I'm not much of a history person. Let us start there.

While the building was nice and the museum clean and in a recently developed part of town. I grew up in the Tampa area and perhaps due to that, and knowing a good deal of the history already, this felt a little underwhelming for me.

There are three floors to explore but it seemed lacking in any sort of storytelling that could keep my attention. Displays and exhibits jumped around from one time period and topic to another and if there was a theme or timeline to follow, I missed it.

The vast majority of the information is on little plaques you read next to some items for view. The mannequins and replica of historic store fronts, etc. were a bit cheesy and those things certainly felt dated.

Many items on display were not well identified and often there would be something we found interesting, but there would be no information supplied on what we were seeing. Maybe you need to do an audio tour or something with this place. I found it quite confusing on that front.

We did watch one short movie and it was actually rather well done, there were a few more to see, but we skipped those.

The price is not bad. The interior was clean and up to date. There are several places to eat nearby and other things you can do in the area. The trolley has stops nearby and Riverwalk is directly behind the building.

The center is located right next to the cruise ship terminal so expect traffic and tourist to be in the area year-round.

I am aware of several very cool things the history center is doing for our area, but as for this center, I won't be returning or recommending it to any out-of-town guests.

Perhaps I have been lucky enough to visit many of our still standing historic buildings and areas that this was lacking after visiting the real things. Ybor City is full of history, the old forts or the University of Tampa are just a few spots to mention.

If you are a history buff or perhaps even just someone very unaware of the history of the Tampa area then this might just be a good way to spend an afternoon and get a quick bit of information in one stop.

I want to say I liked this, but honestly, I won't return. It was not unpleasant; it was just not my cup of tea, but it may be for others. Friends of mine have said they really enjoyed it, so. That's all I got.