Bonnet House Blog

Bonnet House Museum & Gardens is proud to announce that it has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Establishments awarded the Certificate of Excellence are located all over the world and represent the upper echelon of businesses listed on the website.

When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees that takes into account reviews ratings. Businesses must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, volume and recency of reviews. Additional criteria include a business’ tenure and popularity ranking on the site.

“Winning the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence is a true source of pride for all of us at Bonnet House and we’d like to thank all of our past visitors who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor,” said Karen Beard, CEO at Bonnet House. “There is no greater seal of approval than being recognized by those that tour the estate”.

“TripAdvisor is pleased to honor exceptional hospitality businesses for consistent excellence,” said Marc Charron, President of TripAdvisor for Business. “The Certificate of Excellence award gives top performing establishments around the world the recognition they deserve, based on feedback from those who matter most – their customers. From Australia to Zimbabwe, we want to applaud exceptional hospitality businesses for offering TripAdvisor travellers a great customer experience.”

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.

As summer begins, Florida’s amazing color palette becomes even more resplendent. Nowhere is this explosion of bright hues more easily appreciated than at Historic Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale, one of our nation’s most popular historic houses and gardens, and perhaps its most beautiful. Located on a 35-acre slice of breathtaking waterfront property, this colorful and airy Caribbean-style house magically transports visitors to the days when Florida was one of the nation’s last frontier outposts.

Bonnet House was built in the 1920’s by artist and art collector Frederic Clay Bartlett and his wife, Helen, and it is embellished with the myriad decorative elements that delight visitors to this day. Bartlett’s vivid artistry is fully reflected throughout the house, as he painted faux marble floors, and murals on walls and wood ceilings in major rooms. Extensive areas of native vegetation including a hardwood hammock were preserved, and a marshy area to the east of the house was transformed into lagoons. The gardens and winding nature trails surrounding the house, and the wildlife inhabiting the grounds, are every bit as colorful, with swans and other water fowl gliding in the ponds, and raccoons and monkeys – yes, South American squirrel monkeys – adding to the vibrant palette.

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, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and recognized as a historic landmark by the City of Fort Lauderdale. 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, entertaining and truly unforgettable experience. Come share the colors!

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.

Bonnet House Museum & Gardens has added a four-week session of its popular Calligraphy workshop to this calendar year. This workshop, headed by Anthony Pastucci, is an advanced course beginning on Tuesday, May 6, and running from 9:30 to 11am every Tuesday through May 27 in the Island Theater.

Mr. Pastucci, a medieval history buff who draws inspiration from the Book of Hours and other illuminated manuscripts of the period, has taught calligraphy throughout the State of Florida for a quarter century. In his own words, “Calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing, can be learned by almost anyone, and will improve the student’s regular penmanship as well.”  In addition to hands-on learning of the art itself, participants will also be taught the history of pen lettering and the importance of the hand-copying of great works of antiquity, especially the Bible, in the scriptoria of the great monastic houses of the Middle Ages.

The cost of the 4-week session is $90 for members and $115 for non-members, and art supplies are included. Workshop is limited to 15 participants, reservations are required, and classes are non-refundable. Bonnet House, one of the nation’s historic houses and gardens – and perhaps its most beautiful – is located at 900 North Birch Rd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.
For more information and to register for the Calligraphy Workshop, please call (954) 563-5393 or visit www.Bonnethouse.org/adult-workshops.

Another Great Season of Concerts Under the Stars at Bonnet House Culminates with Special Presentation by Rising Stars from Florida Grand Opera’s Young Artist Program

One of Fort Lauderdale’s most popular music series concludes its 2014 season on Thursday, April 10 at 7pm, when the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens hosts a performance by rising stars from Florida Grand Opera’s Young Artist Program.

Since its foundation in 1984, Florida Grand Opera’s Young Artist Program has gained worldwide recognition as one of the leading operatic training programs in the United States, providing talented young singers and coach/accompanists with an opportunity to refine the skills developed during formal music education, targeting those areas necessary to develop
a successful career in opera.

Bonnet House’s Young Artist Music Series has successfully become one of this Fort Lauderdale landmark’s most treasured programs. Individual tickets for this very special final presentation range from $35 – $45, and in addition to a great musical evening, you can also please your palate in grand style, as wine, dessert and coffee will be included in the price of admission through the auspices of Whole Foods Market. It’s quite possibly the “best deal in town.”

The beautiful art for the Young Artist Music Series poster is produced by the honors class at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, with this season’s winning design provided by Paul Tran.

Bonnet House is located at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call (954) 703-2614 or visit us at
www.bonnet house.org/music-series.