What is FloridaRAMA (Formerly Fairgrounds St. Pete) and Should I Take the Kids?
Maybe you’ve heard of FloridaRAMA or Fairgrounds St. Pete, the immersive art museum, but aren’t sure what it is or if it is kid-friendly.
If you are looking to figure out exactly what FloridaRAMA is, how long you should expect to spend there, or if you should bring your kids, read on for our experience.
I went to FloridaRAMA when it was called Fairgrounds St. Pete. My kids were 7 and 8 at the time.
What is FloridaRAMA?
Despite growing up near St. Petersburg, Florida, when I first heard about Fairgrounds St. Pete, I thought, huh, I didn’t realize there were fairgrounds in St. Pete. It has since been renamed FloridaRAMA, which seems a bit more fitting.
I wasn’t exactly wrong in my assumption. The formerly known Fairgrounds St. Pete is definitely not a typical fairground, like where you would expect the state fair to take place.
Fairgrounds St. Pete is a permanent immersive art and technology museum formed by more than 60 local and international artists.
The immersive museum doesn’t need to be viewed in any particular order, and visitors are welcome to wander in and out of rooms as they wish.
Weird, wacky, and definitely a Florida attraction, FloridaRAMA is made up of screens, lights, sounds, and objects.
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Entry to FloridaRAMA
FloridaRAMA is located about a 5-minute drive from downtown St. Pete. Free parking is available.
Inside the door are lots of tables and a ticket booth. An art museum with free entry is located in the next room, and there are restrooms located in the art museum.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the ticket desk. For those visiting at a popular time, get tickets in advance. We happened to be there on a weekday afternoon when it was not too crowded.
General admission tickets are available to purchase, as are Florida resident tickets, military, senior, and child tickets. Kids under 4 can enter for free, but strollers are not allowed inside FloridaRAMA.
As an add-on, a UV light scavenger hunt can be purchased for $5. Not everyone in your group needs their own scavenger hunt, but only one prize (a sticker) is given per completed scavenger hunt.
Purchase your ticket to FloridaRAMA
Inside FloridaRAMA
Right away, we could see that FloridaRAMA is different. We walked down the road, on 275, towards the Mermaid Star Motel, not knowing what to expect.
Basically, there are a bunch of small rooms set up around a large room in the middle. Some of the rooms lead to other rooms, and others only have one door.
My kids shared a clipboard for the scavenger hunt. We went to FloridaRAMA with friends who got their own scavenger hunt. The kids wanted to look for the signs with the numbers on them, especially at the beginning.
We did wander and explore, but the main focus was finding the numbers for the scavenger hunt.
The kids wanted to go off in different directions, so we met up and separated a few times. Of course, I stayed with my kids, but we didn’t wander the museum with our friends the whole time.
My kids actually didn’t finish the scavenger hunt. They got distracted by a hands-on display and just wanted to play. Our friends continued on and searched for each of the 12 clues.
They found most of them, but there is a guide on the back with hints for clues that are hard to find.
The entire experience is Florida in all of its glory. From the beach to the Strawberry Festival, mermaids to beach lounge chairs, cocktails to the Everglades, Florida is represented at FloridaRAMA.
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UV Scavenger Hunt
The scavenger hunt has participants searching for 12 clues throughout the museum. Each clue is a picture that matches the picture on the paper.
A UV light is attached to the clipboard and can be used to shine a light on the corner of the picture once it is found. A number, 1-4, can be found. That number is then written on the paper attached to the clipboard.
The back of the paper has clues for those who aren’t able to find all of the pictures throughout FloridaRAMA.
Once all of the clues have been found, there is a room in the middle of the exhibit that has a skateboard inside where you can match the numbers and a green light comes on when you get the numbers in the correct order.
At the end, the scavenger hunt paper can be taken back to the front desk to exchange for a sticker.
Click to purchse your tickets to FloridaRAMA!
FloridaRAMA FAQ
Walking through the entire exhibit at FloridaRAMA takes about 15 minutes, but expect to spend about an hour exploring the immersive museum.
Those who like to look closely at art should expect to stay about 90 minutes at FloridaRAMA.
Yes, there is a bathroom inside FloridaRAMA. You do not need to leave the exhibit to go to the bathroom.
Yes, FloridaRAMA is kid-friendly.
Not all of the exhibits are meant to be touched, but some of them are hands-on. Kids are able to complete a scavenger hunt for an additional fee.
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