The Florida Holocaust Museum

The Florida Holocaust Museum, 55 Fifth St. S. at jct. First Ave. S., spreads a message of tolerance as it memorializes the millions of men, women and children lost during the Nazi regime's systematic killing of Jews and other civilian groups—including Poles, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals and the disabled—during World War II. Holocaust survivors speak weekly and share their personal stories with visitors. An audio tour included with admission offers additional details about the permanent exhibit History, Heritage and Hope.

Somber visitors pause before interpretive panels, streaming film clips and timeworn documents relating the history of the state-sponsored genocide, while a variety of chilling artifacts—from armbands worn by Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto to bricks from a crematorium chimney—document the brutality of the period. Putting a human face on the tragedy is a photo wall spotlighting Holocaust-affected families before the war. Another photographic display showcases wartime heroes who helped Jews escape Nazi persecution. At the center of the museum sits a boxcar from Nazi-occupied Poland. One of the museum's most dramatic and disquieting pieces, it rests on railroad tracks from the Treblinka camp.

Temporary exhibitions presented on the second and third floors augment the stirring first-floor gallery space.

Flash photography and video are prohibited.

Guided tours are available. Time: Allow 2 hours minimum.