named African zones, which flow together without much fuss. The entire park is walkable. Admission includes three types of…
19.31 MILES
When Tampa residents need a woodsy escape, they head to this fantastic 3400-acre state park, just 20 miles (30 minutes) northeast of Tampa. For visiting…
Nearby Tampa attractions
0.34 MILES
Tampa's excellent aquarium is among the state's best. Cleverly designed, the re-created swamp lets you walk among herons and ibis as they prowl the…
2. Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
0.73 MILES
This small, intimate photography museum is housed on the 2nd and 3rd stories of the Cube, a five-story atrium in downtown Tampa. In addition to a…
0.85 MILES
This crayon-bright, interactive museum provides a creative play space for kids under 10. The staff are delightful and the adjacent Curtis Hixon Park is…
0.89 MILES
Architect Stanley Saitowitz's dramatically cantilevered museum building appears to float above Curtis Hixon Park overlooking the Hillsborough River…
0.91 MILES
The silver minarets of Henry B Plant's 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel glint majestically, testimony to the vaunting ambitions of its creator who first brought the…
6. Ybor City Museum State Park
1.54 MILES
This dusty, old-school history museum preserves a bygone era, with cigar-worker houses (open 10am to 3pm) and wonderful photos. The museum has information…
3.36 MILES
Why is there a Buddhist Thai temple in the middle of Tampa? Who cares, the noodle soup is amazing. On Sundays hundreds of people show up for the food and…
5.03 MILES
North of downtown, Tampa's zoo gets you as close to the animals as possible, with several free-flight aviaries, giraffe feeding, a wallaby enclosure and a…