Museums & Educational Attractions in Tampa, FL
There are 14 museums & educational attractions in and around Tampa. Each card below shows what it costs, when it opens and which ages it suits.
Sorted by distance from Tampa, nearest first. Those are straight-line miles, so every drive is longer than the number on the card.
The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement (MAACM) is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to the American Arts and Crafts movement. Founded…
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Florida CraftArt is a statewide nonprofit organization in downtown St. Petersburg. It represents Florida’s finest ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media and…
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The Florida Holocaust Museum honors the memory of millions of innocent men, women and children who suffered or died in the Holocaust. The Museum is dedicated to…
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Morean Arts Center includes: Morean Arts Center/Glass Studio: 719 Central Avenue Chihuly Collection: 720 Central Avenue Morean Center for Clay: 420 22nd Street…
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Imagine Museum visually takes you through the history of this remarkable medium from the early pioneers of Littleton and Labino through to the groundbreaking…
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A museum in Tampa exploring Florida's past across 12,000 years through interactive exhibits and film screenings. Families can work through hands-on displays…
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The Tampa Museum of Art is located along downtown Tampa’s scenic Hillsborough River. Changing exhibitions offer a balance of national, international, and regional…
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In the spring of 2001, Cynthia L. Flowers put forward the idea of starting a photography museum in Tampa. Shortly thereafter, Charles J. Levin (an attorney)…
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MOSI (Museum of Science & Innovation) is a hands-on science museum in Tampa, Florida, offering more than 50,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and STEAM-based…
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The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is a science and nature museum located in Bradenton, Florida. Families can explore hands-on exhibits across two floors…
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A museum in a 1920s building that once served as an icehouse and garage, now housing exhibits about Anna Maria Island and the surrounding towns. Families can…
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The Florida Maritime Museum is sponsored by Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Courts, and is situated on almost 4 acres of land in the historic fishing village of…
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Located on a 66-acre estate on Sarasota Bay, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was established in 1927 as the legacy of John Ringling (1866-1936) and his…
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A contemporary art center in downtown Sarasota with four galleries showing changing exhibitions and juried shows. Families can visit the galleries at no cost, take…
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Where a card says no price or no hours listed, the venue does not publish it. We would rather leave the gap than fill it with a guess. Prices come from each venue's own website, and we publish one only when the figure appears on the page we took it from. Tell us if we are missing one you know.
Which one, by age
Two children three years apart do not have to be a compromise. The age line on every card shows what that venue serves.
The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
Best here for two to five, 21 miles out, listed ages 3–12 and admission $16.
Tampa Bay History Center^
Best here for six to nine, 11 miles out, listed ages 6–12 and admission $14.95.
Florida Holocaust Museum
Best here for ten and up, 7 miles out, listed ages 6–16 and admission from $18.
Free museums & educational attractions in Tampa
One place on this page gets you in free. That makes a short trip easy to justify on a day when nobody is sure how long they will last.
Anna Maria Island Historical Museum
Free to get in, 22 miles out and listed ages 6–12.
By town
Most of these are not in Tampa proper, and the town is usually what decides whether a place is worth the trip.
Museums & Educational Attractions in St. Petersburg
5 of them: Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, Florida CraftArt, Florida Holocaust Museum, Morean Arts Center and Imagine Museum, the closest 7 miles from the middle of Tampa and 2 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Tampa
4 of them: Tampa Bay History Center^, Tampa Museum of Art^, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and MOSI (Museum of Science & Innovation), the closest 11 miles from the middle of Tampa and 3 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Sarasota
2 of them: The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art and Art Center Sarasota, the closest 29 miles from the middle of Tampa and 1 with a published admission price.
Planning a visit
These run from 7 to 32 miles out from the middle of Tampa. Hours move with the season and with school holidays, so check the listing before you set off. If you run one of the places on this page, you can claim it for free and keep its hours and prices right.
Before you go
Grip socks. Almost every venue requires them for children and several require them for adults. Most sell them at the door for a few dollars. Bringing your own is cheaper and means you are not buying a fourth pair.
Check whether adults pay. It runs from free to full price and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you.
Weekday mornings are the toddler rush. If you want space, aim for after two on a school day. Weekend mornings are the busiest hours of the week almost everywhere.
Ninety minutes is the realistic ceiling for most children under five. There is rarely a gradual wind down. Leaving with time left on the clock is not wasted money, it is a better afternoon.
Call ahead in school holidays. Several of these venues run camps and private events that close open play with no notice on the website.
Other things to do in Tampa
Museums & Educational Attractions in nearby cities
Common questions about museums & educational attractions in Tampa
How many museums & educational attractions are there in Tampa?
We list 14 museums & educational attractions within 44 miles of Tampa, FL. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.
Which museums & educational attractions in Tampa publish their prices?
8 of the 14 here do, and each price was checked word for word against the venue's own page before we published it. The rest do not publish one, so their card says no price listed rather than carrying a guess.
Are any museums & educational attractions in Tampa free?
Yes. One place gets you in free: Anna Maria Island Historical Museum.
How did Mini Navigators choose these museums & educational attractions?
We list every one we have within 44 miles of the center of Tampa. Each is a published place with an address we geocoded and checked, and the business can claim its listing to keep the hours and prices current.
Do adults have to pay?
It varies more than you would expect, from free to full price, and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you. The price on each card is what it costs to get a child in. Where a venue publishes an adult price it is on the listing, and where it does not we have left it out rather than assume.
Do I need to book ahead?
Usually not for open play, but several venues cap capacity at weekends and during school holidays, and some close open play entirely for private events. Where a venue has its own booking page, the listing links straight to it.
What should I bring?
Grip socks, a water bottle, a change of clothes for anyone under four, and a plan for leaving before the meltdown rather than after it.
What else is there to do with kids in Tampa?
Tampa has 17 categories of kid-friendly places on Mini Navigators, from playgrounds and museums to splash pads and zoos. The Tampa hub lists all of them.
Listings last checked September 19, 2026.