What to do and see in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (FL): The Best Museums

There is always something new happening at the Museum of Discovery and Science. Visitors can take a ride on the Everglades Airboat Adventure, experience hurricane force winds in the Storm Center, dig for fossils alongside a giant prehistoric megalodon, explore our new outdoor Science Park, and enjoy the playful antics of river otters in their two-story indoor/outdoor habitat. See exciting science demonstrations and presentations by community experts. Discover the amazing Everglades in the Florida EcoScapes exhibit. Hang out with bats, turtles and sharks. Meet an alligator and be charmed by a 6-foot-long snake. Take a ride to Mars or soar through the skies in an FA-18 cockpit simulator or take a ride in the 7D simulator. And immerse yourself in a six-story-high film adventure at the AutoNation(R) IMAX 3D Theater, home of the BIGGEST screen in South Florida featuring IMAX with Laser. Whether you're two or 82 visit the Museum of Discovery and Science and enjoy a full day of family fun.

The Historic Stranahan House Museum is the City's oldest surviving structure. The story of the Stranahan House is the story of a family, a house, and a city. The Stranahan House was built in 1901 by Frank Stranahan, Fort Lauderdale's founding father, and his wife Ivy Cromartie Stranahan, the area's first school teacher. The house has served as a trading post, post office, community center, town hall and home to the Stranahans. The Stranahan House has stood at the center of Fort Lauderdales growth since it was built and played a significant role in the economic and social life of this community. Open daily for guided House tours at 1, 2, and 3pm. Special events, weddings, and holiday programs.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums and listed on the national Register of Historic Places, this 35-acre historic estate on Fort Lauderdale Beach is an extraordinary blend of art, history and nature. The whimsically-designed house was built in 1920 and was home to artists Frederic and Evelyn Bartlett. Bonnet House was the romantic, whimsical winter getaway of wealthy Chicago-born artist Frederic Clay Bartlett and his wife, Evelyn Fortune Bartlett, an artist in her own right. But unlike lavish show-palaces of the era, Bonnet House was a very personal, intimate creation intended just for family and close friends. It's been perfectly preserved in its 1930's and 40's period of significance, full of delightful surprises.

This museum is a reproduction of a Packard showroom from the 1920s. On display are 22 Packard motor cars from the 1900s to the 1940s, all in full working order. Among them, are Roadsters with compartments for golf clubs, a doctor's coupe with a compartment for his medical bag, and a 1929 645 Dual Cowl Phaeton that can self-lubricate its chassis as it drives along the road.

Nestled in the heart of a modern downtown, History Fort Lauderdale's campus includes 3 museums that tell the story of how a wartime fort became a modern city. The campus is the largest collection of historic buildings remaining in Broward County. The History Museum, housed in the 1905 New River Inn, contains exhibits from prehistoric through present day. The Pioneer House Museum (1907) is set as if the family will return at any moment for Sunday supper. Upstairs tour Louise King's sewing room, family bedrooms with period sleepwear, children's room with period dollhouse and antique dolls. The 1899 Schoolhouse Museum is complete with period wooden desks and textbooks. Guided tours of all 3 museums begin every day at 1 PM, 2 PM and 3PM.

National Register of Historic Places. Mission Statement: Educating. Preserving. Honoring the Heroes BACKGROUND HISTORY: Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale (NASFL) was built on the site of Merle Fogg Field in 1942 as part of the national defense program; serving as one among 257 air stations during World War II, and as one of a few specialty schools for training on the TBM/TBF Avenger aircraft. NAS Fort Lauderdale made a big impact in the growth and economy of the South Florida region and the United States as a whole. Building # 8, The Link Trainer Building housed 6-8 Link Trainer flight simulators. It is the only remaining structure left on the naval base property—sole reminder of a naval complex of more than 200 buildings. This building is now the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum. The Museum has been instrumental in preserving the memory of Flight 19, one of the great aviation mysteries. Flight 19 flew out of NAS Fort Lauderdale on 5 December 1945, to vanish into the Bermuda Triangle. In addition, 19 year old future US President George H. W. Bush lived at this base as an Ensign, to train as a torpedo/bomber pilot. From October 1942 to October 1946 the base would train American and British pilots and thousands of aircrewmen from the U.S and other countries.

The National Geographic Fine Art Galleries Fort Lauderdale is located across from the historic Riverside Hotel on the charming thoroughfare of Las Olas Boulevard. With historic homes, dining and shopping only a short walk away, the National Geographic | Fine Art Galleries is truly a Florida must-see.

An outstanding Holocaust education museum exhibiting a large permanent collection of historical artifacts, original documents, important images, historical newspapers, and films from the period of the Holocaust. In addition, the museum provides computer research facilities including an interactive Timeline of the Holocaust. Open 7 days a week to students and the general public at no charge.

This museum features exhibits of swimming legends and the history of swimming as it evolved through different cultures and civilizations.

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is a dynamic cultural hub located between Miami and Palm Beach on vibrant Las Olas Boulevard in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale's arts district. The museum's distinctive modernist building, which opened in 1986, was designed by the renowned architect Edward Larrabee Barnes. NSU Museum of Art's permanent collections contain more than 6,000 works, including celebrated holdings by the post-war, avant-garde European Cobra artists, the nation's largest collection of works by American painter William Glackens, and a significant collection of works by leading Latin American artists. The museum's 83,000 square-foot building contains 25,000 square feet of exhibition space, the 250-seat Horvitz Auditorium, a bookstore and cafe. Its 11,000 square-foot AutoNation Academy of Art + Design is located adjacent to the museum and includes state-of-the-art studios and classrooms.