Tallahassee, Florida

General, History, Historic House, Natural History, Nature Centers, Science, Zoo

Set amidst 52 acres of breathtaking Florida flora and fauna, the Tallahassee Museum has served as an iconic Tallahassee landmark for more than 50 years. Ranked as one of Florida’s top museums, the Museum encourages guests to discover and learn about North Florida’s natural environment, rich history and diverse communities. The Tallahassee Museum is an oasis, close to the heart of downtown, where wildlife, nature and history meet.

Apalachicola, Florida

History, Historic House, Historical Society

The chief responsability of the AAHS is the operation and management of the 1838 Raney House Museum which is owned by the City of Apalachicola and was officially recorded in National Register of Historic Places on January 22, 1973. The Raney House Museum has on display furniture, documents and other artifacts from the 19th century. Our vision for the Raney House Museum is to make it an outstanding repository of 19th century historical artifacts as well as an outstanding example of ante-bellum Greek revival architecture.

Members of the Raney family lived in the house until 1914 when it was sold to a local doctor.

Stuart, Florida

Art, Culture, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Science

This general museum features a variety of exhibits which focus on three areas--art, history and technology. The highlight of the permanent exhibitions is the auto gallery which features a unique robotic display with over fifty vehicles. The robot retrieves vehicles upon request and brings them to a display turn table for examination. Visitors can also see vintage vehicles on the floor of the gallery, including a Springfield, Massachusetts-made Rolls Royce, a 1930 school bus into which you can climb, and an exhibition of three differently-powered early cars. Other exhibitions include a Foucault Pendulum, an exhibition of early bicycles and inventor Sterling Elliott, and Evinrude outboard motors.

Sarasota, Florida

Art, History, Historic House, Library, University

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the remarkable legacy of circus entrepreneur and collector of art John Ringling and his wife, Mable. The 66-acre estate includes the Museum of Art, the Searing Galleries, and the Chao Center for Asian Art featuring both permanent collection and temporary exhibition galleries and is the home of Joseph’s Coat, a skyspace by the artist James Turrell; the winter-residence of John and Mable Ringling, the Venetian-Gothic Cà d’Zan mansion; historic grounds and gardens; the 18th-century Historic Asolo Theater; and the Circus Museums, including the home of the world’s largest miniature circus at the Tibbals Learning Center.

Apalachicola, Florida

History, Historic House

The Raney House Museum is located in Apalachicola, Florida in a Greek-revival mansion built in l838. On display in the Museum are furniture, carpets, paintings, historic documents and other 19th century artifacts.

Jacksonville, Florida

History, Historic House, Natural History, Park

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.

Fort Myers, Florida

Botanical Garden, General, History, Historic House, Park

Walk among live oaks and lush gardens, relax in a rocking chair on the verandah as you watch the river roll gently by....but, first, join Mona and Jettie Burroughs as they share the history and colorful tales of living in one of Fort Myers' oldest homes - The Burroughs Home. Built in 1901, this Georgian Revival Mansion was the scene of many social events that hosted the Fort Myers' elite including the Edisons, Fords, and Firestones. Antique furnishings, historical artifacts, and delightful tales of growing up as the privileged daughters of wealthy businessman Nelson Burroughs and his wife Adeline await visitors who want to take a step back in time.

Sarasota, Florida

Church, Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

SARASOTA – Native tribes claimed this land. Explorers sailed the bays. Through the years of Seminole Indian Wars, the coming of the hardy pioneers who fished the waters and cultivated the land, the Crackers who herded the cattle, and the visionaries who built a city unique in its diversity, Sarasota remains a home to be desired; a place of proud heritage.

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.

Gainesville, Florida

Art, Historic House

Owned and operated by the City of Gainesville's Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, the historic William Reuben Thomas Center is a beautifully restored Mediterranean Revival-style building that was once a private home, then a hotel. Currently the Thomas Center serves as an arts and cultural resource for Gainesville and Alachua County. The Thomas Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and contains art galleries, 1920's period rooms, local history exhibits, performance space, banquet rooms, and meeting rooms. The Thomas Center is surrounded by the lovely Thomas Center Gardens and the Grace and Sidney Knight Children's Theatre. The Center is the site of a variety of art exhibits, performances and musical events.