Museums offer a window to the past, a glimpse into the future and lessons in cultural diversity. They are also a great place to spend a sweltering summer afternoon. While Tampa Bay is chock-full of amazing museums, summer is the perfect time to take a museum road trip. Below we’ve included several road-trip-worthy museum outings – some that can be accomplished in a day trip and others that warrant a weekend away.
Winter Park
If you’ve never been to the Orlando suburb of Winter Park, it’s time to add this to your list of Florida must-sees. Nestled among the shops and restaurants that line Winter Park’s quaint downtown is the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. This museum houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, including his leaded-glass lamps and windows; his chapel interior from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago; and art and architectural objects from his Long Island country estate. The Museum’s holdings also include American art pottery, late 19th- and early 20th-century American paintings and more. Tickets are just $6 for adults; $5 for seniors; $1 for students; and children 12 and under are free – making it a bargain. Just off the main street, the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens offers insight into the world of internationally acclaimed Czech sculptor Albin Polasek. Tour his home, galleries and sculpture gardens, which offer stunning views of Lake Osceola.
Winter Park is also home to Rollins College – a 140-year-old campus that boasts gorgeous Spanish Mediterranean architecture. Strolling the grounds is a visual treat, but the college is also home to the Rollins Museum of Art, a premier teaching museum that is open to the public with free admission for visitors of all ages. The museum features rotating exhibitions, ongoing programs and an extensive permanent collection that spans centuries.
Lakeland
You might not think of Lakeland as a cultural hub, but it offers more than meets the eye. The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art, formerly known as the Polk Museum of Art, is a Smithsonian affiliate, meaning admission is always free. This museum houses two collections: the Museum’s Permanent Collection and Florida Southern College’s Permanent Collection. A recent 14,000-square-foot expansion added seven new exhibition galleries, a new creativity lab, renovated and updated classrooms, and interactive art laboratory spaces. (Note, the museum is closed on Sundays in the summer.) Just two blocks away, the campus of Florida Southern College is a museum in and of itself. The school grounds feature 18 unique and distinctive buildings designed by architectural pioneer Frank Lloyd Wright. The campus is free to visit on your own, but it is worth the cost of a ticket to take part in one of their guided tour options that offer access to the interiors of several of the buildings, as well as an in-depth history of Wright’s work on the campus.
Miami
Miami is a bit further afield, but the museum scene is well worth the drive.
Located in Miami’s waterfront Maurice A. Ferre Park, the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science houses a planetarium, an aquarium and two additional wings filled with scientific exploration for all ages. Plus, the rooftop terrace offers sweeping views of Miami. Just next door, the Perez Art Museum is home to an impressive collection of modern art in a stunning work of architecture. The grounds feature outdoor sculpture, a hanging garden and stunning views of Biscayne Bay.
Just a few miles north of downtown, Wynwood Walls is an outdoor art museum born out of an urban revitalization project. This former warehouse district is now filled with large-scale murals, bars, restaurants and a vibrant arts and culture scene. It’s something you need to see to believe. Heading south from downtown Miami, experience the Gilded Age at James Deering’s 1916 winter estate, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The estate features a Main House with original furnishings in 34 rooms, 10 acres of meticulously landscaped gardens, as well as the historic Vizcaya Village.