The Tampa Bay History Center Rocks Our Socks!

Okay, I’ll admit it. If I didn’t have a close friend who works there, I wouldn’t even know Tampa had a history center, much less that it is a state-of-the-art facility that contains 17,000 square feet of exhibit space and houses approximately 40,000 artifacts.

Situated on the Hillsborough River in the Channelside district of downtown Tampa, the Tampa Bay History Center is one of the largest history museums on the west coast of Florida. The current facility opened in January 2009, and is an environmentally conscious building. It is constructed of recycled materials, features tinted glass and metal eyelids on the windows that cut down on energy costs, and contains recycled flooring in some areas of the building.

The Center has interactive exhibit space on two floors, the rest of the building being dedicated to offices and archival storage space. The first floor displays the origins of Florida and of Tampa, educating visitors on the European explorers, as well as on the Seminole and Miccosukee Indians. These histories are told in two state-of-the-art theaters that feature multiple screens and animatronics. There is also a replica cigar shop/factory that contains historical artifacts, including a cash register from El Pasaje, the first hotel in Ybor City.

The second floor of the museum is dedicated to the more recent history of Tampa, and highlights our early and modern lifestyles, military history, our industries, and our sports teams. For example, did you know that Tampa started out as a military outpost? Fort Brooke wasn’t always a parking garage, and the museum houses artifacts that were found during its construction. This floor is highly interactive, and tends to be a big hit with the kids. The most prominent interactive feature is the interactive map. This touch-screen map highlights historical buildings throughout the city. A visitor can click on each historical site he or she wants to visit, and the map will create a route and e-mail it, so that the tour can be taken in person.

The other major feature of the second floor is the Touchton map gallery. There are 22 maps, the oldest dating back to 1513. Some highlights of the collection include a Hernando Cortes map from 1524 (replica), a map of Sanibel Island from 1833, and a map of the Plant railway and steamship routes from 1899. It is interesting to think about what a person had to go through to actually make a map in the old days, before aerial photography. Not only are they labor intensive, many of them are hand-inked and painted, making them works of art as well. This room will definitely give visitors a sense of awe, and is a must-see part of the museum.

Aside from the museum and archival/office space, the building houses classrooms, event space, the Witt Research Center (a non-lending part of the Hillsborough County Public Library system), the Columbia Café (yes, it’s an offshoot of the Columbia restaurant in Ybor City), and the ever-important museum gift shop. The Tampa Bay History Center is open 7 days a week from 10 am – 5 pm, closing only for Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are several summer camp programs offered at reasonable rates, and there is a free lecture series, among other events. You can get a daily dose of Tampa history, as well as lots of other info, by becoming a fan of the History Center on FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tampa-FL/Tampa-Bay-History-Center/157814595118?ref=ts

Those interested can visit http://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/ or call (813)228-0097 for more information. The History Center is located at 801 Old Water Street in Tampa, near the St. Pete Times Forum.