5 Museums You Should Add to Your Greater Fort Lauderdale Vacation Plans
Written for Visit Lauderdale
Traveling to a new place opens up a world of new information. There are opportunities to learn about history, the environment and people everywhere, but there’s no better place to do so than at a museum.
Museums are information hubs with precious artifacts and compelling stories swirling through every exhibit corridor. Go to a museum, and return a more cultured, well-rounded person.
Beachside to waterfront, the museums in Fort Lauderdale and the cities nearby offer fascinating insights that make for a one-of-a-kind experience. So, sit back, relax and expand your mind as you discover the diverse subject matters of the 5 museums below.
1. Museum of Discovery and Science
If you’re traveling with children, look no further than the Museum of Discovery and Science in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Open 365 days a year, this fun-filled learning headquarters has more than 200 interactive exhibits your kids can get their hands on.
One highlight is the Everglades Airboat Adventure simulator, which takes you on an educational journey through the largest subtropical wilderness in the country. From prehistoric Florida to a recycling robot, these exhibits channel every child’s imagination and fill it with a universe of knowledge.
The Museum of Discovery and Science also comes with a huge bonus (by “huge” I mean massive). The AutoNation IMAX 3D Theater inside features groundbreaking movie projection technology that brings video to life like you’ve never seen before. We’re talking IMAX’s largest screens and a next-generation sound system that delivers maximum power and precision. See the movie of your choice, and prepare to be wowed -- one pixel at a time.
If the Everglades simulator at the Museum of Discovery and Science caught your attention, you might want to go and see the real thing. Thankfully, there’s a museum that puts you right in the heart of everything Everglades.
The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum invites you to the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation for a day of immersing yourself into Seminole culture and history. “Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki” means “a place to learn, a place to remember,” and that’s just what you’ll do at this very special museum.
Stepping onto the reservation is like stepping back in time. You’ll forget your 21st century worries as the beautiful scenery greets you with open air -- and open arms. Once you arrive at the museum itself, you will watch an introductory film that sets the scene for all the learning that’s to come.
Feast your eyes on over 180,000 unique artifacts and archival items from deep in the Seminole people’s past. Walk a mile along a boardwalk through the sawgrass. See what the Seminole community is all about in the Mosaic Art Gallery and West Gallery. By the end of the day, you’ll have a newfound respect and love for Native American traditions.
You can’t miss this vibrant museum in the downtown Riverwalk Arts and Entertainment District. A bright mural scales the surface of the building, making it evident that if there’s any place for art lovers to go, this is it.
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale’s renowned permanent collection contains over 6,000 works. The exhibits aim to impress, from America’s largest collection of 19th and 20th century paintings by William Glackens to extensive holdings of works by Latin American artists.
Walk into the museum, and grab a cup o’ joe at the museum cafe. Meander through the giftshop, then travel up the winding staircase on a tour that encompasses all facets of civilization’s visual history.
4. Bonnet House Museum and Gardens
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Bonnet House Museum and Gardens transports you from Fort Lauderdale beach to an artistic oasis. Spread across 35 acres of a native barrier island ecosystem, it is one of the few homes and studios of two American artists open to the public. The Birch and Bartlett families have shared their collection of art and personal treasures in the main house for you to enjoy.
You can also walk where ancient Tequesta Indians, European settlers and shipwrecked sailors once roamed. The coastal barrier island environment creates a peaceful atmosphere of wading birds, ostentatious orchids and the occasional manatee.
Bonnet House serves as a great backdrop for photos. The blue and yellow walls, combined with tropical foliage and vibrant artwork, call for a photo op your family will want to cherish for a lifetime. (Not to mention, it’ll reel in the likes on social media.)
5. Historic Stranahan House Museum
Another house museum on the water, the Historic Stranahan House Museum welcomes visitors on Las Olas Blvd in front of the New River. Built in 1901, it was once the home of Frank Stranahan, Fort Lauderdale’s “Founding Father,” and his wife, Ivy Cromartie Stranahan, the area’s first school teacher.
Get a full glimpse at a day in the life of the Stranahan family as tour guides lead you through the two-story landmark. Learn how to churn butter, take in the rich history and see how the house, the oldest building in the county, operated as a post office, community center, trading post and town hall.
These two extraordinary people had a clear vision of what the area could be. As a visitor, it’s really remarkable to come to Fort Lauderdale and then be able to see how it came to fruition.