Historic Museum of So. Florida

Location: 101 West Flagler Street, Miami

Hours: Mon - Sat: 10am to 5 pm, Third Thu 10am - 9pm, Sun12pm - 5pm.  Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Admission:  Varies

Overview

Explore 10,000 Years of History and Culture in Greater Miami, South Florida and the Caribbean.  The purpose of the Historical Association of Southern Florida is exclusively educational, scientific, and literary, and shall include:

To maintain and operate a museum which will discover, collect and preserve materials, especially original and source materials, pertaining to the history of or in any manner illustrative of southern Florida and the Caribbean area generally, and will exhibit materials of these and other areas.

To maintain and operate a Research Center which will be the depository of maps, manuscripts, iconographic and published materials of southern Florida and the Caribbean area and will make these materials available to the public in order to promote historical research of the area.

To undertake an education program which will promote and stimulate public interest in and appreciation of the history of southern Florida and the Caribbean area.

To disseminate knowledge about southern Florida and the Caribbean area through the preparation, editing and publication of historical materials descriptive and illustrative of these areas, especially through an annual journal, magazine and newsletter.

To reach out to the southern Florida community through activities and events which will enlighten our citizenry about the history of southern Florida and the Caribbean.

This mission statement underlies the Historical Museum of Southern Florida's structure and activities. The museum actively involves residents and visitors in history and folk life, and keeps collections and programs attuned to the rapidly changing, multicultural population.

Museum Collections & Exhibitions — Archives, objects and folk life make up the museum's collections, which include rare, highly valuable artifacts and archives, such as James Audubon's Birds of America double elephant folio, to everyday items like a Florida Marlins baseball cap. The collections provide the basis for permanent, temporary and traveling exhibitions offered by the Historical Museum, with 72 different exhibitions created and/or hosted by the Historical Museum in the past decade.

Research — Aviation and maritime history and folk life are current examples of the diverse subject matter explored on an ongoing basis by Historical Museum staff, guest curators and outside researchers, writers and historians.

Education — Education is at the center of the institution's public service role with the museum providing programs for children and adults of all ages, abilities, cultures and interests.

Publications — HMSF maintains a growing, active publications program, which includes a quarterly popular history magazine, an annual 100-page scholarly journal, and 12 book titles.

Outreach — Popular, long-running programs such as the Harvest festival and new, innovative programs like the Map Fair are offered to enlighten and engage citizens and visitors in South Florida.

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