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Highest-rated specialty museums in Florida by visitors

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In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Florida on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

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#29. MOAS - Museum of Arts and Sciences

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#29. MOAS - Museum of Arts and Sciences

- Rating: 4.5/5 (452 reviews)
- City: Daytona Beach
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#28. Ripley's Believe It Or Not

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#28. Ripley's Believe It Or Not

- Rating: 4.0/5 (1,796 reviews)
- City: St Augustine
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#27. Key West Shipwreck Museum

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#27. Key West Shipwreck Museum

- Rating: 4.0/5 (1,289 reviews)
- City: Key West
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#26. The Bishop Museum Of Science And Nature

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#26. The Bishop Museum Of Science And Nature

- Rating: 4.5/5 (883 reviews)
- City: Bradenton
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#24. Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum

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#24. Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (2,018 reviews)
- City: Key West
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#23. Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing

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#23. Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing

- Rating: 4.7/5 (575 reviews)
- City: Ocala
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#22. Ripley's Believe It or Not! Orlando

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#22. Ripley's Believe It or Not! Orlando

- Rating: 3.8/5 (1,957 reviews)
- City: Orlando
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#19. Duncan McClellan Gallery

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#19. Duncan McClellan Gallery

- Rating: 4.9/5 (784 reviews)
- City: St Petersburg
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#18. Crane Point Museum & Nature Center

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#18. Crane Point Museum & Nature Center

- Rating: 4.4/5 (926 reviews)
- City: Marathon
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#17. Tallahassee Automobile Museum

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#17. Tallahassee Automobile Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (618 reviews)
- City: Tallahassee
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#16. Museum Of Illusions Orlando

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#16. Museum Of Illusions Orlando

- Rating: 4.6/5 (497 reviews)
- City: Orlando
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#14. Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum

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#14. Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (399 reviews)
- City: Cape Canaveral Brevard County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#12. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

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#12. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

- Rating: 4.1/5 (1,631 reviews)
- City: Orlando
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#9. Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

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#9. Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (1,572 reviews)
- City: Palm Beach
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#7. Medieval Torture Museum

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#7. Medieval Torture Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (2,694 reviews)
- City: St Augustine
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#6. Bonnet House Museum and Gardens

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#6. Bonnet House Museum and Gardens

- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,828 reviews)
- City: Fort Lauderdale Broward County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#1. The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum

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#1. The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (21,136 reviews)
- City: Key West
- Read more on Tripadvisor

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

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