Palmetto Historical Park

Discover Our Heritage!

Guided Tours


Admission and tours are free of charge!

While the Carnegie Library is accessible during regular open hours, a Guided Tour is necessary to see the other historical buildings. Tours are free and held at 2pm every day that the Park is open.

Tours begin in our 1914 Carnegie Library — please meet us upstairs at 2pm to join. Visitors will also be guided through our 1880 Post Office, 1920s Schoolhouse, circa 1900 Chapel, Military Museum, and replica Chapel.

Additionally, all visitors are invited to explore the Manatee County Agricultural Museum, located within Palmetto Historical Park. The Ag Museum is accessible from 10am to 4pm every day that the Park is open. For more information, visit manateecountyagmuseum.com

GROUPS

If you intend to bring a group of 5 or more, please contact us to schedule.

WEATHER

To ensure the safety and well-being of our visitors and staff, and to preserve our historical buildings, tours will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather.

ACCESSIBILITY
  • Palmetto Historical Park is primarily handicapped accessible. Due to the historic nature of some of our buildings, visitors may be offered an alternative experience.
  • Palmetto Historical Park offers guided descriptive tours for blind and visually impaired visitors – these tours are free of charge and require advance registration.
  • If you are interested in scheduling, please contact museum staff at 941-723-4991 or email us to make arrangements.
Contact
Get in Touch
Phone: (941) 723-4991

Virtual Walking Tour

Clio Tour QR Code. Take a tour of historic downtown Palmetto.
Take a Self-Guided Tour of Historic Downtown Palmetto, Florida

What is today Palmetto’s quaint historic downtown, was once a bustling shopping area. In the same space that currently houses restaurants, retain, an art gallery, a fish market, and several salons, were once hotels, apartments, banks, and homes of Palmetto’s founding families. Our self-guided historic walking tour will take you back in time to learn about how Palmetto came to be*.

To Take The Digital Tour:
  • Scan the QR Code with your mobile device –or–
  • Search the App Store for “Clio – Your Guide to History” –or–
  • Visit PalmettoHistoricalPark.com and click the link for the “Clio Tour”
  • Paper brochures are also available at the Palmetto Historical Park and Manatee County Agricultural Museum upon request.
Clio Tour

*Many of the locations on this tour are private businesses and homes. This tour is meant to take place outdoors and on public sidewalks and streets. For more information about the locations on this tour or for more historical information on Palmetto, please call 941-723-4991 or email palmettohistoricalpark@manateeclerk.com.
Clio Palmetto's Historic District Walking Tour search results screenshot
Clio map screenshot

The Self-Guided Tour of Historic Downtown Palmetto, Florida was created by the Palmetto Historical Park and Manatee County Agricultural Museum in partnership with the Palmetto Historical Commission, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, and the City of Palmetto.

Clio logo

Clio is a nonprofit, educational website and mobile application that guides the public to thousands of historical and cultural sites throughout the United States. Built by scholars for public benefit, each entry includes a concise summary and useful information about a historical site, museum, monument, landmark, or other site of cultural or historical significance.

Gardens

Part of our mission is to promote and educate about our native flora and fauna. Take a stroll through the Park gardens to see Florida native plants and pollinators. Interpretive signage will help you identify butterflies and the plants that draw them to the Park!

Check out the “Native flora and fauna” playlist on our YouTube channel:

Before coming to the park to take pictures, please read our Photography Policy.

Click to view

#HistoryatHome

The Palmetto Historical Park has ramped up digital outreach as another avenue to engage with our community. We will continue posting new content and activities. Stay tuned to find fun things to do for you and your family! Here are some of the ways we are bringing history to you at home:


Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and follow us on Facebook and Instagram:

 

Palmetto Historical Park


Check out the Virtual Learning section of our website, located under Education Programs:
Virtual Learning

#TinyDoorsPHP

Tiny Doors in the Palmetto Historical ParkEnchanted tiny doors are popping up all over the Palmetto Historical Park! Do fairies live here? Or elves? Maybe hobbits? Or some other type of magical wee folk? This tiny invasion makes for a fun scavenger hunt in the Park: bring your family and see how many tiny doors you can find! The first lucky person to discover a new tiny door gets to take home a itty-bitty charmed key. Please share your exploration with other tiny door enthusiasts using the hashtag #TinyDoorsPHP

Tiny surprise causes big excitement at Palmetto Historical Park!

While watching butterflies and admiring the flowers at…

Posted by Palmetto Historical Park on Friday, August 12, 2016

Jack shows his sister, Violet, the tiny door he discovered. Apparently, she solved the mystery of who lives behind these tiny doors: “an elf lives in that one. And Tinkerbell lives in that one!” #tinydoorsphp

Posted by Palmetto Historical Park on Sunday, August 21, 2016

Looking for some free fun this weekend? Stop by the Palmetto Historical Park with the family to scope out the tiny…

Posted by Palmetto Historical Park on Friday, October 28, 2016

There has been a lot of suspicious butterfly and other bug activity around the Chapel today… could there be a new tiny…

Posted by Palmetto Historical Park on Friday, August 19, 2016

A new tiny door was discovered by two intrepid explorers this morning! Early birds get the… keys?!? #tinydoorsphp

Posted by Palmetto Historical Park on Saturday, August 20, 2016

After going there and back again, a pair of intrepid explorers discovered a tiny hobbit dwelling this afternoon. “…if…

Posted by Palmetto Historical Park on Thursday, September 8, 2016

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