You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Journey to new depths off the coast of La Florida.
WEIGH ANCHOR
A look inside "The Pirate's Fate," an immersive experience you'll find only in the History Center's Treasure Seekers gallery.
Decade of Change: Florida in the 1920s
NEW EXHIBIT
Women on Miami Beach, 1925. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida.
Sharps & Marks in Paradise: Selling Florida in the 1920s
NEW EXHIBIT
Scheduled to open its doors on November 4, 2023, Decade of Change offers a fascinating exploration of Florida's first modern decade. From the lively jazz tunes of the Roaring Twenties to the architectural evolution witnessed in the construction of bungalows and Mediterranean Revival-style homes, the exhibition provides a snapshot of the diverse facets that defined Florida in the 1920s.

What’s happening at the museum right now.

View all events
December 14 In spite of being enslaved, Black people in Tampa formed a church in 1863–Mt. Sinai African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church–located in the Scrub. In the following decades, other Black congregations...

Learn More » Treasure Seekers Gallery at the Tampa Bay History Center

Near The Cross: Tampa's First Black Churches
Talks
December 16 Learn about Tampa’s compelling history on this guided trek as you stroll past City Hall, Sacred Heart Church, the Floridan Palace Hotel, and even Tampa’s oldest bar, The Hub! Each 90-minute walk...

Learn More » Treasure Seekers Gallery at the Tampa Bay History Center

Downtown Tampa Walking Tour
Tours
December 16 This month, Ross Lamoreaux, the site manager of Chinsegut Hill Historic Site, will be delivering a presentation on "The Civilian Conservation Corps." We will discuss the history of the Civilian Conservation...

Learn More » Treasure Seekers Gallery at the Tampa Bay History Center

History at High Noon: The Civilian Conservation Corps
Talks
December 30 Join Art and Meg Durshimer as they share stories from the Vietnam era. Three 30-minute presentations will happen throughout the afternoon and are included with gallery admission. MUSEUM TICKETS Treasure Seekers Gallery at the Tampa Bay History Center

Living History Saturday: War and Peace in Vietnam
Talks
February 4 Take a deep dive into Tampa’s history along the Hillsborough River with Tampa Bay History Center’s Curator Rodney Kite-Powell. The 1-hour cruise will include narration by Rodney as guests view the...

Learn More » Treasure Seekers Gallery at the Tampa Bay History Center

Tampa’s Riverfront History Tour
Tours
Richard D. Reddick, Jr. at Postcard Show, 2015
Blog

Decades of Florida history preserved

Richard D. Reddick, Jr.’s remarkable postcard collection finds a permanent home at the Tampa Bay History Center.

Read More View Blog

History you
can touch.

Illustration of hands holding the globe.

Treasure Seekers

There’s more than meets the aye at this exhibit on conquistadors, pirates and shipwrecks. All aboard -- or walk the plank.
Illustration of a magnifying glass.

A Place of Your Own

Experience Tampa’s port industries from inside an actual cargo container. Test your knowledge of Florida’s natural resources. Play with regional history in a whole new way.
Sextant in Treasure Seekers Gallery at the Tampa Bay History Center
Students explore the galleries of the Tampa Bay History Center

Dig through
our archives.

illustration of a treasure map.

Touchton Map Library

Navigate more than 8,000 maps, charts and logs from the early exploration of Europe and North America.
Illustration of a stack of books.

Witt Research Center

View nearly 10,000 books, manuals, maps, documents, microfilm, and family/subject papers spanning prehistoric to present-day Florida.
Tony Jannus and the Benoist Airboat, Opening St. Petersburg-Tampa AirBoat Line, January 1, 1914
Collections archive storage at the Tampa Bay History Center
Columbia Cafe Cuban Sandwich
Cafe

Modern flavor.
Historic taste.

Resting on the Tampa Riverwalk inside the Tampa Bay History Center, this charming cafe captures the flavor of the original Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. We offer a sampling of the Spanish- and Cuban-inspired dishes that made the 118-year-old restaurant famous.

Read the Menu
Built by Big Sea
Tickets