Tampa Bay History Center

Step inside the Tampa Bay History Center and journey through 12,000 years of powerful stories. With interactive, family-friendly exhibits, the History Center is an enjoyable experience for all.

Now you can check out the History Center's all-new "Treasure Seekers: Conquistadors, Pirates and Shipwrecks" gallery. This recently-opened addition to the History Center features a 60-foot replica 18th century pirate ship, and rare artifacts recovered from shipwrecks off of Florida's coasts.

Exhibits

Cuban Pathways
NOW THROUGH FEB. 12, 2023

Taíno Indians, enslaved Africans, Chinese laborers and pastel-wearing U.S. tourists all traveled to and from Cuba over the last 500 years. Their experiences and labors made the largest island in the Caribbean a hub of the modern Atlantic World. Cuban Pathways tells the stories of these individuals and more, whose toil, vacations and political crusades shaped the island’s modern history.

KITSCHY CARTOGRAPHY:
Illustrated & Pictorial Maps of Florida
On exhibit now – Feb. 12, 2023

Maps aren’t just about geography. They can also help convey a broader idea of what to expect as you explore what is featured on that map. One way to tell that larger story is through illustrations. Depictions of people, animals, and other images appear on some of the earliest maps. Since these maps were produced during a time of limited literacy, visual symbols were an important – and sometimes only – way to deliver information.

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