11 Best Museums In Florida

Florida is a year-round state of sunshine, shoreline, and summer fun, offering many great activities for everyone. Visitors can see the only place where alligators and crocodiles live in harmony, or for those seeking a more theatrical experience, view show performances featuring mermaids. Most people likely never think of Florida as harboring the most extraordinary museums of history, art, culture, science, architecture, and more. But from dark history to intriguing niche museums, this state houses a tremendous variety of educational institutions, especially those that offer innovative and interactive learning opportunities for people of all ages.

Museum of Science & History - Jacksonville

The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) in Jacksonville is the pride and joy of today’s young scientific minds. One may think that visiting MOSH is primarily for kids, but everyone, regardless of age, is welcome. The museum values educating those who come by through its magnificent facilities, like the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium, a single-lens planetarium that offers the most innovative sensory experiences, allowing a journey through the illuminating night sky. Pass through to reach the core exhibits: the Health in Motion: Discover What Moves You exhibit teaches museumgoers about the effects their lifestyle and environment can have on the human body, a goal that many today are trying to discover for themselves; the JEA Powerplay: Understanding Our Energy Sources exhibit, which explores various energy sources; JEA Science Theater, a exploration of STEM-focused experiments; the Currents of Time: A History of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida exhibit displays Northeast Florida’s 12,000 year-history of civilization, and those are only some of the exhibits.

This museum holds answers to questions people ask themselves daily about the world. Once visitors are done, they can swing by The Southern Grill for lunch, only a six-minute walk from the museum. They can also enjoy lunch at the Friendship Fountain, a three-minute walk from the museum, or check out the 120-foot fountain for its relaxing ambience.

Florida Holocaust Museum - St. Petersburg

The Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg is a well-established institution commemorating the many casualties of the Second World War. The highlight of the museum is the Boxcar #113 069-5, one of the last transporting boxcars the Nazis used to transfer prisoners to camps, which were often the first stage of the horrors that awaited them. With the high numbers of prisoners and lack of space in those boxcars, suffocation was common; hence, the beginning of terrors. The museum also features one of its permanent exhibitions, History, Heritage and Hope, which displays a series of artifacts documenting the war, like photos, books, videos, verbal testimonies, and more.

Stepping away from the museum, visitors can grab a coffee at the Crislip Cafe, a cute cafe with a nice street vibe going for it. Or they can take a five-minute walk to The Floridian Social, an events venue that often hosts musicians, cabaret, and is loaded with cocktails. For those deciding to visit the museum, it is temporarily closed because of construction. The museum will re-open in September 2025, with new exhibits for all to enjoy.

Lightner Museum - St. Augustine

A gift of the Gilded Age, the Lightner Museum in downtown St. Augustine is housed in the former Alcazar Hotel, an 1888 resort hotel constructed by Henry Flagler, a railroad industrialist. At its prime, the hotel welcomed over 25,000 visitors, who swung by for the world’s largest indoor swimming pool and other attractions such as its sulfur baths, grand ballroom, steam room, massage parlor, bicycle academy, and much more. As the Depression hit, the hotel was closed and purchased by Otto C. Lightner, a publisher who decided he wanted to turn this beautiful structure into a museum to exhibit his art. Today, the museum is home to both the artifacts of the former hotel and Lightner’s decorative artwork, leading to a blend of 19th-and 20th-century works of art, luxury, and architecture. Made up of over five floors, the museum speaks to the stories of the masked Gilded Age and Lightner’s diverse collections of wonders, for those who yearn to immerse themselves in the veiled histories of St. Augustine.

Once visitors are finished, those who desire a trinket to take back home can stroll to Churchill & Lacroix Antiquaire, an antique store within the museum courtyard that offers wonderful little ornaments such as jewelry, coins, pottery, and more. Assuming one gets hungry after walking through American history, the Reflections Bistro is a great lunch spot on the same grounds as the museum for some sandwiches or soup with a lovely outdoor seating arrangement.

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens - Miami

Miami’s Vizcaya Museum & Gardens are a splendid way to spend one’s afternoon, sporting a magnificent array of indoor and outdoor artifacts. The beautiful early 20th-century villa was created by James Deering, an industrialist who fashioned the building according to European home standards. Standing today as a memory of the Gilded Age, the museum has restored rooms from that era, but the most outstanding part of this spot is what surrounds the museum. With 10 acres of greenery, the garden holds grottos, statues, busts, fountains, and vases. Beyond that, the grounds include a mangrove shore, a historic village, an orchidarium, and many more features that encourage community and connection amongst its visitors. Dedicated to their preservation, the museum is upheld in its original splendor, which means much of the mansion is not wheelchair accessible, and some floors and paths may be uneven in the gardens. Guests are encouraged to check the museum’s website for their accessibility needs before visiting.

Leaving the lustrous estate, visitors can relax at the nearby Vizcaya Dock, which has a little pavilion for photo opportunists. If they want to stay in the mansion, they can grab a drink or a souvenir at the Vizcaya Museum Cafe & Shop.

The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science - Miami

The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is the only one in Miami with the trifecta of science museums: a planetarium, an aquarium, and the museum itself. Learn about the human body and its systems, come close to a stingray or a shark, and even explore the vast hurdles of infinite space. This museum is filled with fantastic adventures for everyone of all ages and comes with interactive experiences, live shows, experiences with animals, and more.

Once visitors leave the museum, they can head to Maurice A. Ferré Park, an ample green space with an amphitheatre and playground. If they are up for it, the Museum of Ice Cream is another museum in the area riddled with interactivity and even free ice cream samples.

Edison and Ford Winter Estates - Fort Myers

The Edison and Ford Winter Estates started as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford’s residences in Fort Myers. Today, it is a land of museums, with more than 20 acres of houses and gardens. Their houses exhibit the accomplishments of each figure’s life: Edison’s successes are interpreted through displays of his work in electric lighting. Ford’s achievements are shown by educating visitors on the Ford Motor Company and keeping some of his cars on display. The estates include a variety of buildings owned by Edison and Ford: Edison’s winter house, his guest house, his caretaker’s house, his study, and Ford’s winter estate. For history buffs invested in the prominent history these men were involved in, this museum is the perfect place to explore the lives and minds of Edison and Ford.

Leaving the estates, visitors can take a five-minute walk to The Marina at Edison Ford, a dock where they can relax and enjoy the water. The Shift Coffee Bar is an artsy cafe where they can stop by for a coffee.

Flagler Museum - Palm Beach

Remember Henry Flagler from the Lightner Museum? There is another museum connected to him: the Flagler Museum. The Gilded Age-era mansion was given as a wedding gift to Flagler’s wife. Complete with 75 rooms, this mansion, now the museum, is home to a grand hall, a music room, a courtyard, a library, a billiard room, a dining room, a drawing room, and that is only a snippet of what’s to come. This mansion is so popular that around 100,000 people visit every year. With the original 1,249-pipe organ in the music room and the Louis XV-inspired grand ballroom, who wouldn’t want to come?

When visitors need a break from being surrounded by magnificence, Palm Beach, on the opposite side of the museum, can be a wonderfully peaceful spot to catch some air. When they decide to grab a bite, TooJay’s Deli-Bakery-Restaurant provides the ultimate American meal: sandwiches, breakfast, desserts, and more.

John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art - Sarasota

In Sarasota, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is a complex of museums of the most fun-loving and quirkiest niches. Dedicated to the circus king, John, and his wife, Mable, the area is comprised of four museum buildings: The Ringling Museum of Art; Ca’ d’Zan, translated from Italian into “House of John” and the Ringlings’ Roaring Twenties-inspired residence mansion; the Circus Museum, a party of parade wagons, performer-shooting canons, and the Greatest Show on Earth Gallery on display; and the Historic Asolo Theatre, an architectural beauty and a theatrical experience. From a range of early history to the 20th century, their museums hold an extensive collection of artifacts, photographs, paintings, and sculptures that explore those periods. The most interesting exhibits of this museum include famous tapestry cartoons, a 70-foot-long railroad observation car, and the graves of both John and Mable.

If visitors are still in the mood to wander the grounds, they can stumble upon the Mable Ringling Rose Garden at The Ringling. This rose garden provides guests a relaxing ambience of flowers, sculptures, and walking paths. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, it also offers scavenger hunts. And if museumgoers want to explore hidden gems further, the Ellis Tea House is excellent. A quaint and tiny tea house in the nooks of the greenery surrounding the property, it is a lovely place to sit, sip on tea, and contemplate everything simply.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex - Merritt Island

Merritt Island is home to one of the most incredible museums, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. This complex has several attractions, including ATX Training, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, Mars Base 1, Astronaut Training Experience, Shuttle Launch Experience, and many others. Many of these experiences take up time from 15 minutes to seven hours, which means visitors should prioritize what they want to do or look into how many days they want to spend at the museum so they can participate in it all. The most fantastic thing about this museum is that visitors can see live rocket launches. To enjoy the rocket launch, it is best to grab a snack or sweet treat, like an ice cream at the Milky Way Ice Cream Shop. If they do not feel like viewing live rockets, why not stroll through Rocket Garden, where missiles, sounding rockets, and space launch vehicles are on display?

National Naval Aviation Museum - Pensacola

For aviation enthusiasts and airplane watchers, the National Naval Aviation Museum combines structure and beauty from aircraft, aviation history, and personal stories of war. Featured aircraft include the F/A-18 Hornet, the Triad (the Navy’s first plane created using wood and wire), Blue Angel Skyhawks, and flight simulators. As one of the most famous museums in Florida, and one that represents the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, it is highly secure, and visitors will need identification to enter. A thrilling experience for aviation experts, the museum is home to over 4,000 artifacts and more than 150 aircraft commemorating flight history in its original flourish.

If visitors get hungry during their visit, the Cubi Bar Café on museum grounds is a 1940s-esque eatery they can stop by. Or if you need a break from all the learning, stroll through the clear sands and water of San Carlos Beach.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition - Orlando

A rollercoaster of a journey, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition takes visitors on a storied journey of a lifetime. An experience that is partly a theatrical performance and partly a museum trip, this exhibition in Orlando recreates the grand and sorrowful tale of the Titanic sinking. From representations of the interior, the cabins, and even the popular grand staircase, this experience takes visitors through a replicated process of what passengers went through during their voyage on the ship. Visit the various recreated rooms of the boat and immerse oneself in genuine artifacts on display, such as the “Little Big Piece,” a two-ton piece of the actual ship. If passengers want to extend their trip to the “unsinkable ship,” the Titanic Gala Dinner experience allows them to interact with passengers (i.e., actors) like Captain Smith and Margaret “Molly” Brown. Or if they would like to indulge in how teatime was during that era, the Titanic Teatime Experience gives a peek into how the first class did it.

Once visitors have safely disembarked the ship, they can look out for Don Pedro's Pizzeria & Scoops Orlando if hungry. If they seek more fun times, they can head to Gator Golf Adventure Park, a mini golf course with real-life alligators on display.

A blend of wealthy estates, quirky funhouses, scientific endeavors, and the good-old classic house of art, these museums in Florida stand out in ways the beaches and sunshine will never. These places will keep kids, adults, and anyone of any age on their toes with their interesting niches and educational exhibits. Everybody can use a bit of exploring the secrets of the universe, or walking back to past eras.