Monday, October 5, 2026

Accessibility Review: FloridaRAMA

At FloridaRAMA's front desk, Lindsey and Kyle buy their tickets. Lindsey is a manual wheelchair user, wearing a blue dress with a pattern of white palm leaves. She has dirty blonde hair, which extends passed her shoulders, in length. The color of Lindsey's wheelchair is dark purple. Kyle is a power wheelchair user, who is wearing a green polo shirt. His power wheelchair has a black frame. They are in front of the checkout desk, purchasing their tickets from the receptionist, who is typing on a tablet. She has a black shirt and auburn hair, which extends passed her shoulders, in length. The front of the counter is painted a grayish-blue color, with a pink monster across the entire length of the desk. It has a number of pink tentacles, which reach upward, and appear to have circles at their tips. Along the top of the desk looks like green slime, reaching down with tendrils, every so often. Behind the help desk are a few screens, listing the cost of admission, additional information, and other, colorful ads for FloridaRAMA. On the left side of the desk is a tank, in a yellow case, which has a lot of underwater-themed trinkets. Above that, the FloridaRAMA is painted in pink, yellow, blue, and orange, in a 50's style font. Underneath it is art that mirrors what's painted on the front desk.

Accessibility Grade: A-

Nestled in the art district of St. Petersburg, you'll find the incredibly immersive, interactive art exhibit known as FloridaRAMA. For me, it was a wonderfully nostalgic experience, which left me feeling like a kid at a Chuck E. Cheese. There were games, colorful and interactive art installations, scavenger hunts, and immersive displays, all nestled within the package of a 1950's-themed Floridian hotel. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, which made the experience that much richer. Since a lot of that magic hides within the exhibit's mysterious nature, I'm going to do my best not to spoil too much. What I will say is that the entire experience was awe-inspiring. However, you're here because you're probably wondering: is FloridaRAMA accessible for people with disabilities? Pull up a folding chair (unless you brought your own seat, like me), grab a cold drink, and join me on this rare and magical adventure, through an experience that I'd describe as oddly Floridian, in a strangely-extraterrestrial kind of way.

A sensory friendly map of FloridaRAMA. The map lists each exhibit, by name, and shows which senses are potentially impacted by each exhibit. For more details, tap or click the image, which will take you to FloridaRAMA's official website, which has further instructions about the map and exhibits.

Before we get into the museum itself, it's really important to note FloridaRAMA's sensory friendly map. Since the exhibits feature a variety of sounds and flashing lights, which some museum patrons may find abrasive, this resource will be really important to our neurodivergent readers. In the bottom, right-hand corner of the map, you'll notice a number of pink symbols. Each of these symbols represents a different type of sensitivity zones, including: visual, headphone zone, gentle touch, share, strobe, and scent. To view a detailed description of the sensory friendly map, click here. If you'd like, while purchasing your tickets at the front counter, you can request to look at a copy of this map.

Kyle and Lindsay navigate Python Alley. The ramp is pretty long and is painted to look like a wavy-looking road. To the right is a mural, mostly comprised of figures that are yellow, pink, and light blue. The FloridaRAMA is painted directly in the middle of the mural. On the left, is some fake, tall grass. Among that are three road signs. The first one is a metallic-looking sign that says "Gator Xing." Beyond that is a red and white sign that says, "BE ALERT." A snake-like creature, that's also red and white, is coiled around the sign. Lastly, the final sign looks like a large, green road sign that you'd see on an interstate. It says, "Interstate 275: Mermaid Star Motel," with an arrow pointing diagonally upward and right. The left wall is painted black, and a brightly colored UFO is painted to look as if it's in the distance, protruding a beam of light from its underside. Directly in front of Kyle and Lindsay, a circle is shown, depicting the road as if it were wavy, before it disappears into something that looks like a tunnel. Sturdy, black hand rails line the left and right side of the path. Kyle, in a power wheelchair with a brightly colored Pokemon backpack, is wearing a green, collared shirt. He looks to high right, at Lindsay, who is using her right hand to pull manual wheelchair up the ramp. She's wearing a navy dress, with a pattern of white, palm leaves. Both have their backs to the camera.
After purchasing our tickets, before venturing to the exhibit hall, we made our way through Python Alley. Here, patrons will notice a brightly colored art piece that decorates the wall on the right. To the left are a few road signs, as well as some fake grass, and a interstate-style street sign that directs you towards the Mermaid Star Hotel. As a power wheelchair user, this space was fine for me; however, my friend Lindsay, who's a manual wheelchair user, found the incline to be a bit steep. In order to propel herself up this ramp, she had to use the handrail, which you can see in the picture to the right. After having this experience, I was a bit skeptical about the rest of the exhibits. For the most part, they're pretty accessible, but we'll talk about those in just a minute. If the incline wasn't as steep, even by a little bit, Python Alley would be much easier for people who use manual wheelchairs, walkers, gait trainers, and even canes. I digress.

Lindsay uses her manual wheelchair to head into the entrance of FLoridaRAMA's Motel Lobby exhibit, while Kyle follows behind in his power wheelchair. In front of Kyle is a bright, neon sign, made to look like a hotel sign from the 1980's. In bright pink, it says the word "MOTEL," though the framing of the picture cuts off the "M" from view. Behind the pink letters, a bright blue mermaid tail is shown, accented by blue bubbles and yellow stars. Lindsay is heading through an open, pink doorway. To the left of the door is a pink window. The outer walls of the room are colored blue. The top and bottom halves of the wall are separated by a pink line. Below that line are fish scales, outlined in pink and filled in with blue. Above the line, there are smudges of a lighter-colored paint, which almost look as if somebody threw bleach on them. A white mailbox hangs on the wall, to the right of the doorframe, with "2606" written on top of its cover. In the distance, bright lights and brightly colored objects can be seen in the background.
After exiting, we entered a large, courtyard-looking area. From here, you're free to visit the exhibits in any order you'd like. I'll be detailing the path that we took; however, that doesn't mean you have to follow our example! Since it was close to the entrance, we decided to make our way to the Motel Lobby. We didn't want to show too much of it, but know that the room looks like the lobby of a hotel, complete with fake brochures to fake attractions, as well as a guest book that you can sign. Leading up to the lobby,
Against the outer wall of the Motel Lobby exhibit, Lindsay and Kyle park their wheelchairs, where they look at an advertisement for a fake soup can for "Meatgard's Escapism Soup." In the background, above Lindsay and Kyle's heads, the bottom of the motel's neon sign can be seen. Beyond that, groups of people make their way to different exhibits that are located off-screen.
there was an illuminated putting green, which was decorated with small, plastic alligators, boats, plants, etc. The most striking object was located outside of the hotel lobby's entrance, which sports a bright blue, pink, and yellow neon sign. The bright blue mermaid tail, the pink lettering that spells "HOTEL," as well as the yellow stars and blue bubbles, are on prominent display. I really loved the neon sign and thought it added a very interesting and unique charm. 

In her manual wheelchair, Lindsay looks curiously at a display in the Lampscape exhibit. She rests her left hand on the left wheel of her wheelchair, while she rests her chin on her hand. She's wearing a navy dress, decorated with white leaves and flowers. Behind her, Kyle is wearing a green Polo shirt, in his power wheelchair, also observing some of the lamps on display. From right to left, the light from the lamps go from a cool blue, to a soft purple, to a hot red. All of the lamps are white, and are in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some look like palm trees, while others look more like ornate vases.
In fact, if I were to use one word to describe FloridaRAMA's exhibits, "charming" would be pretty appropriate. Making our way into the Lampscape exhibit, I couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. Visible in the picture to the right, the walls of the room were completely made of mirrors. In front of these mirrors, we peered into black shelving, which held a large number of white lamps. Each of these lamps had a different shape. Some felt a bit over-the-top, while others looked like something you might have in your own home. I also noticed that none of these lamps had lampshades, which created an interesting spectacle in the reflection from the mirrors, as well as the direct light from the lamps. For those who have photosensitivity, this exhibit might be a bit too much. For wheelchair users, like us, there was plenty of space to maneuver; though, we did notice that people packed into the room pretty quickly.

Kyle is wearing a green Polo shirt. From the seat of his power wheelchair, he is facing away from the camera. He looks back at Lindsay, who is looking towards the ceiling. She is wearing a navy blue dress, with white flowers and foliage, and uses a manual wheelchair. On the floor, there are a number of green, blue, red, and purple orbs. As a result of a black light, which can be seen overhead, these colorful circles are glowing. To the left, there is both a window and a doorway that leads into the previously-mentioned exhibit, called Lampscape.
After leaving Lampscape, Lindsay and I made our way through an interesting looking hallway. It wasn't quite wide enough to fit both of our wheelchairs side-by-side; however, there was plenty of room for each of our wheelchairs. I was mesmerized by the multicolor, glow-in-the-dark orbs, which were scattered all over the floors, walls, and even a little on the ceiling. Here, from the lights, I didn't witness any strobing effects. If you are sensitive to black light, please be mindful of this area. It's also important to note that this area has a few, accessible restrooms. This hallway is also the only way to access the Ballet of Final Anthozoans exhibit, so I felt like that detail was important to note.
Kyle and Lindsay are in an exhibit, made to look like a bedroom. The lighting has a pink hue, which matches the pink carpet, pink drapes, and a painting, of flamingos, that sits above the window, and spans the width of the drapes. To the left of Kyle, sitting atop a series of four, pink drawers, is an old-fashioned tube television. To the right is a bed, with a pink bed spread, and a pink dressing bench. Sticking out, from underneath the bed, is a large, stuffed, blue tentacle. Above the bed, on the wall, is a pink and blue painting of flamingos, whose necks are coiled in a snakely fashion. To the left of that, an opened suitcase rests upon a suitcase rack.
From here, we made our way into the Sunnymooners Suite. Because this exhibit is set up like a bedroom or hotel room, there was a decent amount of room. As you can see in the picture, the exhibit had ample space for both of our wheelchairs. Wheelchair users, and other patrons with mobility disability, should be careful not to trip over the stuffed tentacles, which extends from beneath the bed and into the center of the room. If you are a fan of pink, as am I, this exhibit will feel oddly comfortable. While the light seemed to be kind of low, patrons with visual disabilities may want some assistance to navigate the room, especially to avoid tripping over the tentacle. For what it's worth, I thought this room was really interesting and oddly nostalgic.

Lindsay and Kyle look up at a ceiling, decorated with a number of neon signs and reflective objects, such as disco balls. Behind them, the walls are white with small, yellow polka dots, as well as a variety of similarly-sized paintings. On the rights wall, behind Lindsay, there is a large number of spoons hanging on the wall. They are placed either very close together, or overlapping. From further away, they make the room look as if it's dripping in silver.
Our next stop was the Sugar Coat Disco exhibit. Because this room had a lot going on, at once, we tried to make sure that our picture didn't give too much away. For Lindsay and I, it was pretty easy to maneuver our wheelchairs in and out of the room; however, yet again, we did take up a fair bit of space. This room is filled with objects that are either brightly lit, or reflective of light. If you have epilepsy, or anything similar, you might want to be a little conscious of this detail. The contents of this exhibit were brightly colored, in such a fun way. While neon signs and disco balls hung from the ceiling, the walls were covered in a variety of shiny objects. Seen in the picture above, one section was decorated with spoons, which were arranged in a really interesting way, that gave the appearance that the wall was dripping with silver. This room also a fun activity, that incorporates the spoons, which I won't spoil that for you in this Accessibility Review. If you want to discover this secret, for yourself, then you'll need to check it out!

Lindsay and Kyle are talking on the right side of the picture. A pink glow emanates throughout the entire room. The upper-half of the wall shows a variety of strawberry plants, along a white backdrop. The bottom-half of the wall is solid red, framed by a white, dividing line. A put-put golf hole sits in front of Lindsay and Kyle, which features a centerpiece of strawberries, glued together, to look like a larger strawberry. A pink light radiates from the perimeter of the piece. To the left of that is a pink castle, which looks as if it were painted on, and cut out of, large wooden pieces. Behind Lindsay is an odd-shaped chair, which looks like a tall, plastic strawberry.
Next on our list was the Strawberry Room. This exhibit felt a bit smaller, which you can probably tell by looking at Lindsay and myself, in the picture shown to the left. In here, pink lighting blended a bit with the strawberry theme. Strawberry wallpaper decorated the top-half of the wall, while the bottom-half remained a solid red. A strawberry-themed put-put golf hole, similar in shape to the one we saw in front of the Motel Lobby exhibit, took up a decent amount of the exhibit's floor space. If you have the ability to transfer, or if you aren't a wheelchair user, a strawberry seat is nestled in the corner of the room. A large pole was also located in the center of the exhibit, which took up more room. Since there wasn't much room, we didn't spend very long in this exhibit, though it was really cute.

Lindsay and Kyle are looking show, in their wheelchairs, going through the open jaws of a giant, fake alligator. Lindsay looks back at the camera, over her shoulder, and smiles, while Kyle turns around in his wheelchair and pretends like he's screaming. In front of Kyle is a screen, showing some abstract art.
As we exited the Strawberry Room, the Alley Gator 3030 exhibit quickly caught our attention. While we weren't able to fit side-by-side, as shown in the picture, you can see that there was plenty of room to accommodate both of our wheelchairs. While pretty simple, as we went through it, Alley Gator 3030 had Lindsay and I feeling like we were kids again. While there were green lights around us, nothing appeared to have a strobing effect or anything like that. Younger kiddos may feel a little apprehensive, but I felt as if this exhibit was pretty fun. What's better is that it was also pretty accessible. While you head through these illuminated jaws, make sure you pay attention to the little details lining the walls, as well as the area beyond.

Lindsay, surrounded by yellow light and blue dots, as if from laser pointers, reaches up to interact with the Searchlight Sanctuary exhibit. Beyond her, we can kind of see white outlines of tree trunks, on a black background. She reaches forward, resting her wrist on the front of the exhibit, which stretches out, in front of her, off-camera.
After making it through the jaws of Alley Gator 3030, we found our way to Searchlight Santcuary. Because this exhibit was so interactive, I want to make sure that I don't explain it in too much detail. Surrounding you, on both sides of the room, as well as the back, was an interesting depiction of a forest. A sensor was laid out before us, which interacted with the exhibit, by following the location of your hand. Because the sensor was pretty tall, both Lindsay and I struggled to reach the sensor that operated the exhibit. If you are a wheelchair user, you may need some assistance to interact with Searchlight Sanctuary.

Lindsay sits in front of a fake mirror, which displays an image, as if it's a computer monitor. She stares into it, wide-eyed and full of awe. To her left is a pink chair. Under the fake mirror, in front of her, is an ornate makeup counter. On its right side is a fake snake, to the left is a glass and clear vase, filled about a quarter of the way with water. In the center, the top of the makeup counter has been removed, which holds a variety of sparkly objects. To the left of the counter is an orange, octopus plushie. There are blue lights, shining from shelves, which hold objects that aren't easily visible because of the camera.

So, I just want to point something out: Mermaid Dressing Room was probably my favorite exhibit. If you have an affinity for aquatic- or nautical-themed décor, this exhibit will probably feel extra special to you, too! The room was filled with objects and decor that were mostly pink and blue. As you can see, in the picture above, it was arranged like an actual dressing room, makeup counter and all. Again, I don't want to give too much away. There was enough room for both Lindsay and myself, though there was some furniture that you'll need to navigate around. Other than that, this exhibit was pretty relaxing and mainly had diffused or soft lighting, throughout. There was much more in this room, so you'll have to experience it for yourself.

Lindsay smiles, looking to her right, at an object that's barely visible. It is some kind of tan cylinder, decorated with shells, with a glass dome on top. There are multicolored cylinders, throughout the exhibit, which are partially blocking our view of Kyle. There are two, black pipes, sticking out of the ground, each of which have a red wheel, at the top.
The Fountain of Life was a pretty interesting exhibit. It was a bit different than the others, in the sense that you are encouraged to move through it, rather than simply entering it and looking around. There wasn't room for Lindsay and I to stand, side-by-side; however, there was plenty of room for each of us to move through the room. The brightly-colored cylinders, shown in the picture above, line the walkway. These encircle the focal point of the exhibit, at the center of the room, which I'm purposefully concealing.

Lindsay reaches out her right hand, hovering it over a white circle, at the center of a control panel. There are three, white squares above the circle, and three, white squares below it. Everything appears to be bathed in a blue light. Behind Lindsay is another monitor, with a different set of buttons.
Lastly, we made our way to Centcom, the exhibit that feels like it's at the center of the entire museum. Here, you'll find a bevy of buttons, sensors, and switches. You can use these devices to interact with different kinds of games and videos, which are displayed on a variety of monitors, throughout the exhibit. Since Lindsay has hands, and since I don't, she had an easier time reaching out and interacting with the exhibit. There was plenty of room, for both of us, to navigate with our wheelchairs. Since Centcom has a lot of lights and sounds, people with sensory sensitivities, such as people who are on the autism spectrum, may find this exhibit overstimulating.

To round things off, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at FloridaRAMA. All of these exhibits were so unique, interesting, and well-made. This museum was definitely one of the most, interactive places I've ever reviewed. While some of the exhibits were a bit difficult for wheelchair users, such as Searchlight Sanctuary, most of them were easy to navigate. Some of the exhibits do have objects on the floor, which could make it difficult for people with disabilities that impact their mobility. After pointing that out, I do want to mention that these grievances were pretty minor, which didn't impact my overall experience. I left with a sense of renewed wonder, which will have me returning, so that I can share the experience with more of my friends. Lastly, it's worth noting that FloridaRAMA's lobby also has an art gallery, featuring local artists. These pieces are available to purchase. So, the next time you're looking for something new and exciting, I'd highly recommend checking out this interactive museum.

Author: Kyle Romano
Kyle is wearing a seafoam, button down shirt. He is wearing black-rimmed glasses and has short, brown hair.















Photographer: Luis Rodriguez
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Accessibility Review: FloridaRAMA

Accessibility Grade: A- Nestled in the art district of St. Petersburg, you'll find the incredibly immersive, interactive art exhibit kno...