Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
353
Although the building is the highlight of a visit, don't skip its contents: art and furnish-
ings from Europe and Asia, plus exhibits that explain the history of the original railroad
resort, Florida's early tourist industry, and the hotel's role as a staging point for Theodore
Roosevelt's Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.
401 W. Kennedy Blvd. (btw. Hyde Park and Magnolia aves.).
&
813/254-1891.
www.plantmuseum.com.
Free admission; suggested donation $5 adults, $2 children 12 and under. Tues-Sat 10am-4pm; Sun
noon-4pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Take Kennedy Blvd. (Fla. 60) across
the Hillsborough River.
MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry)
Kids
A great place to take the
kids, MOSI is the largest science center in the Southeast, with more than 450 interactive
exhibits. Step into the Gulf Hurricane to experience 74 mph winds, explore the human
body in The Amazing You, and, if your heart is up to it, ride a bicycle across a 98-foot-
long cable suspended 30 feet above the lobby (don't worry: you'll be harnessed to the
bike). You can also watch stunning movies in Florida's first IMAX dome theater. Outside,
trails wind through a nature preserve with a butterfly garden. The museum is one of very
few in the world to feature the articulated remains of a Sauropod dinosaur.
4801 E. Fowler Ave. (at N. 50th St.).
&
813/987-6100.
www.mosi.org. Admission $21 adults, $19 seniors,
$17 children 2-12, free for children 1 and under. Admission includes IMAX movies. Daily 9am-5pm or
later. From downtown, take I-275 N. to the Fowler Ave. E. exit (no. 51). Take this 2 miles east to museum
on right.
Tampa Bay History Center
Kids
Opened in early 2009, this brand-new
60,000-square-foot museum covers everything from Native Americans to tycoons and
sports legends who have inhabited Tampa. The museum features interactive exhibits,
theaters, a map gallery, a research center, an event hall, a museum store, and a branch of
the internationally acclaimed Columbia Café. The permanent exhibits explore approxi-
mately 500 years of recorded history and 12,000 years of human habitation in the
region.
225 S. Franklin St.
&
813/228-0097.
www.tampabayhistorycenter.org. Free admission. Mon-Fri 9am-
5pm. From I-275 and the Crosstown Expwy., take exit 8 from the expressway, turn right onto Kennedy
Blvd., left onto Morgan St., left onto Channelside Dr., and then right onto Old Water St.
Tampa Museum of Art
Located on the east bank of the Hillsborough River, next to
the round Bank of America building (locals facetiously call it the Beer Can), this fine-arts
complex has eight galleries with changing exhibits ranging from classical antiquities to
contemporary Floridian art. There's also a 7-acre riverfront park and sculpture garden.
Call or check the website for the schedule of temporary exhibits. However, if you have
time for only one art museum on your trip, skip this one and head to St. Petersburg for
the more innovative Salvador Dalí Museum. In 2008, the Tampa Museum of Art moved
to a temporary location at 2306 Howard while the original Ashley Drive location was
being revamped into a 66,000-square-foot museum with state-of-the-art gallery spaces
featuring innovative translucent ceilings and polished stone floors. In addition there will
be five expansive interior galleries, one exterior sculpture gallery, and an educational
classroom equipped with the latest technology. Completion is expected in November
2009. Admission at the temporary location on Howard is free.
600 N. Ashley Dr. (at Twiggs St.), downtown.
&
813/274-8130.
www.tampamuseum.com. Admission $8
adults, $6 seniors, $3 children 6-18 and students with ID, free for children 5 and under; admission by
donation Thurs 5-8pm and Sat 10am-noon. Tues-Wed and Fri-Sat 10am-5pm; Thurs 10am-8pm; Sun
11am-5pm. Parking 90¢ per hour. Take I-275 to exit 44 (Ashley Dr.).
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