10 Unique Museums in Tallahassee You Really Should Visit!
I grew up here so I remember going to the old Museum of Florida History downtown and heading straight for Grandma’s Attic. Back then, a museum trip didn’t feel like a history lesson — it was just a really fun place to explore. If you grew up in Tallahassee, you probably have a few museum memories like that of your own.
There are certain places that almost feel like a rite of passage for Tallahassee kids. You went to the Tallahassee Museum on a field trip, explored Mission San Luis, toured the Capitol, or spent an afternoon discovering something you didn’t expect to be interesting.
But here’s the funny thing: after living here for years, it’s easy to forget just how many museums Tallahassee actually has. Beyond the places we all remember from school field trips, we’ve got historic homes, Black history museums, fine art, Florida political history, a 17th-century Spanish mission and even a museum packed with classic cars and Batmobiles.
So whether you’re looking for something different to do this weekend, entertaining family from out of town or realizing you’ve lived here forever and somehow never walked through that museum you pass all the time, here are 10 unique museums in Tallahassee you really should check out.
1. Tallahassee Museum
If you grew up in Tallahassee, there’s a pretty good chance you visited the Tallahassee Museum on a school field trip at least once. This isn’t your typical walk-through-a-building museum. The 52-acre property combines Tallahassee history, native Florida wildlife, nature trails and historic buildings, including an old Florida farmstead.
You can see animals like red wolves, wander through historic structures and even find Jim Gary’s giant dinosaur sculptures made from old automobile parts. It’s one of those places that works just as well for local families as it does when you have visitors in town and want to show them something that’s very Tallahassee.
Want a little more adventure? Tallahassee Museum is also home to Tree-to-Tree Adventures, where you can climb and zip line through the trees. It’s a completely different way to experience the museum — and definitely not something you’ll find at most history museums.
2. Mission San Luis
Mission San Luis is another one generations of Tallahassee school kids know from field trips — but it’s absolutely worth going back as an adult. From 1656 to 1704, this was an important Apalachee and Spanish settlement and the western capital of Spanish Florida’s mission system.
Today you can walk through reconstructed buildings including the enormous Apalachee council house, church, Spanish residence and fort while learning about the very different cultures that lived together here. Costumed interpreters and archaeological finds make this feel much more like stepping into 17th-century Tallahassee than staring at artifacts behind glass.
3. Florida Historic Capitol Museum
We drive past it so often that it’s easy to forget the Old Capitol is actually a museum you can go inside. The beautifully restored 1902 Florida Historic Capitol Museum tells the story of Florida’s political and governmental history.
You can explore the old House and Senate chambers, the governor’s suite and the former Florida Supreme Court while seeing exhibits about the people and events that shaped the state. It’s also right in the middle of downtown, making this one of the easiest museums to add to a Tallahassee sightseeing day.
4. Tallahassee Automobile Museum
The Tallahassee Automobile Museum is one of those places that’s much more fun than the name makes it sound. Yes, there are more than 170 rare and historic vehicles — but then you start finding Batmobiles, motorcycles, antique boats, pedal cars, sports memorabilia and all kinds of other Americana. It’s basically a giant collection of collections.
Even someone who couldn’t care less about classic cars can usually find something bizarre or interesting to stop and look at. And yes, seeing the Batmobiles in person is pretty darn cool.
Love old cars? We’ve also rounded up some of the best automobile museums in Florida if you’re up for a road trip.
5. Goodwood Museum & Gardens
You’ve probably driven past Goodwood Museum & Gardens on Miccosukee Road without realizing just how much is tucked behind those trees. The historic property covers about 20 acres and includes the main house along with numerous other historic structures and gardens. Inside, you’ll find original family furnishings, artwork, porcelain, textiles and other objects that help tell the property’s complicated history.
This is a particularly interesting stop if you like architecture and local history because you’re walking through an actual historic Tallahassee property rather than a recreation.
6. The Grove Museum
The Grove Museum is another Tallahassee landmark that’s surprisingly easy to drive past without ever stopping. The Call-Collins House was built around 1840 by enslaved craftspeople and eventually became the home of Florida Governor LeRoy Collins and his wife, Mary Call Darby Collins.
The museum doesn’t just focus on the beautiful old house. It uses the property to explore slavery, freedom, civil rights and Florida political history, giving visitors a much broader look at the people whose lives intersected here. The grounds are also gorgeous, with huge live oaks and magnolias surrounding the house.
7. John G. Riley House Museum
The John G. Riley House Museum tells a part of Tallahassee history that can easily get lost between our Capitol buildings and grand historic homes. John Gilmore Riley was an educator and prominent member of Tallahassee’s African American community, and his circa-1890 home survived from the city’s historic Smokey Hollow neighborhood.
Today the museum helps tell the story of African American life in Tallahassee from slavery and Reconstruction through segregation and the Civil Rights era. It’s much smaller than something like the Tallahassee Museum, but that’s part of what makes visiting feel so personal.
8. Union Bank Museum
The Union Bank Museum is exactly the kind of place even longtime Tallahassee residents can overlook. The tiny building dates to 1841 and is the oldest surviving bank building in Florida. After the Civil War, it became associated with the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company and served newly emancipated African Americans.
Over the years the building has been used for everything from a church to a shoe factory before becoming a museum. It’s a small building with a surprisingly big story — and one of those places you may have passed dozens of times without realizing what was inside.
9. FSU Museum of Fine Arts
You don’t have to be an FSU student to visit the FSU Museum of Fine Arts. Located in Florida State University’s Fine Arts Building, MoFA features rotating exhibitions ranging from contemporary and traditional artwork to exhibitions connected to artists, students, faculty and the museum’s collections.
Because the exhibits change, this is one of the museums on the list you can revisit and have a completely different experience the next time. It’s also a very good option when it’s 95 degrees outside and you’re looking for something indoors to do in Tallahassee.
10. Gadsden Arts Center & Museum
It’s worth making the short drive over to Quincy for the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum. Located in the city’s historic district, this isn’t one of those museums you visit once and you’ve seen everything. The galleries feature changing exhibitions, so there’s regularly something new to see, with a mix of regional, national and contemporary art.
The building itself adds to the experience, and it’s an easy stop to work into a little afternoon trip to downtown Quincy. If you haven’t explored much beyond Tallahassee’s better-known museums, this is a good one to put on your list.
What About the Museum of Florida History?
The Museum of Florida History would normally be near the top of this list — and it’s another museum generations of Tallahassee kids remember from school field trips. It’s currently closed while the R.A. Gray Building undergoes major work, so we’re leaving it off our list of museums to visit right now. When it reopens, it’ll be going right back on here. And yes, some of us still remember playing in Grandma’s Attic as kids!
And What About the Knott House?
The historic Knott House Museum — sometimes called the “House That Rhymes” because Luella Knott attached poems to the home’s furnishings — is also temporarily closed while preservation work and exhibit updates are underway.
It’s an important Tallahassee historic site, particularly because the Emancipation Proclamation was publicly read in Tallahassee from the front steps of the house on May 20, 1865. We’ll move this one back into the main list when visitors can tour it again.
Tips for Visiting Tallahassee Museums
One of the nice things about exploring museums in Tallahassee is that you don’t necessarily need to devote an entire day to just one. Several of our historic museums are relatively close together, especially around downtown, so it’s easy to combine two or three stops into one outing.
Always check current hours before heading out, particularly for the smaller historic house museums. Some offer tours only at certain times or have limited operating days. If you’re visiting with kids, the Tallahassee Museum and Mission San Luis are especially good choices when you want something more interactive than traditional museum displays.
And don’t assume you’ve already seen everything just because you grew up here. Tallahassee has a funny way of hiding fascinating history in buildings we’ve all driven past a thousand times.
How many of these Tallahassee museums have you actually visited?
