I've lived here for most of my life and somehow I don't think I've ever been to the Stranahan…read moreHouse, despite passing right by it a million times. They recently started offering free tours for locals on Wednesdays, so I decided to take advantage. It's a free self-guided tour, and they give you an audio device that gives you all the information on each room. The volunteer who checked me in was super sweet. Stranahan House is the oldest structure in Broward County, and I really enjoyed learning more about the history of the area, and especially about Ivy Stranahan's activism. It really gave me a new appreciation for the area. My favorite part was the upstairs porch, with a beautiful, relaxing view of the New River. I took the volunteer's advice and sat up there for a minute enjoying it instead of rushing through, and I'm so glad I did. Be aware that upstairs isn't air conditioned, so half of the tour is really hot. Dress accordingly or bring a fan! Overall, I'd highly recommend stopping by! It's something fun to do that's a nice change of pace.

My husband and I finally took a self-guided tour here since we saw they recently made it free…read moreadmission on Wednesday's for locals and it's definitely worth the visit! The tour took about 45 minutes and was super interesting and informative. Just a heads up that the second floor isn't air conditioned so it was just a little warm up there!

A real hidden gem in Fort Lauderdale! This museum contains an incredible amount of historical…read moremilitary aviation memorabilia. A fully volunteer-run museum, and the only military museum in Broward County. It is completely free to visit, and they accept donations. We spent about an hour there, we had a wonderful time and learned a lot from our guide, and there is so much there that we could have spent more hours looking at everything. We definitely plan to be back, and encourage everyone who is able, to make a donation to ensure this place and its important legacy can continue for generations to come!

I enjoy a private tour of this historic facility and learned a lot about its past. Awesome model…read moredisplays and military equipment and hardware. Very well worth a visit if you like aviation and history

A cool Fire Museum in Pompano that is operated by volunteers. Located next door to Pompano Beach…read moreHistorical Society. Call to make an appointment to see the two original working fire trucks and learn about the history of the area.

This is one of my favorite historic buildings in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. I came for a free tour…read moreduring this years Smithsonian free museum day. My tour included this building and two other historic buildings the museum owns. The inn was built in 1905 by Edwin T. King who was Ft. Lauderdales first contractor. The hotel was commissioned by U.S. senator and Jacksonville native Philemon Bryan. Bryan came to Ft. Lauderdale to start over after losing his fruit trees in a freeze. Bryan and his two sons, Tom and Reed got the jobs of supervising 400 laborers laying down the tracks for Henry Flagler's railroad. After making money Bryan decided to invest in a hotel. The 24 room three story building was made of hollow cement block made from local sand with Dade County pine floors. The building served as a hotel from 1905-1955. It was originally called the Bryan Hotel. Railroad workers and visitors to Ft. Lauderdale were guests. The hotel had a dining room, running water, two bathrooms, and carbide lights. Florida's then governor was the first guest on opening night. Eventually the name of the hotel was changed to the New River Inn and it was the first building in Broward County to be added to the U.S. National Register of Historic places in 1972. In 1976 the inn was used to house the first incarnation of the Museum of Discovery and Science but they moved out to a larger and modern building in 1992. This historic building along with several others was given to the Ft. Lauderdale Historical Society who fixed and restored them. The inn is now a museum that shows pioneer life in Ft. Lauderdale. On the first floor is a temporary art exhibit, small gift shop, and a movie that shows the history of Ft. Lauderdale. The second floor has history museum with exhibits about the Native Americans in this area and the Ft. Lauderdale pioneers. The highlight for me was seeing a letter written on March 22, 1838 by a soldier from the actual fort Lauderdale from which the city of Fort Lauderdale takes its name. The third floor has artists in residence. You can view their work and purchase it. It also has a replica of what one of the hotel rooms looked like. Philemon Nathaniel Bryan died in the hotel and it is said his spirit still resides there. Other spirits who reportedly never checked out of the hotel include a possible railway man in a duster and a young girl who was a student in Ft. Lauderdale's first school. Spirits are said to be the most active between 11 PM and 3 AM. If you want to visit, you however will have to stick to the daytime hours. A small fee will get you a tour of the inn, the King Cromartie house, and the replica of Ft. Lauderdale's first school. It is a tour well worth taking.

So much history to offer at the historical society and two historic houses. The admin building has…read morethe collections of photographs, documents, newspapers and artifacts. The Kester Cottage Museum is a historic house and exhibit about the history of the town. Tours are by appointment only, but they are lovely. The house has period furniture and a Christmas tree with vintage bubble lights. The exhibits chronicles the town activities from businesses to people.

The purpose of the Pompano Beach Historical society is to collect and preserve the history of…read morePompano Beach, the second oldest city in Broward County and the fifth oldest city in South Florida. Pompano Beach was incorporated in 1908. You can find the building for the historical society in Founders Park. The Historical Society holds many events in the city. I recently took their historical bus tour that began in the Kester Cottages in Founders Park and for two hours visited historical buildings in the city including the Bailey Hotel which now houses the BaCA Art Center in downtown, the Ali Building, the Sample McDougald House, and the Hillsboro Lighthouse Museum. Tours are $15 and the next one is March 9th. The Historical Society also runs the Pompano Green Market Saturday mornings across from City Hall. The market hearkens back to Pompano's roots as a farming community. Another event they are holding is the annual progressive dinner on February 20th which hosts a three course meal at three different historic sites in the city. The historical society also hosts lectures and public programs. They are currently seeking donations to refurbish the 1930's mule plow that resides in front of the Kester cottages. With so many great events the Historical Society truly offers something for everyone. You can sign up to volunteer, donate money, or see their schedule of events on their website.

My family decided to visited this immersive museum tour today. We had such an amazing time from…read morestart to finish walking through the exhibition. From flash in time pics to streams of light, a graffiti wall to use, and a lot of movement and dancing it was a good time. We learned that they change the exhibit every 3-6 months or so.

MAD Arts in Dania is a place with real potential…read more The interactive exhibits make it a fun way to spend an hour or two, whether you're on a date, catching up with friends, or looking for a family-friendly outing. It's not a massive museum, but that's part of its charm. It's easy to explore at your own pace and simply enjoy the art. Food and drink options are limited, but the experience itself is worth the visit. I'll be rooting for this place. With more event programming and rotating touring exhibits, I could see it becoming one of Dania's most interesting creative spaces.

Free with a suggested $5 donation for a good cause. The gentleman gave was very helpful in giving…read moreme an introduction on how to navigate the museum, and helped me answer any other questions I had. Very informative and presented in a very palatable manner. I only wish I had more time while I was visiting to go read through everything!

The World AIDS Museum located at 1201 NE 26th Street, Suite 111, Wilton Manors, Florida is near…read morecompletion and set to open. Fortunately I was able get a sneak preview of this one of a kind and the only museum in the world dedicated not only to the history and understanding of the AIDS epidemic, but with the clearly stated missions of increasing awareness, decreasing stigma, remembrance of those who have suffered, educating and enlightening the world to this continuing tragedy while empowering its survivors. The location within the self-governing community Wilton Manors couldn't be more fitting as it contains the highest per capita gay population in the world, which as everyone should know, was one of the first segments of the world's population to be so decimated by AIDS prior to recognition of in fact that it was indeed a truly worldwide epidemic effecting everyone and every aspect of the world's human population. The World Aids Museum is nicely organized, well arranged in a time line of historical displays and staffed by dedicated volunteers. It's small, but what it lacks in size is more than made up for by the inspiration, education and awareness it offers. Whether one realizes it or not, everyone in this world has been affected either directly or indirectly by the tragedy of the worldwide epidemic of AIDS. So, it might be a good idea to stop by and learn something more about it. After all, knowledge is power; silence and ignorance are death.

Back in the '30s, and I should say 1930s this was a school. The outside is intact, but the inside…read morehas some incredible changes that are dedicated to the arts. Outside you have a thriving kiddie playground, tennis courts, soccer play area, and an athletic outdoor gym. Inside there are classrooms for all kinds of artistic needs.