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Air Force Armament Museum |
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Eglin Air Force Base, Northwest Florida |
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Experience the aviation warfare armament from the early days of World War I right through to today's high tech planes and bombs. Inside, you'll find an extensive collection of weaponry and interactive displays that will amaze and intrigue. Outside displays include vintage military aircraft including the fastest plane ever built, the SR-71 Blackbird. Admission is free and all are welcome. Located at Eglin Air Force Base in northwest Florida. |
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Air Force Space and Missile Museum at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station |
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Patrick AFB, Florida |
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The Air Force Space and Missile Museum at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station preserves both the hardware and the spirit of United State's ventures into space. The museum displays numerous missiles, rockets and related space equipment and is open daily.
Its primary mission is to collect, restore, and exhibit items of historical significance which relate to the development and heritage of U.S. Air Force space launch activities. This unique museum highlights the Air Force as a major participant in America's space program and emphasizes activities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station beginning in early 1950 and continuing today. Since opening to the public in 1966, the museum has introduced millions of visitors to the history of rocketry and space flight. |
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Avon Park Depot Museum |
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Avon Park, Florida |
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The museum serves as an ever-growing, multifaceted resource for the community. It was built as a railroad station in 1926 by the Seaboard Railroad, which brought hundreds of people to the area in the late 1920s, many of whom would later settle here. Today, the Depot’s main function is to serve as a historical museum for Avon Park and the surrounding area. It features a number of ever-growing exhibits telling the stories of Avon Park. The museum also features a research room, complete with a microfilm reader/printer for viewings yesterday’s Avon Park newspapers. And, of course, visitors will find a museum gift shop. A former railroad dining car, built in 1948 and purchased by the Historical Society of Avon Park in 1986, sits adjacent to the museum. |
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Black Archives at the Union Bank |
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Tallahassee, Florida |
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Completed in 1841 when Florida was still a territory, the Union Bank is the state's oldest surviving bank building. Chartered to help finance local cotton plantations, it ultimately closed because of crop failures, the Second Seminole War, and poor management. After the Civil War, it reopened as the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company for emancipated slaves and later served several other functions. In 1971, the Bank was moved from its original site, and, after restoration, it was opened as a museum in 1984. The Union Bank now serves as an extension of the Florida A&M University Black Archives, Research Center and Museum and is open to the public and school groups only on weekdays. Artifacts and documents reflecting black history and culture are on display, and public programs are provided by Black Archives staff. The museum is located in Tallahassee, Florida. |
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Brevard Museum of History & Natural Science |
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Cocoa, Florida |
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The mission of the Brevard Museum of History & Natural Science is to operate and maintain a museum for the education of the public about regional cultural heritage and to preserve historic artifacts and natural history specimens that support this educational mission.
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Camp Blanding Museum and Memorial Park |
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Starke, Florida |
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The Camp Blanding Museum and Memorial Park is owned and operated by the Florida Department of Military Affairs (Florida National Guard). It is a public facility dedicated to individuals and units of the US Army in memory of their World War II service. The museum collects, preserves, exhibits, displays and accounts for all objects and artifacts related to the history, heritage and traditions of Camp Blanding the Florida National Guard, individuals and units that trained at Camp Blanding and their global campaigns. |
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Camp Gordon Johnston Museum |
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Carrabelle, Florida |
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Located in Carrabelle, Florida, the museum's role is to preserve the heritage of the men who trained at the this camp during WW II. Carrabelle was the focal point of social life around the camp when it was open during WW II, and today continues its role as the preserver of the amphibious soldier's heritage. Camp Gordon Johnston opened in 1942 for the sole purpose of training amphibious soldiers and their support groups, this camp trained a quarter of a million men, closing in June of 1946.
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Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum |
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Fort Walton Beach, Florida |
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In the heart of historic downtown Fort Walton Beach, sits a one-room school, reminiscent of days gone by. This building was the first schoolhouse constructed for the children of Camp Walton, later to be known as Fort Walton Beach. Local citizens built the school of native pine and oak in 1911. When the school opened in 1912, there were 15 students and 1 teacher. Eight grades were taught in this school. Miss Minnie Tippins from Andalusia, Alabama, was the first teacher. The preservation and restoration of the building was undertaken by the Junior Service League and the Okaloosa County School Board in 1971 and opened as an educational museum in 1976. In 1986, the Junior League turned over the ownership and operations to the City of Fort Walton Beach. This schoolhouse is truly a place where memories can be captured and new ones made. This school is still teaching!
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Cedar Key Museum State Park |
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Cedar Key, Florida |
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Picturesque Cedar Key, on Florida's Gulf Coast, was a thriving port city and railroad connection during the 19th century. The museum contains exhibits that depict its colorful history during that era. Part of the collection has sea shells and Indian artifacts collected by Saint Clair Whitman, the founder of the first museum in Cedar Key. Whitman's house is located at the park and has been restored to reflect life in the 1920s. A short nature trail gives visitors the opportunity to see wildlife and birds, as well as native vegetation. Small gray squirrels, doves, mockingbirds, blue jays, woodpeckers, and green tree frogs can be seen on the museum grounds and along the walking trail. |
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DeLand House Museum/Memorial Hospital Museum at Bill Dreggors Park |
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Deland, Florida |
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The DeLand House Museum was built in 1886 for DeLand's first attorney, Arthur George Hamlin, who also developed the Hamlin Orange. Originally a one-and-a-half story structure, the house was built upon land purchased from Henry A. DeLand, the founding father of the City. At the time, the site extended all the way to Woodland Boulevard and had an orange grove from the house to the street. Currently a museum housing eight galleries and exhibits, The DeLand Memorial Hospital was originally built to serve the growing needs of a population expanded by the land boom era. In 1920, its cornerstone was placed, and in 1922 the completed building was dedicated to the service men of World War I.
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Destin History & Fishing Museum |
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Destin, Florida |
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Experience the feeling of swimming in the Gulf of Mexico with award winning examples of fish caught in Destin. This exhibit is displayed on a 100 feet of wall space depicting the Gulf floor. View a large collection of antique fishing rods and reels, the most unique is constructed of split bamboo with an original Penn Reel, that belonged to Ernest Hemmingway. Get an idea of life in Destin before the arrival of electricity in the 1930s.
Visit the original Destin Post Office building located adjacent to the property. See the oldest seine fishing boat still in existence, The Primrose, built in 1925. Enjoy vintage photographs of early Destin settlers, boat captains and their boats, beach scenes, businesses, and much more. Located in Destin, Florida.
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Dudley Farm Historic State Park |
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Newberry, Florida |
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Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this park demonstrates the evolution of Florida farming from the 1850s to the mid-1940s-through three generations of the Dudley family. An authentic working farm, the homestead consists of eighteen buildings, including the family farmhouse with original furnishings, an 1880s kitchen outbuilding, a general store and post office, and a functional cane syrup complex. Park staff in period clothing perform daily chores, raising crops, and tending to livestock. The farm features seasonal cane grindings, corn shuckings, and heritage varieties of livestock and plants. Deer, wild turkeys, gopher tortoises, and bluebirds are still seen in the fields. The park has a visitor center, picnic area, and nature trail. |
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Eden Gardens State Park |
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Stop in for a picnic along Tucker Bayou, stroll down our nature trail, or simply meander through the gardens. The focal point of this park is a beautifully renovated, two-story house with elegant white columns and wrap-around porch. Surrounded by moss-draped live oaks and ornamental gardens, the Wesley house inspires visions of hoop skirts and landed gentry. The park is part of the estate owned in the 1800s by the Wesleys, a wealthy Florida timber family. In 1963, Lois Maxon bought and renovated the home, creating a showplace for her family heirlooms and antiques. The collection of Louis XVI furniture is the second largest in the United States. Guided tours of the house are available hourly Thursday through Monday (including holidays). Visitors can enjoy the grounds, gardens, and picnic area daily from 8:00 a.m. to sunset.
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Fort George Island Cultural State Park |
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Jacksonville, Florida |
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Native Americans feasted here, colonists built a fort, and the Smart Set of the 1920s came for vacations. A site of human occupation for over 5,000 years, Fort George Island was named for a 1736 fort built to defend the southern flank of Georgia when it was a colony. Today´s visitors come for boating, fishing, off-road bicycling, and hiking. A key attraction is the recently restored Ribault Club. Once an exclusive resort, it is now a visitor center with meeting space available for special functions. Behind the club, small boats, canoes, and kayaks can be launched on the tidal waters.
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Fort Walton Beach Heritage Park and Cultural Center |
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Fort Walton Beach, Florida |
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Consists of the Indian Temple Mound Museum, Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum, and the Garnier Post Office Museum. Together these three museums form a cultural center which presents the history of the Fort Walton Beach area from prehistoric times, some 12,000 years ago, the first school in 1912, and through the close of the post office in the 1950s. It is the purpose of these museums to preserve and hold their collections in trust for humankind. The Museum Division uses its collection to educate, for exhibit, research and advanced study. The museums host over 13,000 visitors annually from all 50 states and many foreign countries. An additional 7,500 school and civic organization members receive educational programs.
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Halifax Historical Museum |
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Daytona Beach, Florida |
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Since 1986 the Halifax Historical Museum has been housed in the former Merchant's Bank Building located in the heart of the downtown historical district of Daytona Beach. The focus of the museum is to present the history of the greater Daytona Beach area with artifacts dating from 5,000 B.C. including the local Native Americans, the Spanish and British colonial eras, early pioneer families, beach auto racing, World War II and vintage toys. The Museum offers a research facility with old city directories, documents and maps as well as an extensive photographic and postcard collection.
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House of Refuge Museum at Gilbert's Bar |
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Stuart, Florida |
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As the oldest structure on the Treasure Coast (circa 1876), The House of Refuge Museum at Gilbert’s Bar has weathered many storms and provided shelter for shipwreck survivors. It is the only remaining House of Refuge in the country. The museum is open seven days a week. Tours, which provide a look at turn-of-the-century coastal living at the Refuge, include the boathouse living quarters and a WWII lookout tower. |
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John G. Riley Center/Museum of African American History and Culture |
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Tallahassee, Florida |
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The Riley House is a little known historical and cultural gem that sits at the bottom of a hill in downtown Tallahassee, at the corner of Meridian and Jefferson Streets. In 1978, through the efforts of local preservationists, the Riley House became the second house in Florida owned by a black person to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first being the Mary McLeod Bethune house in Volusia County. In 1995, a group of Tallahassee citizens established a museum at the Riley House dedicated to African-American history and culture. This facility draws more visitors and tourist into the area while providing a historically diverse attraction.
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Knott House Museum |
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Tallahassee, Florida |
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Built in 1843, probably by free black builder George Proctor, the Knott House was first occupied by attorney Thomas Hagner and his wife Catherine Gamble. The house served as temporary Union Headquarters in 1865, where Brigadier General Edward McCook announced the Emancipation Proclamation. Physician Dr. George Betton made the location his home and office in the 1880s. Betton assisted in the early medical training of his carriage driver, William Gunn, who became Florida’s first African - American physician. In the early 20th century, three Florida Supreme Court judges lived in the house, acquired by William and Luella Knott in 1928. As the wife of a state treasurer, Luella hosted notable social functions, and as a poet, she wrote verses about the home and its furnishings, causing the site to be known as "The House That Rhymes." With the death of the Knott's son in 1985, the Historic Tallahassee Preservation Board became the beneficiary, and after extensive renovations, the Knott House Museum opened to the public in 1992. Its administration was transferred to the Museum of Florida History in 1997. |
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Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park |
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Cross Creek, Florida |
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Visitors to this Florida homestead can walk back in time to 1930s farm life. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings lived and worked in the tiny community of Cross Creek. Her cracker style home and farm, where she lived for 25 years and wrote her Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Yearling, has been restored and is preserved as it was when she lived here. |
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National Naval Aviation Museum |
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Your adventure awaits at the National Naval Aviation Museum located on Pensacola Naval Air Station. Enjoy the hands-on history of Naval Aviation and see more than 150 beautifully restored aircraft and over 4,000 artifacts representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Aviation. Feel the thrill in our Flight Simulators or visit the Naval Aviation Memorial Theatre and catch all the drama and power of our amazing IMAX® films. Then refresh with a tasty lunch or dessert in the authentic Cubi Bar Café. Take home the spirit of Naval Aviation with a unique memento from the Flight Deck Store. Spend a cool day inside the Museum with countless things to touch and see, more to experience and enjoy!
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National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum |
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Fort Pierce, Florida |
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The Navy UDT-SEAL Museum is the only museum dedicated to preserving the history of the Navy SEALs and their predecessors, including the Underwater Demolition Teams, Naval Combat Demolition Units, Office of Strategic Services Maritime Units, and Amphibious Scouts and Raiders. Located in Fort Pierce, Florida - the birthplace of the Navy Frogman - the Museum promotes public education by providing the opportunity to explore the history of the Navy SEALs in an atmosphere of respect and honor.
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Peña-Peck House |
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Saint Augustine, Florida |
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The Peña-Peck House was constructed around 1750 by order of the King of Spain to be the residence of his royal Treasurer, Juan Esteban de Peña. The Peña-Peck House sits on St. George Street at the heart of the historic district. Built of native coquina stone, it is the finest surviving First Spanish Period home in the city. Today the loggias and the first floor remain little changed. Today, Exchange volunteer guides conduct visitors throughout the house filled with Peck furnishings including priceless 18th century American antiques. Visitors are encouraged to explore 254 years of history. Tour the graceful frame and coquina house, a block north of the city's Plaza de la Constitucion, and step into history. Hear stories of its Spanish and British occupants as well as a succession of local families who lived in the house until 1837 when Dr. Seth Peck bought the property.
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Pensacola Historical Museum |
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The Museum has been a part of downtown Pensacola for over thirty years. In that time, the Museum has moved from Old Christ Church to the Arbona Building. Many visitors who remember coming into the Museum in Old Christ Church bring their younger generations to the new Museum in the Arbona Building. The Museum houses two floors of exhibit space. The first floor is dedicated to our changing exhibits. The second floor of the Museum houses our permanent galleries, including Army/Navy Gallery, Maritime Gallery, Multicultural Gallery, Native American Gallery, and Forts/Civil War Gallery. The Museum also has a Museum Store full of those hard to find local publications. |
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Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts |
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Barberville, Florida |
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The Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts, Inc. was established as an educational institution whose mission is the collection, preservation, conservation and exposition of objects which are the cultural heritage of the community. The Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts, Inc. is located on the grounds of former Volusia County Schools surplus property known as the Central School of Barberville (c. 1919), which was first leased from the Volusia County School Board in the year of the Settlement's incorporation, 1976.
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Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse |
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Ponce Inlet, Florida |
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Visited by over 120,000 people each year, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, making it one of only 10 lighthouses with this designation. The lighthouse tower and museum are located 12 miles south of Daytona Beach and are open to the public year round. The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Florida and one of the tallest lighthouses in the nation. Visitors who climb the 175-foot-tall lighthouse tower are treated to a magnificent view of the Florida coastline and Halifax River from Daytona Beach to New Smyrna Beach.
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St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum |
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Saint Augustine, Florida |
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The St. Augustine Lighthouse is dedicated to discovering, preserving, presenting and keeping alive the story of nation's oldest port by offering educational opportunities, local and national preservation efforts, maritime archaeological research, and by safeguarding the memories and precious belongings of those who came before us. |
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St. Lucie County Historical Museum |
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Fort Pierce, Florida |
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The St. Lucie County Historical Museum offers tours and programs designed to complement social studies curriculum and classroom learning. Exhibits cover subjects including the Cobb Store, early Native Americans, the fishing industry, a pineapple plantation, and trains. |
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The Elliott Museum |
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Stuart, Florida |
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The Elliott Museum houses one of the finest collections of American antiques, decorative arts, baseball memorabilia and vintage automobiles that celebrate the golden age of American creativity, as well as local and Florida history. The museum is also home of the Historical Society of Martin County and its archives, a repository of photos and documents on this area of Florida. |
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Valiant Air Command Varbird Museum & Tico Airshow |
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Titusville, Florida |
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The Valiant Air Command is a non-profit museum. The museum displays, maintains and restores all types of aircraft that were indigenous to the world's military Air Forces starting before WW1 to the present. The Main Bay/Display Area contains approximately 30,000 square feet and is wide and high enough to accommodate the wing span and tail assembly of all but the largest bombers. In addition to the main hangar bay, there is an area 15,000 square feet dedicated to the display of memorabilia associated with the "Valiant" individuals who flew, maintained these aircraft. |
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Ybor City Museum State Park |
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Tampa, Florida |
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Don Vicente Martinez Ybor came to the frontier near Tampa and built a city that became the "Cigar Capital of the World." From the opening of the first cigar factory in 1886 until the 1930s, Ybor City flourished. This urban park is dedicated to the preservation of Ybor City's unique cultural heritage. The museum, housed in the historic Ferlita Bakery, traces the rich cultural history of Ybor City and the cigar making industry. The museum has self-guided exhibits, with written and audio information, and a video presentation. La Casita, a restored cigar worker's house, is open for viewing and guided tours are available. |
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