Honestly this is really a sad waste of your time. Small and nothing really of significant…read moreinterest to see or learn here. The surrounding area is really depressing, in general there is really nothing in Florida City that warrants you making a stop for.

This museum caught our eye while traveling up Krome Ave after a morning trip to the Everglades…read more Two of the museum volunteers were sitting on the porch next to a big "OPEN" and "Free Admission" sign. We were the only visitors there at the time, and the gentleman volunteer on the porch gave us a brief history of the house before inviting us in to a self or guided tour. We chose to self tour and moved through the house looking at various antique items from the late 1800's and first half of the 1900's. At times, there were exhibits set up with various types of certain items (phones, cash registers, etc). It took us about 20 minutes, to move through most of the house. It's also a great way to get up close to objects that might otherwise be behind glass at a different museum. There's a small store inside selling various memorabilia and books. The entire museum is operated and staffed by volunteers between November-April. I would recommend a visit if you find yourself in the area.

When the Town of Homestead was incorporated on January 27, 1913, there wasn't a town hall where…read morecity officials could meet. The newly formed town decided to use Sistrunk Hall, a wooden building located just west of the 1911 Bank of Homestead. It became the first Homestead Town Hall but it burned down on September 7, 1916. After the fire the Town Council decided to build their own town hall. Miami architect Harold Hastings Mundy was hired to design the building. Mundy was born in 1878 in Ontario, Canada. He worked as the architect for the Dade County School district where he designed Coconut Grove Elementary School, Robert E. Lee Junior High School, and Miami Edison High School. John F. Umphrey who had built a number of buildings in the area was awarded the contract to build the town hall for $4,418.00, doors excluded. He completed the building in 90 days. The lower floor near the front of the building housed the city fire department, fire trucks and a hose-drying room. The rear area held the police station and jail cells. There were four jail cells for men while the jail cells for female prisoners were in a separate building located in back of the Town Hall. Municipal offices, the city's clerk office, mayor's office, and the city council chambers were on the second floor. A small one story addition to the south, at 41 N. Krome Ave., is now used as an entrance to the museum. It was added in 1924 as offices for the County Agricultural Agent and the Redland District Chamber of Commerce. The police and fire departments eventually moved out and the town hall was remodeled in 1956. The jail cells were removed and the bottom floor was turned into office space for the growing city government. The building served as the Town Hall for almost 60 years before it was deemed too small. In 1975, a new city hall designed by Edward M. Ghezzi , was built at 790 N. Homestead Boulevard. The new city hall dedication took place on November 23, 1975. The old town hall was used as a Senior Citizens Center and a State of Florida Department of Corrections, Bureau of Probation and Parole, office. In 1980, the town considered demolishing the building in order to make more room for parking. City council members Irving Peskoe and Ruth Campbell opposed the demolition. Through the efforts of Peskoe and Campbell, $61,000 was donated from members of the community and a State grant of $173,363 was obtained for the restoration of the building. Anyone who donate $250 or more was honored on an "Above and Beyond the Call" plaque mounted on the wall on the left side of the entrance to the Museum. The museum was founded in 1994 through the efforts of Ruth Campbell who had deep ties to Homestead. Her husband was Harold "Pete" Campbell, who was a grandson of Thomas Alexander Campbell, who Campbell Drive is named after. Ruth was a Homestead city councilperson and a vice-mayor. On November 7, 1997, the historic Homestead Town Hall was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. After 23 years of serving on the town council Ruth retired in June of 2017. She passed away on May 7, 2019. The museum contains displays of historical artifacts, copies of photographs of early families and places, a library, and archives open to researchers. There are books by local historians for research and for sale. One of the most popular exhibit is the City of Homestead's original 1924 American LaFrance fire truck, which was restored by private citizens in Tampa Bay. The truck is now back home in it's original building. I love how this historic building was saved and repurposed into a history museum. If you are interested in the history of Homestead, the resources offered here are a great place to start. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Admission is free.

What a charming and quaint museum. Loved learning about Homestead's history. Certainly informative.read more

Came here specifically for their yearly seafood festival…read more Purchase early bird tickets online and park at one of the 2 free shuttle locations. Bring a chair and sunblock. Be taken away by the vibrant junkanoo band dancing along the park and the bands on stage performing. There's a whole section for alcohol and on the other different Caribbean, fried foods, fresh juices, and desserts. Be prepared to wait in lines as everyone came for all of it. My suggestion is make a plan and have friends wait in different lines and than post up a spot to indulge in it all

I finally paid a visit to the Deering State. It's a perfect activity to get disconnected from the…read morebusy city. Tickets are priced at $15 for adults but thanks to the Miami Dade Library Museum Pass, I was able to visit it for free. I enjoyed walking through the gardens, the Atlantic Ocean views and the architecture of the main building. All in all, a great activity for the whole family.

The Bethel House is a wooden structure built in 1937. It was built by Alfred Clark Sr. for…read moreBahamian-American pioneers, Jessie Bethel and family. The house was in poor condition and scheduled for demolition in 1995 but was saved by community activist Helen Gage. She is a preservationist and is also known as the apron lady because of her collection of folk aprons that she has been amassing since the 1970's. It took 11 years and a $145,000 grant The Miami Dade Task Force On Urban Economic Rehabilitation to restore the home. Gage speared headed the effort to save the house and it was moved from its original location to where it now sits in Perrine. Habitat for Humanity donated the new lot for th The house reopened on December 18, 2006 and has now been turned into a cultural center for the residents of Perrine. It is also an African- Bahamian Museum.

Forget the mall Santas and plastic reindeer--if you want real holiday magic in Miami, it's here, on…read morethe tracks. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is already a gem for history buffs, with its hulking locomotives and even a Presidential train car that once carried Truman, Eisenhower, and Reagan. But in the winter, it transforms into something out of a fever dream: The Polar Express. Yes, the same Polar Express you know from the book and movie, but here it's live, moving, and utterly immersive. You climb aboard an honest-to-God vintage train, and suddenly you're sipping hot chocolate while a conductor in full uniform punches your golden ticket. There are carolers, elves, and wide-eyed kids staring out the window as the Miami night flickers past. For a couple of hours, you forget you're in South Florida, where December usually feels like July. It's Christmas magic on rails, and it's awesome. The kids lose their minds--in the best way possible--and even the adults get pulled into it. You can't help it. There's something about hearing "All Aboard!" and rolling down the track while Christmas music swells that short-circuits cynicism. It's corny, sure. But it's also perfect.

We took the kids last weekend to this experience and they absolutely loved it!…read more It was magical and very interactive and personable. The bright-line station is beautifully decorated with Christmas which we loved for pictures. I definitely recommend this show if you believe your kids would like a broadway type of live show. They sing live, they dance, it's beautiful and very magical! My 4 & 5 year loved it and asked when it was over when they could go back.

Stopped in yesterday and they were doing free admission to the museum. They have quite a few…read morerestored cars and are continuing to build out exhibits. It is cool visiting and they offer tickets to ride in the train for $15-20. Yesterday there was also a car show and coffee and food trucks in the parking lot. Located in the zoo Miami lot.

What a hidden gem! Full of train AND local history. Incredible collection of coaches you can…read moreexplore from different eras. Fairly cheap entrance ticket too. Great for kids!

Was an amazing experience to learn such a great heritage. I recommend for everyone to come and…read morelearn about such a great culture.. Very clean and organized and a lot of information...

Great little museum about the Seminole tribe in Florida. Came here over the weekend on a weeklong…read moretrip in Florida. I had learned about the Seminole tribe in school, and have been long fascinated by the history of the tribe (past and present) in Florida. My friend and I got in around 4 pm (they close at 5pm), so we missed the boardwalk. However, the front staff were very helpful and got us in immediately so that that we could watch the intro 18-minute video and then proceed to the rest of the exhibit thereafter. The museum showcases the history of the Seminole tribe and highlights various aspects of culture (including things like food, trade, arts, clothing). Part of the museum has artwork from painter Jimmy Osceola (no photos allowed in this part of the museum), which were absolutely beautiful and vivid in color! Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $7.50 for students. IMO, well worth the money as it provided a good understanding of Seminole history and culture, all in one small space. The boardwalk would have been a nice place to visit (if I got there earlier) - hopefully next time!

We visited the History Fort Lauderdale Museum yesterday for Smithsonian's Museum Day. My spouse and…read moreI have lived in Hollywood for the last ten years but haven't yet taken the time to visit historical Fort Lauderdale, so we were excited to check it out. The museum is a beautiful old inn with three levels. The first level has a few rooms with interesting artifacts and a video showing a brief history of how Ft. Lauderdale came to be settled. There are some beautiful art pieces from resident artists hanging on the walls of the video room. On the second floor, there are many different rooms showcasing different parts of Ft Lauderdale history; there is a room with information about archeological digs, Seminole and Tequesta history, a case with sports memorabilia from Wayne Huizenga's teams, a room with different military artefacts, among many other interesting details. I appreciated the information about the schools - they featured Fort Lauderdale high school and the founding of Dillard. The third floor is where resident artists work on their next amazing pieces. While we didn't get to visit the other buildings on the grounds, we did walk around the the grounds themselves are along the new river, with gazebos and very nice landscaping. All of the museum workers were very friendly and informative. I would certainly return and bring more friends, we had a great time!

I did the self guided tour on a Saturday afternoon. There are two floors of exhibits in individual…read morerooms. The exhibits detail the history of Fort Lauderdale, from the Seminoles to Flagler's railroad. The building is the first hotel in Fort Lauderdale, built in 1905.