Florida Museums Overview

The State of Florida runs museums through its Department of State in Tallahassee, through the Florida Legislature and through two state universities (Museum of Florida History; Historic Capitol; The Ringling; Florida Museum).

The Department of State's history museums are in Tallahassee. The Museum of Florida History is in the R.A. Gray Building, and its website also covers visits to the Knott House Museum and the Union Bank Museum (Museum of Florida History). Mission San Luis in Tallahassee is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (Mission San Luis). The Florida Historic Capitol Museum, at 400 South Monroe Street, is under the management of the Florida Legislature (Historic Capitol).

Two more state museums belong to state universities. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota calls itself the State Art Museum of Florida and operates under Florida State University (The Ringling). The Florida Museum of Natural History is part of the University of Florida in Gainesville (Florida Museum).

Other Florida museums can seek state money through grants from the Department of State's Division of Arts and Culture, which says it promotes arts and culture as essential to quality of life for all Floridians; the grants are covered in the last question on this page (Division of Arts and Culture).

Two of the Tallahassee state museums are free, the Historic Capitol and the Union Bank Museum, while Mission San Luis charges $5 for adults; the Museum of Florida History itself is closed for building repairs (Historic Capitol; Union Bank Museum; Mission San Luis).

The Historic Capitol closes on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and has no dedicated parking; the museum points to a large public garage in Kleman Plaza, two blocks away, and very limited visitor parking in the Union Bank lot across Monroe Street (Historic Capitol). Mission San Luis closes on Mondays, New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, active duty military enter free with ID, and groups of 20 or more call 850.245.6406 to reserve (Mission San Luis).

The Union Bank building is a Florida landmark in its own right. Built in 1841, it is considered the oldest surviving bank building in Florida, and in June 1971 its owners, the Colonial Dames XVII Century, donated it to the State of Florida, and shortly afterwards it was moved from its original South Adams Street location to its site near the Historic Capitol (Union Bank Museum). Group tours are available by appointment at (850) 245-6400.

Five Florida state museums have closures, detours or a reopening this fall, from the closed Museum of Florida History to the November 23, 2026 reopening in Gainesville (Museum of Florida History; Florida Museum).

The Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee is closed because of repairs to the plaza level of the R.A. Gray Building, and its website posts no reopening date (Museum of Florida History). During the closure it points visitors to its Museum on the Move classroom programs and to the Knott House and Union Bank museums.

At Mission San Luis, the Tennessee Street entrance is temporarily closed for construction, and visitors use the west entrance at 2021 Mission Road (Mission San Luis). At the Historic Capitol, construction at the Capitol Complex means there are no bus loading zones at this time (Historic Capitol).

In Sarasota, construction on US 41 near The Ringling means drivers may reach Bay Shore Road by College Drive from the north, or by Myrtle Street, 47th Street or Mecca Drive from the south (The Ringling). From November 3 to 9, 2026 the Historic Circus Galleries close for maintenance while the Tibbals Learning Center stays open, and Museum Admission drops to $25 from November 3 to 8 and to $15 on Monday, November 9.

The Ringling in Sarasota, the State Art Museum of Florida, is open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and standard Museum Admission is $30 for adults and $5 for ages 6 to 17, with children under 6 free (The Ringling; Ringling tickets).

Museum Admission covers the Museum of Art, the Circus Museum and the Bayfront Gardens but not Ca' d'Zan; adding the first floor of the mansion raises the adult price to $45 (The Ringling). On Mondays the Museum of Art, the Bayfront Gardens and the Glass Pavilion are free to the public, with registration in the Visitors Pavilion on arrival and no advance tickets. Florida teachers pay $10 with a current staff ID and active U.S. military $15.

Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 PM bring discounted admission to the Museum of Art and the Bayfront Gardens, and the estate closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day (The Ringling). The grounds also hold the Historic Asolo Theater.

The Ringling Museum of Art opened to the public in 1930, and John Ringling bequeathed the museum and the rest of his estate to the people of Florida at his death in 1936 (The Ringling history). A 2025 resolution of the museum's foundation, posted by The Ringling, describes Florida State University as the museum's steward for 25 years as of July 1, 2025, with the museum under FSU direction as provided in Section 1004.45, Florida Statutes.

The Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida in Gainesville reopens its exhibits building, Powell Hall, to the public on Monday, November 23, 2026, after an expansion that closed it on March 24, 2025 (Florida Museum).

The museum says a temporary closure was needed for visitor safety and shortened the project, which included demolition of the front of the building (Florida Museum). A roughly 6,000 square foot addition on the west side of Powell Hall will hold offices, education space and the University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute.

The Butterfly Rainforest, the museum's living exhibit, has been closed for the length of the project while staff keep caring for its plants and animals; new butterfly shipments were paused (Florida Museum). For questions about exhibits, the Gainesville museum lists 352-846-2000.

The Department of State's Division of Arts and Culture funds the general program activities of Florida arts and cultural organizations through General Program Support grants, and museum is one of the eligible disciplines (Division of Arts and Culture).

General Program Support funds Florida's public and private arts and cultural organizations, and an applicant must be a public entity or a Florida nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation with at least one year of completed programming (General Program Support). Applications for fiscal year 2027-2028 are closed, the next deadline is to be announced, and the next application cycle covers July 1, 2028 through June 30, 2029. Programs inside larger, multipurpose institutions may also apply, with restrictions.

The Division also runs Specific Cultural Projects, Cultural Facilities and Cultural Endowment grants and the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, and it is based in the R.A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, phone 850-245-6470 (Division of Arts and Culture). Its support shows up on museum sites: Mission San Luis credits the State of Florida, through the Division of Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts for sponsoring its programs (Mission San Luis). Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the Florida Department of State website.