Miami Living Magazine features the best Miami has to offer. Click on any magazine below and enjoy. You can download our free app on iTunes. Ideal for iPad and iPhone users.
Issue link: https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/280
MIAMI LIVING 81 PROFILE Historical Museum of South Florida History never felt so fun! Words by Liz Schulze Want to do something really cool and unique? Why not travel back in time? Expand your mind and learn amazing historical facts about South Florida that you can impress your friends with the next time you meet up. Miami is fantastically lucky to be home to one of the largest regional history museums in the country. The Historical Museum of South Florida offers something for people of all ages and ethnicities, novice or expert. Explore every nook and cranny of the museum and fall in love with South Florida's unique and expansive past. Make a day of it and you will begin to understand why there is truly no place on earth quite like South Florida. HMSF's current exhibition is "Black Crossroads: The African Diaspora in Miami," which runs through January, 2010. The exhibit explores the enduring presence and enormous impact of African-Americans, Africans, black Caribbeans, and black Hispanics on Miami. Explore how these diverse groups have made significant political, economic, and cultural contributions to the city, from its incorporation in 1896 to the present day. Examine historic photographs, oral histories, memorabilia, film and video, and artifacts related to black pioneers, families, laborers, communities, and organizations spanning the history of black migrations to Miami. Also check out "Black Freedom in Florida from 1700-1865," which is running in conjunction with "Crossroads." The Historical Museum of South Florida's permanent exhibition is the marvelously expansive, "Tropical Dreams: A People's History of South Florida." It examines human experience in the region, from the pre-Columbian, which began more than 10,000 years ago, and continues to the multi-cultural, international Miamians of today. These varied people brought their dreams with them and remade South Florida over and over again to fulfill those dreams. They also adapted to the region's subtropical environment, interacted with other cultures in South Florida, and in the process, changed it into something new and unusual. While you're at HSMF, check out the myriad opportunities to partake in on your next visit. The museum is proud to showcase a vast array of interesting and exciting exhibits to get even more involved in South Florida's history. Check out the Historic Walking Tour with HMSF's historian Dr. Paul George as he recounts many stories and reveals interesting and little-known facts. You can join him on a stroll, on a bike, on a boat, or on a coach tour. If eco-history is more your thing, check out a tour with Franklin W. Schema. There's no shortage of Family and Children's Programming, either. Choose from Over-Night Camp-ins, Tropical Explorer's Camps for Spring Break and Summer, and the ever-popular Family Fun Days. Fun Days occurs every second Saturday of the month and allows you to participate in art-making, music activities, storytelling, and mini-tours. If history really does repeat itself, why not visit HMSF and get a leg up on the next 100 years? The Historical Museum is located in the Miami-Dade Cultural Center at 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami, and is open every day of the week, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The facility is fully accessible for the disabled. Hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit www.hmsf.org, or call (305) 375-1492. ML