Set atop one of Florida’s highest elevations and surrounded by a 114-acre preserve, the historic home at Chinsegut Hill offers an intimate look at more than 170 years of Florida history. Built in the 1850s as the center of a plantation, the house later became home to farmers, politicians and reformers, including Raymond and Margaret Robins, who welcomed guests such as Helen Keller, Thomas Edison and J.C. Penney. During the Great Depression, the property became part of a federal agricultural research and conservation program, beginning another chapter in its long public history.

On a guided tour, explore the home’s rooms, architecture and changing uses while learning about the people who shaped the property across generations. Their stories connect Chinsegut Hill to plantation-era Florida, emancipation, agriculture, politics, social reform, conservation and historic preservation. Together, they reveal why this hilltop home remains one of West Central Florida’s most distinctive historic places.

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Guided house tours are offered Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 6 to 12. Admission is free for children ages 5 and younger and Tampa Bay History Center members.