ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Florida Holocaust Museum in downtown St. Petersburg is giving visitors a virtual look inside the secret annex where a young Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazi’s during the Holocaust.

  • New exhibit using VR at Holocaust Museum in St. Pete
  • Through headset, visitors take journey of Anne Frank annex
  • Florida Holicaust Museum

“The tour is actually guided by Anne Frank herself using words from her diary,” said Erin Blankenship, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections for the museum. 

Wearing a headset, visitors take an emotional journey of Anne Frank’s life in hiding. Visitors get a 360 degree look of everything in the annex: from the bedroom and dining room to the pictures on the wall and Anne Frank’s diary that talked about it all. 

Visitor Kathy Barnhill and her parents found the tour very realistic.

“Just the detail,” Barnhill said. “You could see everything. You could hear the sounds.”

When the tour is over, visitors are asked to take a survey and share their thoughts.

“I think it’s very moving,” Blankenship said.

Anne Frank’s House VR has already become a popular stop at the museum. The virtual tour is on loan from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. 

The exhibit, developed by Force Field VR and Oculus Studios, will be in St. Petersburg until January 24, 2021.

Visitors are asked to go online and reserve a seat if interested. The exhibit is included with the price of the museum.