Programs & Events
The Museum offers a number of recurring programs throughout the year
Monthly Programs
2nd Saturday Family Programs
Join us on the 2nd Saturday of each month for a specially themed program featuring a hands-on activity for young historians. While the Museum is closed, we will be taking 2nd Saturday on the road, with programming in various locations held in conjunction with our community partners. Follow us on social media for the latest location, subjects, and more.
Upcoming Programs:
May 10, 2025 | New Places, Old Spaces
11 a.m. to Noon
Union Bank Museum
219 Apalachee Parkway
Tallahassee, Florida
Learn how historic buildings are adapted to serve new purposes. We will explore the history of the Union Bank building, and the many different businesses that have existed in the bank building over the years. Children will pitch their own idea for a business in the Union Bank building and illustrate their design for the historic space.
Each free program runs from 11 a.m. to Noon and is designed for children ages 4 to 8 and their families.
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History at High Noon Programs
The Museum features casual monthly lunchtime talks by local experts on a variety of topics. Please note the location of each lecture as the presentation site may change from month to month.
Upcoming Programs:
May 29, 2025 | Torreya State Park and Historic Preservation in Florida
Noon to 12:45 p.m.
Mission San Luis
TEMPORARY ENTRANCE: 2021 Mission Rd.
Tallahassee, Florida
Celebrate National Historic Preservation Month and learn about Torreya State Park and its Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) connection. Gregory House–one of the state’s earliest historic preservation projects–stands as a testament to the work of Black CCC companies in Florida. Andrew Waber, historian for the Bureau of Historic Preservation, will discuss his work updating the state park’s National Register of Historic Places designation.
June 24, 2025 | Florida's Folklife Heritage
Noon to 12:45 p.m.
Mission San Luis
TEMPORARY ENTRANCE: 2021 Mission Rd.
Tallahassee, Florida
Dr. Dominick Tartaglia, Florida’s State Folklorist, will talk about the Florida Folklife Program, one of the oldest folklife programs in the country, and how it preserves and shares folk traditions of the Sunshine State. Dr. Tartaglia will also discuss recent initiatives including the Major John Leroy Haynes Florida Veterans’ Oral History Program that launched in 2024.
These programs are free and open to the public.
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Annual Programs
20th of May— Emancipation in Florida
The Knott House Museum and the John G. Riley Museum host an annual celebration of the 20th of May. Learn more about this event and other community activities here.
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people in the rebelling Southern states. More than two years later, on May 10, 1865, Union General Edward McCook arrived in Tallahassee to take possession of the city from Southern forces. General McCook established his headquarters at the Hagner House, now known as the Knott House. On May 20, he declared the Emancipation Proclamation in effect. Formerly enslaved people celebrated this announcement with a picnic at Bull Pond, today's Lake Ella. Annually since 1865, communities in Tallahassee have celebrated May 20th as Emancipation Day.
Florida History Day
Sponsored by the Museum of Florida History, Florida History Day is an annual, statewide activity that enhances the teaching and learning of history in middle and high schools. Florida joins 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and international schools in East and South Asia as an affiliate of National History Day® (NHD). NHD promotes history in the classroom by offering students the resources and support to do original research about people, ideas, and events of the past. Learn more about Florida History Day here.
