Today, I’m sharing with you what we chose to do in Fort Lauderdale in one day.
Our latest and greatest adventure is a 14-day cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona, which begins with an overnight stay in Fort Lauderdale before boarding our cruise ship. We decided to fill the entire day visiting three different home and museum tours located near our hotel.
Steve and I relied on Uber for transportation to each location and then back to our hotel. The service was fast, reasonable, and not outrageously expensive for a one-day Uber marathon.
We do not often use Uber transportation. As we scheduled our rides, we were surprised and amazed to see how much Uber prices fluctuated, depending on traffic, time or day of the week, and destination.
One driver told us the story of a local woman that relies on Uber transportation daily to get her to and from work. During the famous Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale, she discovered the cost of her regular Uber trip to work had increased to over $100!
Bonnet House Museum and Gardens
The Bonnet House sits on land Chicago lawyer Hugh Taylor Birch gifted to his daughter Helen and her new husband, Frederic Clay Bartlett, in 1919. This museum house gets its name from the Bonnet Lily plant but is also known as the Bartlett Estate.
The Bonnet House Museum and Gardens is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Bartletts built a plantation home on the property and spent their winters there until Helen passed away in 1925. Sometime after Helen’s death, Frederic Bartlett married Evelyn Fortune Lilly, and they resumed use of the home as a winter estate.
Although Frederic Bartlett passed away in 1953, Evelyn Bartlett continued to spend winters here until 1997. In 1983 however, she donated her 35-acre winter estate, including 100 feet of beachfront, to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, which cares for and maintains Bonnet House today.
The main house is built around a beautifully landscaped courtyard with a fountain as its centerpiece. The estate includes a music studio, an art studio, and a guest house. This home is chock full of eclectic art collected throughout the Bartlett’s lives.
The estate was home to 30-40 monkeys even at one time. At this time, only one monkey is remaining on the property now.
Our tour of Bonnet House was the highlight of our visit to Fort Lauderdale, and we highly recommend this tour. Bonnet House is a beautifully preserved estate with lovingly and painstakingly cared-for gardens. Consider visiting here on an entire day trip.
The Stranahan House Museum
The Stranahan House Museum tour is an excellent activity to add to your Fort Lauderdale list. This home is fascinating and historical, but also its location is right on the River where you can catch a water taxi, people watch or have a great meal, and a wide choice of great restaurants.
The Stranahan House is a great example of Florida’s unique architectural style from the early 1900s. One of Fort Lauderdale’s first settlers, Frank Stranahan, built this amazing home and also established the city’s first post office, store, and bank inside his home.
The Stranahan House is considered one of Broward County’s most important historical landmarks and today operates as a museum devoted to preserving local history. It is one of the most important historical landmarks in Broward County.
This house is a great example of Florida architecture from the early 20th century. Visitors can tour the house and learn about the fascinating history of Fort Lauderdale and its early settlers. Stranahan House Museum also conducts educational programs and events throughout the year.
If you’re interested in learning about Florida’s rich history, add the Stranahan House Museum to your must-see attractions!
History Museum, Pioneer House Museum & Schoolhouse Museum
Here a tour of three historical museums is included in one guided walking tour. Our terrific guide, Carolyn Ehrhardt, probably knows more about Florida history than anyone else. She can also clearly explain and relate many stories from Florida’s history. We were impressed.
Our tour began in the 1905 New River Inn, where we watched an introductory film before visiting different rooms of the hotel displaying different periods in Florida’s history.
Next, we had the great pleasure of touring the artists in residence spaces on the third floor. The animated and informative Rucci, one of the artists, walked us through each of the six artists’ workspaces and provided information about each artists’ backgrounds and works.
The next building we toured was the 1899 Schoolhouse Museum. This building, furnished with period desks, a chalkboard, and books, is set up as a one-room schoolroom from this era would have appeared.
The last building I toured was the 1907 King-Cromartie House. We had to leave the tour early, so I only spent a few minutes here. Edwin T. King built this as his third home until 1968.
The Junior League of Fort Lauderdale is responsible for saving the 1907 King-Cromartie House from being demolished when they provided for it to be moved upriver by barge to where it stands today.
I realize touring museums is not what usually comes to mind when visiting Fort Lauderdale, but it was an enjoyable day for us, and guess what? There are still many more museums to see here!
We boarded our cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas, the following day and began our 14-day journey to Barcelona, Spain. Check back to hear about this fantastic journey.
We traveled to Florida in our RV last year. Read about those adventures here:
• Where did our Florida RV adventure take us next?
• Was Thomas Edison a Florida snowbird?
• Still rolling around in Florida
• All good trips must end
• Not enough time in St. Augustine
• Alluring Apalachicola
