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Best Historic Places in Florida to Visit this Spring

| Angela Naff |

Are you a history buff that loves to explore new places? Maybe you have children and would love to mix educational opportunities with mini trips for the family this Spring. We have you covered with some of the best historic places to visit here in Florida during the great weather of Spring. You are sure to find something on the list for you, your family, or friends to get excited about taking a trip this year.

West Palm Beach – Henry Morrison Flagler Museum – The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum is one the must-see historic sites in Florida. This 75-room Gilded Age mansion was the private residence of Henry Flagler and featured neoclassical architecture with an open-air courtyard modeled after palaces in Europe. Built in 1902, you can admire the marble floors and walls with hand-painted murals on the ceiling and heavy gilding everywhere. Or sip high tea in the courtyard. The museum features special exhibits from the 1865 to 1929 time period.

Flagler Museum
Courtesy of the Flagler Museum

Islamorada – Windley Key State Park – Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park is one of the best historical sites in Florida to visit for those interested in geology. Opened in 1908, it is one of the coolest State parks, made completely of fossilized coral! The park was built on the quarry used to create the famous Floridian Henry Flagler’s railroad—a transformational moment at Florida’s turn of the 19th century.

St. Augustine – Castillo de San Marcos – Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, the historic Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections.

St. Pete – St. Pete Sunken Gardens – The gardens are over 100 years old, with over 50,000 native and exotic plants and animals worldwide. Best of all, it is one of Florida’s historic sites that is ADA-accessible. With wide paved paths, wind-through waterfalls, tropical environments, bird habitats, a koi pond, and 22 Chilean flamingos!

Bushnell – Dade Battlefield Historic State Park – Established in 1921 to preserve and commemorate the site of Dade’s Battle of 1835, a momentous event that spawned the longest and most costly American Indian war in U.S. history, this National Historic Landmark has become a hub of the community. 

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

Miami – Ferdinand Magellan (railcar) at the Gold Coast Railway Museum – A former Pullman Company observation car that served as Presidential Rail Car, U.S. Number 1 from 1943 until 1958. It is named after the Portuguese explorer. The current owner, Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami-Dade County, Florida, acquired it in 1959.

Key West – Ernest Hemingway House – The Ernest Hemingway House was the residence of American writer Ernest Hemingway in the 1930s. The house is situated on the island of Key West in Florida. It is at 907 Whitehead Street, across from the Key West Lighthouse, close to the island’s southern coast. Due to its association with Hemingway, the property is the most popular tourist attraction in Key West. It is also famous for its large population of so-called Hemingway cats, many of which are polydactyl.

Have you visited any of these historic locations previously? Which of these made it on your list to try and visit this Spring? Our state has so much amazing history and has much for you to explore right here at a short distance from our community. Whether a short day trip or a long weekend, happy traveling and learning this year here in Florida.

Feature Photo Courtesy of Deposit Photos

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