Who We Are
HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate located in downtown Miami, safeguards and shares Miami stories to foster learning, inspire a sense of place, and cultivate an engaged community. We connect people by telling the stories of our communities, individuals, places and events. Every exhibition, artistic endeavor, city tour, educational program, research effort and publication we present is another step closer to everyone understanding the critical value of the past in shaping our collective future.
Today HM operates one of the largest private, regional history organizations in the Southeastern United States. Our collections include more than 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts that cover everything from prehistoric archaeological finds to 20th-century Afro-Cuban ritual artifacts. The Archives and Research Center collection, one of the most important in the state, includes more than 2 million historical images. Our core exhibition, Tropical Dreams: A People’s History of South Florida, presents 10,000-plus years of South Florida history, and we offer a robust schedule of temporary exhibitions each year on subjects important to the community.
World Class Resources
HistoryMiami Museum – founded in 1940 as the Historical Association of Southern Florida – is a Smithsonian Affiliate located in downtown Miami. Initially accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 1979, HM was most recently reaccredited in 2023, joining a small and elite group of history museums nationwide with that distinction. In July 2011, HMM became part of the prestigious Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, which allows us to bring world-acclaimed Smithsonian exhibitions to South Florida and provide opportunities to share resources in programming, collections, scholarship and technical expertise.
Our History
Founded as the Historical Association of Southern Florida in 1940, the organization was renamed HistoryMiami Museum to mark its 70th anniversary in 2010. Initially accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 1979, HMM was subsequently reaccredited in 1987, 1997 and 2008, joining an elite group of just 22% of history museums nationwide with that distinction, and we are one of only two history museums in the county to meet the rigorous professional standards required. In July 2011, HMM became part of the prestigious Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, which allows us to bring world-acclaimed Smithsonian exhibitions to South Florida and provide opportunities to share resources in programming, collections, scholarship and technical expertise.
