With ancient Native American artifacts, sunken Spanish galleons, Civil War battles, black and Hispanic cultural sites and America’s first spaceport, Florida has an exciting and diverse history. Today, visitors can explore historic forts, lighthouses, homes, museums, parks and other attractions that provide a fascinating glimpse into the state’s unique past. Here are some of the many historic treasures that can be found throughout the state.
SOUTHEAST
Thousands of years before the first European explorers arrived, Florida was populated by Native Americans such as the Tequesta people, who lived near the mouth of the Miami River. After a recent excavation uncovered the remains of a village, the state Division of Historical Resources has preserved the site as the Miami Circle Park.
Other Native American tribes survived the incursion of northern settlers in the 1800s by moving into the Everglades, where they gradually rebuilt their society. Now, visitors can learn about the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes, sample native cuisine, take a ride on an airboat or watch alligator wrestling at Billie
Swamp Safari and other attractions along US 41 (Tamiami Trail) and I-75 (Alligator Alley).
Clewiston’s Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum (which means “a place to learn”) is a living village of early Seminole culture and well worth a visit. To help mariners avoid rocks and reefs, the US established several lighthouses in the region in the 1800s that can now be toured by visitors. For example, the Cape Florida Lighthouse on Key Biscayne near Miami, as well as Garden Key Harbor Lighthouse at Fort Jefferson National Monument and nearby Loggerhead Key Lighthouse (both in Dry Tortugas National Park), all offer fascinating glimpses into Florida’s past.
Historic Key West offers the Harry S. Truman Little White House, a favorite vacation spot for the president in the late 1940s and early ’50s, and the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum.
Other cultural sites in the region include Miami’s Historic Lyric Theater, which opened in 1913 and became a major entertainment center for African Americans in the state’s segregated society. A few blocks to the south, the Little Havana neighborhood reflects Miami’s Cuban heritage, with restaurants, clubs and shops where you can buy hand-rolled cigars.
Pioneer homes and historic hotels are found in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. Two examples are Stranahan House on the New River in Fort Lauderdale and the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens near the Intracoastal Waterway.
In Palm Beach County, the Boca Raton Resort and Club, the Colony Hotel & Cabana Club in Delray Beach, and the world-famous Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach are examples of Florida architecture from the 1920s. The Breakers actually dates back to the late 1890s when railroad magnate Henry Flagler began bringing northern visitors to Florida, but after the hotel’s second disastrous fire, it was rebuilt in 1926.
SOUTHWEST
In Fort Myers, inventor Thomas Edison and his friend Henry Ford built Florida homes, known today as the Edison & Ford Winter Estates with a museum, botanical gardens and laboratory. To the north, not far from another historic landmark, the Boca Grande Lighthouse in Gasparilla Island State Park, is the Gasparilla Inn & Club, which has attracted visitors since 1913.
In Bradenton, the Gamble Plantation is the only remaining antebellum plantation house in southern Florida. Nearby, the historic town of Palmetto boasts its own historical park for a peek back in time, as well as an ancient Native American location, the Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological Site. Farther north in Sarasota, the Ringling Estate is a standing legacy to the rich history of the American circus and houses a wealth of circus artifacts, including the world’s largest miniature circus. Surrounding gardens feature an extensive variety of native and exotic trees, as well as the oldest rose garden in Florida, founded by Mable Ringling. Next door, the historic Asolo Repertory Theatre is an active performance space, presenting the best in theater, music, dance and film.
CENTRAL EAST
In 1949, Cape Canaveral was chosen as a test site for the US missile program. A decade later, the Cocoa Beach-Titusville area was the heart of the nation’s space program, including Apollo 11, the 1969 mission that carried astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon. Now, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex allows guests to experience the glory years of the US space program. Located on the US Air Force Base is historic Cape Canaveral Lighthouse; be sure to check tour information before planning your trip. To the north, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, Florida’s tallest, guards the waterway at the southern end of the Daytona Beach area.
CENTRAL
For a survey of Central Florida’s intriguing past, visit the Orange County Regional History Center in Orlando, where you can see exhibits such as a “cracker cabin,” a typical pioneer home from the 1800s. One of Florida’s leading African Americans was Zora Neale Hurston, a leading 20th-century author whose works influenced writers such as Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison. An annual festival in Eatonville near Orlando celebrates her life and recognizes her contributions to literature.
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