Over the last several months, we’ve reviewed several South Florida museums, from James Deering’s slice of the Renaissance in the middle of Miami to the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art. Here are some of our top picks.
Exotic Museums
Viscaya Museum, located in Miami, was originally build in 1916 and was home to agricultural industriust James Deering. Best known for its sprawling gardens, Viscaya is more than worth a day trip to explore the four centuries worth of priceless artifacts and artwork. My favorite thing about this amazing museum has always been the Renaissance style gardens, which include stone fountains and even a maze made out of hedges. It’s a gorgeous and unusual slice of history. Visit Viscaya from 9 am to 4 pm, every day except Tuesdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Art Museums
Fort Lauderdale’s Museum of Art is currently home to the Shark! Installation, featuring hundreds of prints of the world’s most feared and misunderstood creature. Shark! also includes artifacts focused entirely on the landmark film Jaws. Upcoming in November will be a look at Andy Warhol’s fascination with automobiles, in Car. For more information, please visit their website.
Cultural Museums
Stonewall National Museum and Archives, located in downtown Fort Lauderdale in the Artserve building, celebrates its 40th birthday this month. Currently at Stonewall is Winners, a celebration of LGBT figures in sports, but Stonewall itself is home to some several thousand artifacts, 21,000 books, and 5,000 DVDs. The museum is free and open to the public, and the archives – which house a rare book collection and thousands of pieces of gay ephemera – may be accessed upon request. Stonewall is open from 11 am to 8 pm.
The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center opened in 2003. The AARLCC is 60,000 square feet devoted to the preservation of African-American cultural heritage. The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center includes the Alex Hailey Collection, a children’s library, and a very active performance schedule. The AARLCC is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 am to 8 pm; Tuesdays, Thursdays – Sundays, 10 am to 6 pm.
