Let’s visit some place that speaks of our history, culture, civilization, and tradition. But the tricky part here is that we don’t have to visit all the different places. What we just need to visit is a museum. We learned that some of the mind-blowing museums in America can be found in Florida. So come on let’s have a tour of it!
1. Florida- The Sunshine State
Often referred to as the Sunshine State, Florida is the southeastern region-based state of the USA. It shares its boundaries with the Bahamas Atlantic Ocean to the East, the Gulf of Mexico to the West, Georgia to the North, the Straits of Florida, and Cuba to the South. Florida is said to be the 3rd most populous state in the United States of America. Among all its cities, Jacksonville is the most populous one.
The reason why Florida is called “The Sunshine State” is because it receives a lot of sunshine all through the year. On average the State receives around 200-plus days of sun over the top every year. And you won’t believe that no state other than Florida receives this number of sunny days in Continental America.
Though Florida also gets its fair share of rain every year, that too in the summer months. But you have to agree that it is one of the sunniest states all around the country. The Florida Legislature 1970 officially adopted the nickname “The Sunshine State” under its capacity to promote its tourism agenda through its warm sunny climate.
2. What Is the Ideal Time to Visit FL?
The most important thing to consider before you visit Florida is: What is the ideal time to visit Florida? Nothing can stop a true explorer from visiting his/her place of choice from the bucket list, whatever the weather may be. But if you want to make your trip smooth, ensure you are not traveling here during the summer.
Florida has a notoriously humid climate and a very hot temperature. Travelers always carry sunscreen with them to avoid sunburns. People also get affected either by sunstroke or suffer from dehydration.
So, the ideal time to visit Florida would be either during the end of Spring between March and May, or Autumn between September and November. During this time of your visit, you can also expect the least humidity and rainfall. Other than this time you also opt to visit during the peak of winter during which there is low temperature. Hence, no issue of sunburns or sunstrokes.
3. Does Florida Have Any Museums?
When you will visit Florida, all you will think, plan, and prepare about is exploring theme parks, beaches, and other interesting stuff. But that seriously takes a toll on you, as the hot sun and the afternoon thunderstorms will never make it easy for you to survive for long.
But what if say you can spend 4-5 days staying inside in chilled air-conditioned rooms without getting bored and with a lot of interesting stuff to look out for? So here just run to add to your itinerary list to visit some of the cool and famous museums in Florida and believe me this trip will live in your head rent-free.
Starting from history, arts and sciences, the military museums, and agriculture which will divulge you into the diverse past of Florida. Museums in Florida will offer you the taste of an enigmatic mix of natural wonders and cultures.
4. How Many Museums Are There in Florida?
Quite a small number of people often talk about the museums in Florida. But once you visit these you will know that Florida is too unmeritedly known for its excellent museums. There are more than 200 museums in Florida of all types. Every museum has its various openings for the persons visiting it. One must visit the museums in Florida to get a broader knowledge of the contrasting colors of Florida’s culture and Tradition.
5. Are There Any Historical Museums in Florida?
Yes, there are numerous historical museums in Florida. Mission San Luis, The Grove Museum, the Museum of Florida History, and the Knott House Museum are some of the popular historical museums of Florida. They showcase the life, work, and other aspects of the people of Florida, spanning from the state’s progression from the pre-historical era to date.
These museums also offer a more comprehensive view of the pivotal movement of Florida starting from the Financial Depression, the times of war and peace, and its massive economic growth. This is where you discover and unfold the lives of Florida’s people as soldiers and statesmen, homemakers, native people and settlers, explorers, artists, etc.
6. What Is the Largest Museum in Florida?
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is the largest in Florida. This most prominent museum in Florida is present in Miami. Miami itself holds more than 25 museums for you to visit.
7. 14 Best Museums in Florida to Visit in 2023- Road Affair
7.1 The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art- Winter Park
445 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL
Without much debate, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum is one of Florida’s best museums. Don’t estimate it as dull or not so exciting by its frontal door or entry prices. This museum has the most amazing art and culture of Florida for showcasing it to you. It spans over 18000 square feet with lots of works being preserved by many artists.
What truly catches people’s eyes is the permanent home of hundreds of pieces designed by the famous glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany. The hallway will be the most eye-pleasing place for you. You will get to experience a kaleidoscope of colors walking through the hallway of Tiffany Signature lamps. This room is completely dedicated to the Daffodils.
While visiting and exploring all other things in the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, don’t miss out on the Tiffany Chapel, originally designed for Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893. It is open on Tuesdays and Sundays. The entry fee is $6 per person older than 12 years.
7.2 Orlando Science Center
777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL
Orlando Science Center is truly a spectacular place to check out in Florida. When you enter Orlando’s Science Center, you will be greeted with a huge sweeping staircase that wraps around a living construction of the Florida Everglades. The Florida Everglades showcases an amazing view of marine life. You get to see fish and snapping turtles.
Visitors can easily tour the Florida Wilderness, all credit to its air-conditioning which helps to learn about the water table, native wildlife, and sinkholes. If you visit upstairs, you will see kinetic sand, dinosaur bones, flight simulators, and other creations related to physics and earth science exhibits in Orlando Science Center.
You can see the night sky one in the planetarium and another in the electrifying Tesla Coil Show in a completely separate theatre. And if you desire to explore the clear night sky and astronomy, you do it all on the rooftop with the help of Orland Science Centre’s telescope. The entry fees in Orlando’s Science Center for adults are $24 and $18 for youths.
7.3 Orlando Museum of Art
2416 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL
Orlando Museum of Art is an exceptional place to visit in Florida. You will find this art museum quite interesting and unique compared to other art museums in Florida. This can be justified by the amazing fact that it holds the most temporary exhibitions, allowing the museums to showcase their wide range of art and its artists. In addition to that, the Orlando Museum of Art also features Contemporary Art and American Art as well.
The American Art featured here can be dated back to the old colonial times around the 1960s and holds the largest part of the museum for educational programs. It showcases more than 900 creations of well-complemented Art of Ancient America’s Collection. This collection includes cultures of diverse people from North, South, and Central America for over a century before the Europeans arrived.
The Contemporary Art Museum is even bigger as it has the involvement of community interests and many donations as well. The Orlando Museum of Art is open from Tuesday to Sunday. The entry fee for adults is $20 and for children, it is $8.
7.4 Air Force Armament Museum- Eglin Air Force Base
100 Museum Dr, Eglin AFB, FL
Air Force Armament Museum is for visitors who desire to learn and see military achievements and their respective histories. But to their dismay, most of them either require any identification from the Department of Defence or have to pay high prices to get access to such military museums.
But the Air Force Armament Museum in Florida Panhandle is open to the general public without any restrictions and has free admission. This makes this place quite special and added it to the elite list of some of the few coolest museums in Florida.
Visitors will find all the information regarding all the aircraft and weapons in the placards available near it. You will find many missiles, artifacts, and planes of America from its most famous wars from the 1940s. There is also a gun vault present in the museum. It holds all the guns from antiques to ones used in the present day with all their information and details of history.
A new expansion of Air Force Armament Museums has been established in the spring of 2022 which grandly celebrates the part played by African Americans in the field of Air Force and honors the achievements of Eglin Air Force base. These honours include the innovations discovered from the research made and it also applauds the explosive ordinance disposal and robotics.
7.5 John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL
The Ringling Museum has a rich heritage in Florida. Its campus grounds are home to three museums which are the Circus Museum, the Art Museum, and the Ca’ d’Zan. John Ringling was one of the five brothers in his family who established the Ringling Bros. Circus and later built the entire estate with Mabel, his wife in the 1920s.
The Couple collected all varieties of Art to add them to the Art Museum. If you visit the Art Museum, then you will find the entire Museum is made up of their personal effects. And by mistake don’t ever forget to visit the Circus Museum in Ringling Museum to experience the Greatest Show on Earth which is very exciting. There are original costumes and reproductions of every animal, train car, performer, etc. in the John and Mable Ringling Museum’s Circus Museum.
In the Ca’ d’Zan or the House of John, you will get to see fascinating water views, original colored glass windows, and antique furniture for some extra cost. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is one of Florida’s best museums, which is highly accessible. The art museum has free access on Mondays. The museum is open daily. The entry fee in John and Mable Ringling Museum for adults is $25 and for children, it is $5.
7.6 St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum
12 S Castillo Dr, St. Augustine, FL
St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum takes you back in the 1600s to the Port Royal. You will be able to visualize the cannon fire rings and witness the Golden Age of Piracy. This immersive pirate and treasure museum in Florida showcases the artifacts starting from sunken wrecks to the stand of the captain’s wheel aboard your sturdy vessel. It also has props of some of the popular Hollywood Pirate Movies as you walk through the colorful walls.
St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum is full of artifacts and exhibits with every room designed with colors, light, and sounds to make it more interesting. You also get to experience the original Jolly Roger flag and explore the digital maps as well as books. There are original and duplicate documents from the Government and Pirates in the museum.
There are other unusual museums in St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum like the Oldest Store Museum and the World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum. It is open every day and the entry fee is around$20 for adults and Children it is $10.
7.7 Bass Museum of Art
2100 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL
Bass Museum of Art is a great place to visit in Miami Beach and to your knowledge is a contemporary art museum. This museum attempts and tries to bring back the contemporary art form. The locals consider this Florida’s Museum of Art as the heart of the Miami art scene.
It strives for people to get a broader view of interpretation towards its sculptures, paintings, and novel mediums like architecture, fashion, and design.
There are many commissioned works as permanent collections. The permanent collection is the work of outstanding artists such as textile work by Jim Drain and contemporary iconography by Sylvie Fleury. There is a 13 m-long Miami Mountain which is a stack of Megalithic Boulders. This utilizes many traditions and cultures of stacking stones, giving a sense of Romantic Minimalism.
Bass Museum of Art is famous throughout Miami for its art classes in Art After Hours which are also available virtually. This museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday. The entry fee for adults is $15 and for children, it is $8.
7.8 Kennedy Space Center
Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, FL
Kennedy Space Center can be the most awesome experience of your trip. Here at this space center, a journey through time and space is awaiting you to experience it. When you enter the Kennedy Space Center you get to see the iconic Rocket Garden of the Centre. There are the remains of Gemini, Mercury and the famous Apollo Missions stand tall. The guests are allowed to tour this science museum on their own.
Kennedy Space Center is situated in the same place where NASA’s numerous projects have been carried out in Florida. This Florida Museum is also situated a few minutes away from the launch pads used for the spacecraft. There is a bus tour that will take the passengers to the 2nd campus which has been devoted towards the moon mission that includes the Apollo or Saturn V center.
Visitors are offered to attend the show which gives them the chance to relive the 1968 launch of Apollo 8. These tours will bring to life the actions that took humanity into the heavens. The Kennedy Space Center is a great place to be explored especially by kids. This will offer them knowledge about some cool and interesting facts.
There is also a huge gift shop with various kinds of mementos to take away from this place. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is open every day. The entry fee for this space expedition will be $75 for adults and $65 for the kids. This makes the museum one of the top science museums in Florida.
7.9 Tampa Museum of Art
120 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, FL
Tampa Museum of Art is a permanent collection that showcases Sculpture, carving, and Pottery which dates back to 600 to 300 BCE. You will get to have a glimpse of the lives of ancient people. These works included Greek, Egyptian, and Roman works. The amazing and considerable temporary exhibits displayed some noteworthy artists with diverse backgrounds.
These ground-breaking artists included Robert Indiana, Manuel Carrillo, Yayoi Kusama, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Before visiting, inquire if the temporary exhibits include your loved artists and their works. But still, you must visit and see them. The Tampa Museum in Tampa Bay is open every day for visitors. The entry fee is around $20 for adults and $5 for students.
7.10 Great Explorations Children’s Museum
1925 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL
The Great Explorations Children’s Museum is a very special and unique museum for the little ones. It is for the little paws to experience a whole new world here. For general trivia, adults are also allowed here. Children will get to explore and gain in-depth knowledge through hands-on experience. They can go through meteorology, nutrition, and agriculture and have some fun in the space-designed area.
Children will get to experience everything they may aspire to be in the future. They can get to be a veterinarian, a firefighter, a weather forecaster, or an engineer. There is enough space for them to play and learn in the playground, ropes course, building, running, and climbing. The Great Explorations Children’s Museum has also got a mini-version of a general store. Kids here can go around with mini-carts to shop around.
And if you desire to spend a few more days here, then don’t forget to visit the Sunken Gardens. Sunken Gardens are Florida’s famous and historic botanical gardens. It gives a small and natural detour to adults as well as children. The museum is open every day. The entry fee for adults is $12 and for children, it is $15.
7.11 Indian Temple Mound Museum
139 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL
The Indian Temple Mound Museum is a place wholly devoted to the people who lived in Florida 1000 years before the arrival of Spanish people. This museum displays the historical artifacts of those who lived here. These artifacts include shell tools, pottery, bone, and adornment artifacts. These collections can be traced back between 1500 to 12 CE to showcase their way of living.
Visitors will get to see a 3.7 m Mound that has been eroded frequently. Reports suggest that they have been eroded by hurricanes and thunderstorms for over a century. To your knowledge, this mound holds a specific religious sentiment as a monument among the people. It is considered that it was a base for building homes for the native political leaders and burial grounds for the community members.
There is a gift shop from where visitors can purchase duplicates of the artifacts. The Indian Temple Mound Museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday. The admission fee is around $5 for adults and $3 for children here. This makes the museum one of the top museums in the state.
7.12 Florida Museum of Natural History
3215 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL
Florida Museum of Natural History is a pre-historic museum conserving huge fossils of Animals who belonged to the Jurassic Era. This is the reason people get amused and get attracted to it. So if you look forward instead of thinking about which creature would eat you up in a single bite, you will see many more natural artifacts.
These artifacts showcase how the natural history used to be in Florida around that time. These may be some of the reasons for it being one of the best natural history museums in Florida.
Do visit the Florida Estuary to meet the tiny ones of those pre-historic times. You can also participate in the Native American Ceremony in an old Calusa Styled building. The Florida Museum of Natural History displays its permanent collection which are arts and artifacts by the natives of that pre-historic time or the natives who are living today.
This shows how beautifully the lives of the natives were linked to the natural cycles of the land. The Florida Museum of Natural History is open every day. There is no entry fee. So just go and enjoy.
7.13 Tallahassee Automobile Museum
6800 Mahan Dr, Tallahassee, FL
Tallahassee Automobile Museum will change your perception or any sort of taboo about museums. There are more than 100 rare autos which include cars that run on steam, cars that you can drive in water, Batmobiles, and the Abraham Lincoln’s Hearse. This place is known for its preservation of Antique cars.
To your utter surprise, Tallahassee Automobile Museum doesn’t only preserve antique cars but also preserves historic boats and motorcycles as well. The permanent collection also includes rare Steinway Pianos and boat motors. Don’t miss to visit its duplicate General Store which will bring back all your childhood nostalgia. Tallahassee Automobile Museum is open every day. The entry fee here is $20 for adults and $12 for children of varying ages.
7.14 Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
1101 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL
The Patricia Frost Museum is a science museum in Florida visited by most tourists due to its modern technology. This place is popular among visitors who want to explore the skies and seas. You are going to love the museum’s planetarium. The planetarium has state-of-the-art facilities. It features a mind-blowing surround sound system for immersion and a 16-million-color 8K projected display.
There is an aquarium above the planetarium which spans three levels. You will get to learn about the Gulf Stream and its significance all over the world. Each level has something amusing for you. Starting from natural science, hands-on exhibits in physics and biology, and flights. A museum of this kind with an amalgamation of modern design and technology makes it too good to visit. It is open every day. The entry fee for adults is around $25-$30 and $10-$15 for the youth and children.
8. Conclusion
I can smell the interest cooking up in your mind to visit these museums. Now you have more than enough reason to visit Florida. Maybe all your doubts regarding visiting a museum have vanished and you are all ready to witness them. So, visit Florida this vacation and enjoy more than just beaches. It is a detour of museums you all need.
Last Updated on by Pragya Chakrapani
