Housed in the restored 1927 Orange County Courthouse on Central Boulevard, the History Center covers Florida's natural and human history from pre-Columbian times through the Space Age and the rise of the theme park industry. The citrus and cattle eras get serious attention — a reminder that Central Florida was working agricultural land within living memory before the bulldozers arrived for Disney. The fourth floor preserves the original courthouse courtrooms.
Admission is modest, the building itself is worth a look, and it makes a useful rainy-day stop in downtown. Parking is tight; use the nearby garages.