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Holiday Traditions in Florida
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Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. The Snow Queen contestants of 1958 did their best to keep the holiday spirit alive after a series of mishaps at the Tampa Snow Show on Franklin Street. This moment, now part of our “Holiday Traditions in Florida” exhibit, captures the resilience that Floridians bring to the season. (Tampa Bay History Center Collection)
Bring Tampa Bay’s past to life and preserve the stories that shape who we are today.
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Through your giving, you help bring Tampa Bay’s past to life and preserve the stories that shape who we are today.
Mapping the American Sea: A Cartographic History of the Gulf of Mexico
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Mapping the American Sea
Invisible Immigrants. Spaniards in the U.S. (1868-1945)
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Invisible Immigrants
Journey to new depths off the coast of La Florida.
WEIGH ANCHOR
Treasure Seekers Gallery

What’s happening at the museum right now.

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December 1 This year, Museum Store Sunday is Dec. 1, 2024. Over 2,100 museum stores representing all fifty states and the District of Columbia, twenty-five countries, and five continents will offer inspired shopping...

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Museum Store Sunday
Special Events
December 3 Join the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council and community leaders for the dedication and unveiling of the Cespedes Hall Historical Marker on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. The ceremony...

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

Cespedes Hall Historical Marker Dedication
Special Events
March 6 Set sail aboard Craft’s history lunch cruise, featuring narration by one of Florida’s most esteemed historians, Rodney Kite-Powell. From tales of Henry Plant’s railroad to the evolution of Hillsborough...

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

Crafted History Lunch Cruise
Special Events
Chinsegut Hill Historic Site Field Trips and Tours
Blog

Explore Chinsegut Hill Historic Site: Weekend house tours are back!

Located in the scenic hills of Hernando County, Chinsegut Hill Historic Site offers a glimpse into Florida’s past.

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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
Paella “Española”
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.

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Built by Big Sea
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