page_title: Tampa Bay History Center
section_title: First Floor
hierarchical_section_title: Tampa Bay History Center / Exhibits / First Floor
caption_attribution_description: English: Part of the Florida's First People display at the Tampa Bay History Center in Tampa, Florida.
context_page_description: Tampa Bay History Center is a history museum in Tampa, Florida. Exhibits include coverage of the Tampa Bay area's first native inhabitants, Spanish conquistadors, and historical figures who shaped the area's history, as well as a reproduction of a 1920s cigar store. The museum is on the waterfront at 801 Old Water Street in Tampa's Channelside District. It opened on January 17, 2009. The History Center building is 60,000 square feet with 25,000 square feet of exhibit space.
  The Tampa Bay History Center includes three floors of permanent and temporary exhibition space covering 12,000 years of Florida history, with a special focus on Tampa Bay and the Gulf Coast. The History Center has a museum store, classrooms, the Witt Research Center, a map gallery, an event hall and the Columbia Cafe.
  The History Center is one of the largest on the west coast of Florida and includes hands-on, kid-friendly activities, as well as cutting-edge interactive exhibits and theaters.
  The Tampa Bay History Center is open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
context_section_description: Icons of Tampa Bay 
  The museum's main entrance, the glass-enclosed Lykes Atrium, showcases 14 colorful icons representing historic characters, events, and symbols unique to the Tampa Bay region. Icons include: 1902 Oldsmobile; tug boat; Gasparilla ship; Tampa streetcar; B-26 bomber; Florida cowhunter; Babe Ruth; Tampa cigar label; longshoreman; strawberry plane citrus label; steam engine; Tampa Bay marquee; flamenco dancer; and tarpon angler.
  Winds of Change Theater 
  Beginning with Pánfilo de Narváez's landing near Tampa Bay in 1528, Winds of Change profiles some of the first European explorers who came to Florida. Shot on location in Florida, the film features historical characters portrayed by local re-enactors.
  Florida's First People
  The Tocobaga and Calusa tribes resided in Central and South Florida beginning over 12,000 years ago. The Florida's First People exhibit features original and replica artifacts from pre-European contact ranging from the Paleoindian Period (12,000 B.C.-6,000 B.C.) through the Mississippian Period (1,000 A.D.-1,600 A.D.). Tools, weapons, and pottery are displayed, along with original artwork by St. Augustine artist Theodore Morris.
  European Exploration Story
  Using an oversized map of the Atlantic Ocean, the European Exploration exhibit details the arrival of Spanish and French explorers who landed in Florida at the beginning the 16th Century. Artifacts are related to Spanish exploration, including period clothing, weapons, and tools.
  Seminole and Miccosukee Story 
  The Charles L. Knight Gallery features a collection of Seminole and Miccosukee artifacts, including clothing, patchwork, jewelry, baskets, tools, and weapons. Visitors can enjoy a multisensory theater experience, Coacoochee's Story, and view a replica chickee—a structure made of palmetto thatch over a cypress log frame.
  Cigar City 
  This exhibit tells the story of Tampa's cigar industry and immigrant communities in Ybor City, West Tampa, and Palmetto Beach. Visitors can walk through a 1920s-era cigar store and cigar factory; explore topics such as immigration, politics, and culture; and view cigar manufacturing and label printing artifacts, original furniture, and a model of a West Tampa cigar factory.
caption: Florida's First People display
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