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Fort Lauderdale History Tour: Museums and River Walk
4.8
444 Ratings
Fort Lauderdale
Explore the rich maritime history of Fort Lauderdale on a tour of the Pioneer House Museum. Discover the Seminole culture, pioneer exhibits, and more in this engaging experience.
Explore the rich maritime history of Fort Lauderdale on a tour of the Pioneer House Museum. Discover the Seminole culture, pioneer exhibits, and more in this engaging experience.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- History Fort Lauderdale - 3 museums & lushly landscaped park on the banks of the New River. The historic heart of Fort Lauderdale.
- History Fort Lauderdale - 3 museums & lushly landscaped park on the banks of the New River. The historic heart of Fort Lauderdale.
What's Included
- Children aged 0-6 can join for free
- Children aged 0-6 can join for free
What's Not Included
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Drinks
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Drinks
Additional Information
You kick off with a brief video display at the premier museum. Post the video, your escort takes you on an abbreviated stroll alongside the New River. You get to see the Pioneer House Museum, followed by the 1899 Replica Schoolhouse Museum, before coming back to explore the Seminole traditions, naval history, and settler displays at the main repository….
You kick off with a brief video display at the premier museum. Post the video, your escort takes you on an abbreviated stroll alongside the New River. You get to see the Pioneer House Museum, followed by the 1899 Replica Schoolhouse Museum, before coming back to explore the Seminole traditions, naval history, and settler displays at the main repository. All three museums are beautifully situated on the scenic banks of the New River, right in the downtown area of Fort Lauderdale.
- Wheelchair accessible, except the second floor of the New River Inn and the King-Cromartie house. ADA STQRY app (in multiple languages) available for all guests to view 2nd floor exhibits on their personal smart phones or tablets.
Location
231 SW 2nd Ave
Southwest 2nd Avenue
Our main museum (housed in the historic New River Inn) is on the north bank of the New River where the River meets Flagler's Railroad.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(444 Ratings)
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H5152pvrobertd
Mar 8, 2026
Excellent local history museum - History Fort Lauderdale is a local history museum contained in three buildings. You can explore the history museum building on your own. It used to be the New River Inn, a hotel that catered to passengers on the nearby East Florida Railroad. You can see a model of the original Fort Lauderdale. During the 19th century, there were conflicts between the Seminole Indians and the U.S. Army.
The other two buildings are accessible only by a guided tour. First we visited the King-Cromartie House, built in 1907. You can see the family room, furnished to reflect the 1912 remodeling. Note the telephone on the wall of the dining room.
The third building is a replica of the 1899 Schoolhouse. The original was used until 1910 and was destroyed in the 1926 hurricane. A fourth historic house is not open to the public. The Philemon Nathaniel Bryan House (1905) is the oldest remaining example of residential masonry architecture in Fort Lauderdale. (Someone photobombed my picture!)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Drmarkwmeehan
Mar 1, 2026
Absolutely a great place to visit - Wow, such a fascinating place! Beautiful green space and a deep look at the remarkable history of the city. The staff are very kind and excited to share additional insights.
It felt meaningful in a region that often seems more focused on whatever is new and shiny than what provides instruction and warnings for the future.
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Countrydean
Feb 22, 2026
Excellent - Very informative and inspiring. Dogent knew his facts.
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Ronb235
Feb 8, 2026
Ft. Lauderdale Historical Museum - Our visit to multiple museum structures gave us a very insightful background of how Ft. Lauderdale was founded and built in the beginning. Dan Smith was an excellent tour guide with many fascinating stories about the families involved in the beginning stages of Fr. Lauderdale. Excellent tour if you have interest in local history!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shannoncp6586gt
Feb 8, 2026
Great tour! - Me and my friends decided to take the tour, and we had a fantastic time! The tour guide was super knowledgeable and passionate, and made sure that we were enjoying our time. Definitely would recommend taking the tour if you have the time!
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A859mnsophies
Feb 8, 2026
Learned a lot and the tour guide was so passionate! - Learned so much and Daniel Smith was so knowledgeable!! I really enjoyed the tour and would love to come back and learn some more!
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Excursion37733714515
Feb 8, 2026
Informative look at the history of Ft. Lauderdale - This museum is chock full of interesting history about Ft. Lauderdale! It includes detailed information on the Seminoles, the African American community, the founding of Ft. Lauderdale, the yachting industry, women’s history, and more. It doesn’t shy away from more delicate aspects of segregation and police corruption. The art exhibit upstairs with pieces decrying censorship spoke to me as a librarian. This is well worth the 2 hours it took to really read all of the information in the exhibits. Go see it if you are in the area! Val is very helpful and informative!
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Adventure58540779916
Feb 6, 2026
Guided tour - Such an interesting museum, I did the guide tour and the tour guide was great. i would definitely suggest this to a friend if they were visiting the area
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Vacation56396504582
Feb 8, 2026
Interesting history in a beautiful setting - I recognized quite a few items reminiscent of my mother’s childhood. She was born in 1917. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would! The tour guide was very knowledgeable and brought up interesting facts. I’m glad I went. Also, the Riverwalk setting was gorgeous.
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Asbcrb
Feb 6, 2026
Not What We Expected - The tour guide was obviously passionate about history. He knew his material but had a little bit of a hard time articulating it. We expected local history. We got some of that but far more American history. There were times when I wondered what the commentary had to do with Ft Lauderdale. It seemed random at times and some of the facts were misspoken. Not our best tour.
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