Bonnet House Blog

Bonnet House Museum & Gardens and Kelly’s Landing Seafood Restaurant present “Cruisin’ Down the River: Wine and Whimsical Tales” on Saturday, July 9. Take a fun boat ride with Bonnet House down the New River Saturday, July 9, on the famous Carrie paddlewheel boat. Hear whimsical tales about Fort Lauderdale’s New River and Florida’s powerhouse port, Port Everglades, while enjoying delicious wine and tasty treats from Kelly’s Landing. Featured speakers include retired Port Everglades pilot, Ned Cray, and Carrie B narrator, Johnny Basile. Cruise admission is $45 for members and $55 for non-members and includes two glasses of wine along with a lite snack generously sponsored by Kelly’s Landing. A cash bar will also be available onboard. Yacht embarkation takes place at 5:00 p.m. at 3440 North New River Drive East, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. For more information and to reserve your seat, please call (954) 653-1554 or visit https://bonnethouse.org/calendar/.

And don’t forget that a visit to South Florida is truly not complete without time spent at beautiful, historic Bonnet House Museum & Gardens.  Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been declared a historic landmark by the City of Fort Lauderdale. Bonnet House is located at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, offers 200 million+ unbiased travelers’ reviews encompassing their experiences regarding flights, hotels, restaurants and attractions. Based on the travelers’ reviews, Fort Lauderdale ranks a lofty 23rd among the best places to visit in the U.S. And among the top things to do while visiting Fort Lauderdale, a visit to beautiful, historic Bonnet House ranks #6!

Out of 929 reviews posted through the first quarter of the year, 536 travelers rated Bonnet House as excellent and 240 as very good, for an outstanding 83.5% superior approval rating. Here’s a very small sampling of the typical reviews:

“We did the golf cart grounds tour and then the house tour. You have to do both to learn about the whole property. This place is a must see if you’re in Fort Lauderdale.”

“The house and grounds are beautiful, with orchids hanging and also in a greenhouse on the property. But, really, it was the history of the family that captivated us.”

“The art work is presented in a small gallery and is quite impressive. The house itself is an interesting representation of the homes of wealthy Floridians. We took the grounds tour afterwards, and learned a lot about the flora and fauna of the area. Definitely worth the visit!”

Which is why a visit to South Florida is truly not complete without time spent at historic Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, one of our nation’s most beautiful and popular destinations.  Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the estate – located on a 35-acre slice of breathtaking waterfront property – is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been declared a historic landmark by the City of Fort Lauderdale. The bright and airy plantation-style house magically transports visitors to the days when Florida was one of our country’s last frontier outposts, and the story told here is every bit as magical as the house itself, spanning and paralleling a wide swath of American history. Bonnet House is located at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. For more information and details, please call (954) 563-5393 or visit BonnetHouse.org.

Planetware.com has chosen Bonnet House as the number 2 tourist attraction in Fort Lauderdale. Offering their ideas on where to go, what to see, and tips for making the most of a vacation trip, the experienced writers from Planetware.com are based all over the globe and provide their insights to help travelers discover the top tourist attractions in destinations around the world, along with maps, and beautiful photos to inspire great ideas and create extraordinary adventures.

Planetware.com’s glowing review: “Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Ft. Lauderdale landmark, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens is a mix of art, architecture, history and ecology. The estate covers 36 acres and was once the winter retreat of the Birch/Bartlett family. The historic house was designed by Frederic Clay Bartlett and built in 1920. On display are collections of art and personal treasures. The surrounding grounds of the estate remain a virtual oasis of coastal wilderness and informal gardens, nestled amid the commercial development of the Fort Lauderdale beachfront. Bonnet House Museum & Gardens has survived with remarkable authenticity, reflecting the creative lifestyle of its artist owners and preserving the natural setting of Old South Florida.”

A visit to South Florida is truly not complete without time spent at beautiful, historic Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, located at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. For more information and details, please call (954) 563-5393 or visit BonnetHouse.org.

Guests attending Bonnet House’s “Cruisin’ Down The River: Then & Now” cruise will travel the New River in style, aboard the famous “Carrie B” paddlewheel boat, to learn about the fascinating history of Fort Lauderdale’s legendary river from featured speaker Stephen Draft, former Bonnet House curator. The cruise takes place at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 26th, and entertainment will include a live viola performance. Cruise admission is $45 for members and $55 for non-members and includes two glasses of wine. A cash bar with light snacks and beverages will be available onboard as well. The yacht embarkation site is 300 SW 1st Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, beautiful Bonnet House Museum and Gardens is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been declared a historic landmark by the City of Fort Lauderdale. For more information and to reserve your seat for this entertaining and educational cruise, please call (954) 653-1554 or visit BonnetHouse.org/calendar.

Bonnet House Museum and Gardens’ 16th annual “Making New Impressions” juried art exhibit and fundraiser returns in March. The Gallery Opening, Art Preview and Sale will start at 6pm on Thursday, March 3, 2016, with the Artist Award Presentations taking place at 7:30pm. Sixty-three pieces have been selected to exhibit for the 2016 edition of this popular fundraiser, and we are honored to welcome Mariavelia Savino, President of Golding & Savino Inc., and Owner/Director of G&S Alternative Space, as the exhibit’s juror. While this is Ms. Savino’s first stint as juror for the exhibit, her extensive experience in the art world includes presenting exhibitions at international sites, from the Imperial Palace Archives, Beijing, China, to the Historical Society of Washington D.C. In December 2015, during Miami Art Basel week, she presented the exhibition “Nature through the Artist’s Eye” with the participation of nine international artists at her gallery’s booth in Red Dot Art Fair.

This extremely popular and highly anticipated annual juried art exhibit showcases a wide variety of media and styles from artists from all over the world. All guests and participating artists are invited to cast votes for their favorite artist in the exhibition, with the People’s Choice Award bestowed upon the artist receiving the highest number of votes. All of the artwork in the Impressions exhibition will be available for sale, with 50% of the proceeds benefiting Bonnet House Museum & Gardens. Guests will be treated to gourmet food from A Alexander Catering, music from Eddie B Entertainment and floral decorations from Victoria Park Flower Studio.

Bonnet House is located at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. The Impressions exhibition will be on display through May 1, 2016 during Bonnet House regular tour hours. If you would like to add your name to the mailing list, please call (954) 703-2614 or visit us online at www.bonnethouse.org/impressions.

Bonnet House’s world-famous orchid collection is one of the myriad reasons why a visit to South Florida is truly not complete without time spent enjoying one of our nation’s most beautiful Museum and Gardens. Evelyn Bartlett, the original owner of this grand historic estate, was a passionate orchid collector. The varieties she left to Bonnet House comprise one of the largest collections of orchids in the Southeast United States, attracting orchid lovers – both enthusiasts and novices – from all over the world.

At Bonnet House, you will marvel at and delight in the approximately 1,200 beautiful, exotic plants in various stages of development found within our greenhouses and display house. Bonnet House hosts a number of popular events centered around orchids every year, including ongoing Greenhouse Orchid Tours, Orchid Care classes, and a spectacular annual Orchid, Garden & Gourmet Food Festival. If you love orchids, you will love Bonnet House.

Bonnet House is located at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. The story told here spans and parallels a wide swath of American history and makes a visit both to these pages and to the estate a uniquely educational and entertaining experience. For more information and details about the orchids at Bonnet House, visit www.bonnethouse.org or contact Linda Schaller at [email protected] or (954) 703-2606.

Due to the dramatic surge in Hispanic visitors, Bonnet House added special monthly Spanish-language tours in 2014. These tours proved extremely successful, and now they’re back. Bonnet House’s Spanish-language tours take place at 10am, the first Saturday of each month, thru the month of May. All tours are approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes in length and will be led by a Bonnet House certified docent. Visitors can purchase tickets at the Welcome Center on the morning of the tour. The cost for the tour is $20 for adults and $16 for students ages 6-12. For more information, please contact Monica Estevez at (954) 703-2614 or [email protected].

And for our Spanish-speaking friends: Debido al gran aumento de visitantes hispánicos, Bonnet House añadió excursiones especiales en español en 2014. Estas excursiones tuvieron un gran éxito, y ahora están de vuelta. Las excursiones en español de Bonnet House tomarán lugar a las 10am el primer sábado de cada mes, a través del mes de Mayo. Todas las excursiones toman aproximadamente 1 hora y 30 minutos, y serán dirigidas por un guía certificado de Bonnet House. Los boletos se pueden obtener en el Centro de Acogida en las mañanas de las excursiones. El precio de la excursión es $20 para adultos y $16 para estudiantes entre las edades de 6 y 12 años. Para más información, por favor contacte a Monica Estevez al (954) 703-2614 ó en [email protected].

Evelyn Fortune Bartlett originally purchased the four antique shields decorating the Bonnet House Historic Drawing Room from society architect Addison Mizner. These beautiful and unique art pieces, originally from Italy, each measure 48”x35-1/2″ and are 1-1/2″ thick. Originally carved in 3 vertical wooden sections and joined with supporting cross bars, their decorative relief work was sculpted by hand as opposed to being molded. The center landscape paintings are stylistically Italianate, circa 1750s, and feature pastoral scenes and neo-classical ruins. After more than 2 centuries of exposure to changing humidity and temperature, and periodic infestations by a variety of wood consuming insects, restoration work was urgently needed to assure that the shields survive for generations to come.

This exciting project was awarded to William Bock Fine Art in Davie, Florida – renowned experts in art restoration and conservation – and the wonderful news is that all four pieces can be restored with spectacular results, combining restoration techniques both new and traditional. Thanks to advances in wood stabilization techniques, much can be achieved that was previously nearly impossible, and all according to AIC (American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works) practices. For more information about the ongoing progress of the restoration, please visit williamblockfineart.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-four-shields-of-bonnet-house-tale.html.

A visit to South Florida is truly not complete without time spent at beautiful, historic Bonnet House Museum & Gardens.  Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been declared a historic landmark by the City of Fort Lauderdale. Bonnet House is located at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. For more information and details, please call (954) 563-5393 or visit BonnetHouse.org.

The beautiful buildings and expertly manicured grounds at Bonnet House, designed by artist Frederic Clay Bartlett in the 1920s, provide a magnificent and inspiring setting for artists from all over the world. Our Outdoor Watercolor Classes offer a unique opportunity to paint scenes from this historical estate, independently on the grounds, or sharing tables in a shaded area. Watercolor Classes include discussions regarding traditional techniques of realism, encompassing botanical illustration and tromp l’oeil, as well as critiques, demos, slides, historical concepts, color, contour drawing, negative space and volume, and observing light and shadow.

The Outdoor Watercolor Classes are expertly conducted by artist Karen Eskesen, a member of the Bonnet House Fine Artists, who has taught realist watercolor techniques in South Florida for over 30 years. Karen received a B.A. from Colby College, Maine, and also studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the Brooklyn Museum Art School.

Watercolor Classes will be available in two six-week sessions, the first ranging from January 6th through February 10th, and the second from February 24th to March 30th.  Classes are also divided into two separate periods, from 9:30am to 12:30pm or from 1pm to 4pm. Cost per six-week session is $120 for members and $150 for non-members. Limited reservations are available, and pre-registration is required.

Bonnet House offers a wide variety of entertaining and educational classes throughout the year, including watercolor orchid painting, acrylic, pastel, zentangle, calligraphy, flora and fauna, and the ever-popular orchid workshops, encompassing every conceivable topic from the basics to the diagnosing of pests and diseases. Bonnet House is located at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. To register for the outdoor watercolor classes or get additional information on all the other classes and workshops, please call Linda Schaller at (954) 563-5393, extension 137, or visit Bonnethouse.org/adult-workshops.