Bonnet House Museum & Gardens

Syuzanna Kaszo

Beautiful home and gardens. I thought the video story was a very neat touch. Really has a put a lot of things into perspective. But I guess my favorite part was to see the art room and in particular the Peruvian emperors replica was astonishing to me. I'm still mystified as to why he gas insisted on having that one in the home as his "muse" although his entire training was European based and lots of influence from the modernist and avant-garde painters are prevalent. In any case very beautiful. And the gazebo with the lake is mesmerizing. I can only imagine how it looked back in the days without the road systems and the many trees around. There's also a very nice shell collection that the lady of the house created. In addition they're plenty of wildlife around. It's a great visit overall only one major issue with it for me was that I had to walk around for over an hour to find the actual entrance as most of the entrances from the main road and gates are closed sue to construction 🤷‍♀️

Kathleen Dean

Loved this little oasis in downtown Fort Lauderdale. It was a 1920's estate owned by the Bonnet's as a winter respite from Chicago. The Bonnets were artists and both painted. Their home was fun and colorful with a beautiful center courtyard. Explore the mangrove and the desert garden. Don't forget to walk the pathway through the original coastal dune line leading to the beach and imagine what it looked like before the road and modern development.

Michael Dubrofsky

I absolutely enjoyed this place . The property of course was beautiful. Went while they had cart after carts of Orchids for sale . The old boathouse was ultra cool . The people working there are super nice and very knowledgeable on the History of the House and Family . What was very interesting and great was discovering how progressive they were for the time . They cared not about public opinion and lived as they thought life should be lived . An example being they had Black servants however they were treated like family living in the house each having their own bathroom , eatting the same food the family ate , gave them access to the beach which they owned . In that period of time people of color were not allowed on the same beach as white people . They were only allowed access to the Miami beaches . Many a time the owners of Bonnet House would have law enforcement come by giving them a hard time on the beach or people on the beach would complain . They would simply turn around and say hey they are allowed . This stretch of beach is ours . You are trespassing please get of my beach . For me that going back to the days of the 30's and several decades to follow in the days of Jim Crow . I would say they were extremely progressive and stood their ground. That says something. The property is well kept in it's original state . For me I of course enjoyed the art which there was plenty of . The pond and water way definitely a beautiful experience. If you like history , Art , Nature , A bit of wildlife , and A quiet beautiful place to spend an afternoon I highly recommend it .

Timothy Dunworth

Interesting story of this family's history. Not a swanky residence, it wasn't intended to be. A winter home designed for these creative souls. Nice walk of the grounds. A beautiful setting for events. Recommended if you're in the area. See what 19th, early 20th century life was like. Built based on the owners concept by the owner and helpers.