You can’t spend all-day, every day on a beach. When spending a week’s long vacation in Florida (the average length trip) you’ll surely have a couple of “free” days where the family wants to explore the local area. There’s plenty of art, culture, and must-see museums in every city.
We’ve compiled a list of our absolute favorites. We based our list on exhibits, pricing, visitor reviews, and more. We highly encourage you to stop in to any of these award-winning museums on your next trip to the Sunshine State. Congrats to all our winners!
Originally Published: December 14, 2017
The Ringling Circus Museum and Museum of Art || Sarasota, FL
This museum is a must-see! The museum is fun and interesting and the grounds are exceptionally maintained with gorgeous gardens to explore. The amazing art collections are worth the trip alone. You will be able to spend hours here!
Glazer Children’s Museum || Tampa, FL
Glazer Children’s Museum is an interactive learning museum for children and adults alike! Discover the world around you with cool exhibits and fun programs. This is a must-visit with kids on your next trip to Tampa!
Ybor City Museum State Park || Tampa, FL
The mission of this museum is to preserve, promote, and celebrate the unique cultural heritage of Ybor City and support the Ybor City State Park. Learn bout the history of the city with educational programs and exhibits. If you’re a history buff then you are in for a treat!
FSU Museum of Fine Arts || Tallahassee, FL
This free museum offers historical exhibitions and contemporary art works, along with a permanent collection of over 6000 objects. Come here to explore and be inspired!
Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens || Winter Park, FL
This museum has some of the best guided tours around! Check out the historic home, exquisite art & serene gardens. They also offer special programs, so make sure to take a look at their website for an updated calendar.
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens || Miami, FL
This majestic home will transport you back in time. Enjoy the gardens, art collections and so much more! They also offer special events like filmmaking workshops and film screenings.
Miami Children’s Museum || Miami, FL
The Miami Children’s Museum is a perfect family activity for when you are ready for a break from the beach! There are both permanent and special traveling exhibits. Join the fun at this interactive museum for all ages!
Great Explorations || St. Petersburg, FL
Looking for some good old fashioned educational fun? This is a great place to explore and learn. All ages are welcome! Play with the interactive exhibits or sign up for a program. You will not be disappointed!
Museum of Science & Industry || Tampa, FL
The IMAX here is amazing, as well as the planetarium show and many cool exhibits and demonstrations. Want to learn about the science of the Cuban sandwich? That is a current featured program, along with ropes courses and so much more!
American Victory Ship Mariners Memorial Museum || Tampa, FL
This cool museum is on a ship! And you can roam it for as long as your heart desires. There is so much to see! Come aboard and relive history!
The St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum || St. Augustine, FL
This museum has over 800 pirate artifacts and so much history. You could spend hours here exploring impressive navigation collections, treasures and so much more!
The Dali Museum || St. Petersburg, FL
Beigneuse, 1928, Oil and beach sand on panel. © Salvador Dalí. Fundación Gala-Salvador Dalí, (Artist Rights Society), 2017 / Collection of the Salvador Dalí Museum, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL, 2017.
Everything about this museum is cool and interesting even the architecture. The gardens are beautiful and exhibits rare.
Skeletons: Museum of Osteology || Orlando, FL
This musuem is well worth a visit! The exhibits are well displayed and so interesting. Check out different skeletal structures and so much more!
