Florida Historic Capitol Museum

05/25/2026

Holiday Hours Alert: the Historic Capitol Museum will be open today, Monday, May 25, from noon - 4:30 PM in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

05/22/2026

It was here at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts that Florida artist Emmaline Buchholz was inspired by the Gilbert Stuart Landsdowne portrait of George Washington. Emmaline’s version of the portrait hung in Florida’s Capitol for more than 90 years and has now been returned to the collection of the Museum of Florida History for much needed rest. The iconic image of this Founding Father is the heart of The George Washington Experience, the Historic Capitol’s signature America250 project—what a treasure to be able to trace Emmaline’s historic steps this Memorial Day weekend.

PAFA’s portrait is one of Stuart’s four originals and is now on display in their America250 exhibiton A Nation of Artists, organized in partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

05/20/2026

Join our colleagues from the Department of State today at 11:30 AM for the annual Emancipation Day commemoration. Following the program, free lunch will be served.

All of the festivities take place in the Chain of Parks on Park Avenue outside of The Knott House in downtown Tallahassee.

Please come out to celebrate Florida's Emancipation Day, May 20th, on Park Avenue across from the Knott House Museum. This year’s program features State Historic Preservation Officer Alissa Lotane and Dr. Larry E. Rivers, Distinguished Professor of History, Florida A&M University, and music by Christopher White and Brownsville Preparatory Institute students. The program begins at 11:30 and a free lunch is available afterwards in Lewis Park. https://www.facebook.com/events/1695759631455764

05/01/2026

It’s the last weekend to see temporary exhibit Florida’s Capitol in Focus before it closes—thankfully, we’re open both Saturday (10 AM - 4:30 PM) AND Sunday (noon - 4:30 PM), so you should be able to find a time to stop in!

04/18/2026

It is a gorgeous day in downtown Tallahassee this weekend with tons of fun things to do just steps away! Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee has fun showings in their planetarium and IMAX; Chain of Parks Art Festival is happening today and tomorrow; our neighbors at the Union Bank are open for visiting; Cascades Park is just a few blocks down; and everything is so green right now. Come down and explore and maybe have a drink or meal at one of the downtown eateries. No excuses about having nothing to do this weekend!

04/03/2026

CLOSURE ALERT: the Museum will be closed on Saturday, April 4 due to an HVAC outage in the Capitol Complex. The Museum will re-open on Sunday, April 5 at noon.

03/24/2026

This pretty pink Spring morning really brings out the red and white in our awnings, don’t you think?😍

03/19/2026

While we have a lot of families moving around the state for vacay, we decided we would do a little informal investigative work about what they are doing while they are here.

After just a couple of days, it looks like they are all engaging with a little bit of everything—did you know we had so many different activities for learners of all ages? Plus things to help make your visit a little easier like “special stairs!!!”(a toddler step stool) as exclaimed by a tiny visitor today in the bathroom.

We have probably added something new since the last time you visited, so come see us soon!

03/16/2026

We have already seen a few Spring Break families today despite the ☔️🌧️ weather. If you would like to spend some time in one of our cozy nooks, we will be open M-F 9 AM - 4:30 PM and have regular hours on the weekend!

03/13/2026

We have gotten a few fun (and sort of calming!) videos of the Historic Capitol on breezy mornings recently—including this one from yesterday before the storm came through. Take a deep breath with us and enjoy a few moments of quiet fluttering before finishing your week strong!