Who says you can’t have a history lesson while vacationing in another city? Well that’s exactly what the Historical Museum of Southern Florida in Downtown Miami provides as one of the largest private, regional historical museums in the country. Housed in a fortress-like structure, the museum is home to an impressive collection of objects, prints and photographs that depict the influence that Native Americans as well as Caribbean residents had in forming and shaping South Florida.

The history of the founding individuals as well as the history of the aviation, maritime and tourism industries in South Florida will leave you with a sense of knowledge of how the southernmost area of the Sunshine State came to fruition.