Behind Florida's modern veneer there's a long history. Rich, varied and surprising. St. Augustine is the oldest permanent settlement in North America, founded by Spain in 1565. Spanish missions in the 16th and 17th centuries extended west beyond Tallahassee and south to Miami. The British held Florida for 20 years, then returned the sprawling colony to Spain at the end of the American Revolution. Americans, under Andrew Jackson, took control in the early 1800s.

Puffing paddle steamers brought the first tourists to explore after statehood in 1845. Before the Civil War Florida was settled by cotton planters, timber harvesters, and cattlemen. In the 1880s railroad barons Henry Flagler and Henry Plant forged their lines down the east coast and across to the Gulf, and more tourists followed. Citrus production soared, and the crack of the cow hunter's whip driving his cattle to market sounded across Florida's prairies. Florida was the embarkation point for Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War.

Florida boomed in the 1920s when anything seemed to go in real estate. With better roads the Tin Can Tourists loaded up their cars and headed south to enjoy Florida's sunshine. Thousands of troops stationed in World War II liked what they saw and returned to live. When the space program came to Cape Canaveral, Florida made history with every launch. Cubans, Haitians, Vietnamese and many others found refuge in Florida, and The Magic Kingdom perfectly captured the hope that has drawn people to Florida for more than four centuries.

Florida has preserved much of its history in museums and historic districts, large and small, around the state. Discover the people, drama and dreams that have carried Florida from Indian Trails to the Space Age.