Bonnet House Museum & Gardens

900 N Birch Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304, USA

Address:	900 N Birch Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304, USA
Phone:	+1 954-563-5393
Site:	bonnethouse.org
Rating:	4.3
Working:	Closed 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 17

Danielle P

Curiosities and creativity abound in this early 20th-century South Florida winter home. Owned and decorated by artists Frederic and Evelyn Bartlett, the courtyard and inner rooms are unique: Look for paintings on indoor and outdoor walls, black and realistic (OK, scary-looking) statues of monkey servants, and -- last but not least -- a very cool bust of a veiled woman (my favorite of the pieces). (Hint: Watch what happens when a tour guide shines a light on the bust.) Our tour guide was knowledgable though did skip around a bit in telling the history. Strong point: He was good at including the kids in our group in the tour, asking them questions and having them be on the lookout for pairs of items and for certain colors. He also provided a scavenger hunt to the kids to help keep them from dying of boredom. This place is not for everyone, and one member of my group did leave before the tour was over. A little seems to go a long way for some people of this place. We went into about 5 rooms -- kitchen (old hand mixer was cool), gallery (incredible pencil drawings), breakfast room (skeletons of sea turtles on the walls BUT also quirky ceramic tiles surrounding the doorway) among them. The courtyard boasted palm trees and a cage that once housed birds. Very cool were the figures of assorted animals — lion, camel, ostrich, giraffe, elephant — posing on the perimeter of the courtyard. Orchids were hanging in abundance, and the gardens (rocky and sandy paths -- closed-toe shoes are a good choice) were a beautiful example of Florida wilderness. One path leads to the beach (its gated, so no access to the water). Id avoid visiting in the summer and not when its raining. It can get awfully hot and sticky when youre walking around outdoors in Florida, even when youre surrounded by trees.

S Ozb

Bought wristband for grounds only, didnt have time to wait 45 minutes for the next guided tour to start. Was told during purchase that we could go everywhere but inside the house and that the courtyard was neat and we should check it out. Once in the courtyard we were told since we have a wristband we were not allowed in the courtyard. We tried to have a conversation with the young lady informing her that thats not what we were told as we were paying. Her only response was they must have made a mistake and walked us to the gate. She offered no resolution, she made no apologies, she didnt even ask for anymore money. If you dont have 2+hours for a guided tour dont bother with the grounds not much to see especially for $10 a person.

docemel26

Took a tour of this beautiful property today and fell in love. As you walk to the entrance of the tour you are greeted with bright bold colors. Their love of art is reflected all through the property. Not only that but a symetrical display of odd pieces and design. Every room you walk into your eyes are shifted to the center of the room. Rich history of Fort Lauderdale and the evolution that occurred just under 100 years. Not to mention the display of love a man can have for a woman. Beautiful place. Whether you are a local or out of towner take an afternoon to explore this gem we have here.

Michael Ballentin

Wunderschönes Kleinod zwischen den Hochhäusern der Stadt. Wer bereit ist, 10$ Eintritt zu zahlen, kann sich an dieser kleinen Oase erfreuen. Für weitere 10$ bekommt man eine Führung durch das Bonnet House. Es soll auf dem Gelände drei Äffchen geben. Wir haben sie nicht gesehen.

A Private User

I payed $17.00 with a Broward County resident decount. The house is nice but you can not take pictures inside of it an not allowed to walk around without a tour guide. Outside is ok but did not impress me, the canal is beautifull but nothing else. What they call garden is only a fell interisting trees and the walkway is made with lill stones. I like to see different stuff so I dont regreat to go, but I wont go back. For recomendation, Vizcaya waaaaay better and cheaper ;-)

A Private User

Martina Corradi

Dimora storica appartenuta a due artisti.Stile molto particolare tropicale con rimandi a Cuba come colori e che conserva intatti arredi quadri e opere !costruita su di una palude bonificato e con vista sul oceano!

Chase Langford

Packed with quirky charm and interesting history. Loved this unpretentious seaside villa with charming art, whimsical decor and architecture. My favorite was the artist studio (Im an artist) and also enjoyed the Dining, Living, Music rooms. Really a unique experience that made me smile. Loved the bold individuality of the creators and their fun getaway home. Wonderful guide Dawn did a great job showing us around.

Kevin Taylor

We loved this place. Saw the wild monkeys, took the both the guided tour of the house and the one of the grounds. Lots of history. Its amazing that its tucked in the beach in between high rise condos. If you are a history buff or just want to spend 4 hours in a beautiful place than this is thr place for you.

Bryan Beard

Beautiful place with a rich and interesting history. Tom, our tour guide was very knowledgeable of the place as well. Only 3 monkeys left, a pair of swans and a few other parrots, great orchid collection and lots of art. Im happy that it will remain untouched unlike the rest of Ft Laud, look forward to returning.

Gianluca Bertoncelli

L unica casa a Fort Lauderdale che é rimasta come l hanno lasciata gli artisti che ci hanno vissuto..molto interessante la visita!

john mesmer

Place was awesome! the garden tour was wonderful and super invormative. we learned about the eco systems, the native and imported plant life, the families that brought us the garden, and decided to take the house tour which was also wonderful and loaded with american history.

A Private User

If you like unique and quirky you will love Bonnet House. Great place to take pictures, sketch, or sign up for an art class. Something interesting everywhere you look. Price may be a little high but it is important to preserve such a unique part of Fort Lauderdales history.

erika miller

Bonnet house is gorgeous. You can choose to buy admission to just the grounds or tour the house itself. Lots of wildlife to be seen as well as orchids that are cultivated on site. If youre lucky you may spot one of the resident would monkeys that live on site. We did!

Bill Amplo

Fort Lauderdale history and a beautiful home. The house tour was interesting, finding out about the history of the family and Fredericks art collection. The golf cart tour of the grounds was equally delightful. The guides and staff are all very friendly and helpful.

RJ Hadley

Living in the area for five years it took a visit from a relative to see Bonnett House & glad we did. Each tour guide knows the museum, its rich history, etc. Other staff were more than helpful too. The house is so pretty. Grounds well kept

Camphlobactor

Very beautiful place to tour. The architecture and landscape is interesting despite its lack of any historical significance. This place is one of the only historical sections of land along the Ft Lauderdale coast. Good, frequent tours.