Fort Lauderdale Landmarks Guide

The City of Fort Lauderdale lists 62 individually designated historic landmark sites, three historic districts and fifteen sites on the National Register of Historic Places (City of Fort Lauderdale).

The city rezoned the Stranahan House property as its own H-1 district in 1982 (City of Fort Lauderdale). Some sites carry two listings: in Sailboat Bend, the Swing Bridge, the West Side Fire Station and the West Side School count as local individual landmarks as well as contributing sites in the district (City of Fort Lauderdale).

A Fort Lauderdale property becomes a landmark by meeting at least one code criterion, for example value as a significant reminder of the cultural or archaeological heritage of the city, state or nation (Historic Designation). An application can come from the Historic Preservation Board, the City Commission, the owner or a preservation nonprofit (City of Fort Lauderdale). Once designated, an alteration, addition or new building needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board, and the Urban Design and Planning Division takes questions at (954) 828-7101 (Historic Preservation). Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the City of Fort Lauderdale historic preservation and designation pages.

Bonnet House Museum and Gardens at 900 North Birch Road opens for self-guided tours Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with house and garden admission at $30 for adults (Bonnet House).

Last admission is at 4 p.m. and the grounds close at 5 p.m.; the house is closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and May 9 and 10, 2026, for the Fort Lauderdale Air Show (Bonnet House). Self-guided admission is $8 for ages 6 to 17, free for children 5 and under, $25 for Broward County residents with ID, and $15 for the gardens without the house (Bonnet House). A Museums for All rate of $3 per person for up to four visitors applies with an EBT card and photo ID, sold in person at the Welcome Center (Bonnet House). The phone is (954) 563-5393 (Bonnet House).

Guided downstairs house tours run Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., last about 90 minutes and cost $35 for adults and $10 for ages 8 to 16, with pre-registration required; Upstairs/Downstairs tours cost $40 on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. (Bonnet House). Walk-in admission is available, though waits may occur on weekends and holidays, so online tickets are the faster entry (Bonnet House). The Bonnet House Museum and Gardens guide covers the estate in full, and the Hugh Taylor Birch State Park guide covers the state park and its fees.

Two landmarks on the New River are Riverwalk Linear Park, a 5.59 acre city park with a waterfront walkway, and the Stranahan House museum, which looks out on the river (City of Fort Lauderdale Parks; Historic Stranahan House Museum; LauderGO Water Trolley).

The city lists Riverwalk Linear Park at 20 N. New River Dr.; it has a gazebo, benches, picnic tables and restrooms, closes from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., and answers at (954) 828-7275 (City of Fort Lauderdale Parks). The Stranahan House museum at 335 SE 6th Avenue sells tours from $13 and accepts final tours at 3:15 p.m. on open days, and because parking is limited the museum points drivers to the Riverside Hotel at 620 E Las Olas Blvd. for GPS and parking (Historic Stranahan House Museum).

The easiest way between New River landmarks is the free LauderGO Water Trolley, which runs daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with an estimated wait of 20 to 30 minutes at any stop (City of Fort Lauderdale). Its stops are Riverwalk, Laura Ward Park, Huizenga Plaza/Bubier Park, Riverfront Plaza, Esplanade Park, Tarpon River, New River Yacht Club and Downtown Smoker Park, and delays can follow New River bridge operations (City of Fort Lauderdale). Two practical cautions for fall 2026: the trolley will not operate from October 28 through November 1, 2026, during the Boat Show, and its Huizenga Plaza/Bubier Park and Riverfront Plaza stops are unavailable because of construction (City of Fort Lauderdale). The Riverwalk guide, the New River guide and the Stranahan House guide in the Fort Lauderdale landmarks section go deeper.

The NSU Art Museum at One East Las Olas Boulevard charges adults $16 and is free on the first Thursday of every month, and the city's Las Olas Garage charges $4.00 per hour (NSU Art Museum; City of Fort Lauderdale).

The museum stands on the northeast corner of Las Olas Boulevard and Andrews Avenue, across from Huizenga Plaza, phone 954-525-5500 (NSU Art Museum). It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., is closed Mondays, and stays open to 7 p.m. on the free first Thursday; seniors pay $10 (NSU Art Museum hours).

For a Las Olas Boulevard visit, the Las Olas Garage at 200 E. Las Olas Circle has 649 spaces and a resident rate of $1.50 per hour, and the Riverwalk Center garage at 150 SE 2 St charges $3.00 per hour with the same $1.50 resident rate (City of Fort Lauderdale). The museum itself suggests adding at least two hours to a parking meter, and drivers with a valid handicapped placard park free for up to 4 hours at the meters on SE 1 Avenue (NSU Art Museum). The Las Olas Boulevard guide and the NSU Art Museum guide cover the corridor and the museum in depth.

Not as a museum: the International Swimming Hall of Fame says its east museum is closed for construction and its west museum is closed for construction, with reopening to be determined at a later date (International Swimming Hall of Fame).

The City of Fort Lauderdale runs the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center at 501 Seabreeze Boulevard, phone (954) 828-4580, with fall hours from August 11 to December 6, 2026 (City of Fort Lauderdale Parks). Daily admission is $5 for resident adults and $6 for non-resident adults, and parking is paid separately at $4 per hour for non-residents and $1.50 per hour for city residents (City of Fort Lauderdale Parks). The city says construction has resumed around the center since May 2025 in phase 1 of the International Swimming Hall of Fame project, so schedules and areas can change at short notice (City of Fort Lauderdale Parks). The Hall of Fame museum and pro shop line is 954-462-6536 (ISHOF). The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center guide covers the rebuild and the pool schedule.

No, Butterfly World is in the City of Coconut Creek at 3600 West Sample Road, phone 954-977-4400 (City of Coconut Creek).

The City of Coconut Creek describes open air aviaries with a display of 20,000 exotic butterflies and tropical birds, plus a research facility showing every stage of the butterfly life cycle (City of Coconut Creek). The Fort Lauderdale landmarks section keeps a Butterfly World guide with hours, tickets and directions from Fort Lauderdale.

Nine guides sit in the Fort Lauderdale landmarks section, eight inside the city and one, Butterfly World, in Coconut Creek.