The Annual Miami International Map Fair Takes Place This Weekend at HistoryMiami

This annual Miami International Map Fair showcases antique maps, rare books, panoramas and atlases from around the world! The fair takes place Saturday, Feb. 4-Sunday, Feb. 5, from 10am-5pm, at HistoryMiami, located at 101 W. Flagler Street. 

Peruse and purchase antique maps from some of the finest map dealers in the world. Learn about maps through a series of lectures by experts in the field and enjoy special events held throughout the weekend. For a complete list of events during the Map Fair, please see the official website.

Admission is $5 for HistoryMiami members and $15 for non-members. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Admission includes entrance to the international dealer’s marketplace, access to expert opinions on your own map(s), and the opportunity to win door prizes. Proceeds from Map Fair go toward maintaining and improving HistoryMiami exhibitions, educational programming and community outreach programs.

For more information regarding HistoryMiami’s Miami International Map Fair, call 305-375-1492, e-mail mapfair@historymiami.org, or visit the official website.

The Fitzgerald & Kanner Trust for Historic Maps was established to endow the Miami International Map Fair, to support the growth of HistoryMiami's map collection, and to foster an appreciation of historic maps through exhibitions, publications and educational programming.

In 1990 an anonymous donor established the Joseph H. Fitzgerald Trust for Historic Maps as a part of the museum's endowment. The Trust is named after  Joseph H. Fitzgerald in honor of his long service to HistoryMiami and avid interest in maps. The Trust has grown through donations of generous friends and map enthusiasts. For more information about the Trust please call 305-375-1615 or e-mail  development@historymiami.org.

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Let the Experts Show You Around Town! Book A Tour with HistoryMiami Today

Downtown Miami's skyline, including the famed InterContinental Hotel.

Delve into the past and experience the sights, sounds and cultures of South Florida with a City Tour or Private Tour.

HistoryMiami offers educational tour opportunities for adults of all ages to learn more about the history of the region. Tour guides look forward to welcoming visitors on a memorable journey of the region’s history, both on-site in the museum galleries or off-site at the many historic neighborhoods, landmarks and sites throughout South Florida.

City Tours feature walking, bike, boat, and coach tours with internationally-acclaimed historian, Dr. Paul George, and eco-historian Frank Schena, as well as other tour guides, prepared to share their expertise on various topics related to Miami and South Florida history. 

Dr. Paul George

For more than two decades, Dr. George has toured his way to local, national and international acclaim by conducting city tours around South Florida. A Miami native, prolific author and Miami-Dade College professor, he has gained fame for his uncanny ability to recall the most impressive details about the people and places that make the region so unique.

Private Tours are customized to meet each group’s individual needs. All personalized tours include a one-time free admission pass to the HistoryMiami Museum, located at 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami. For more information please call the City Tours Department at 305-375-1621, or e-mail citytours@historymiami.org.

Up-Coming Tours:

For a complete list of tours, please visit: 

www.historymiami.org/files/pages/city-tours_happenings_fall2011-3.pdf

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HistoryMiami Presents Ghost Tours Of Miami City Cemetery

In honor of Halloween, HistoryMiami's City Tours is hosting ghoulish Miami City Cemetery tours. There are two nighttime tours; on Friday and Saturday, October 28 and 29 from 8pm-10pm. For those faint-of-heart, the daylight walk is on Saturday, October 29 from 10am-noon.

Many prominent figures are buried at Miami’s City Cemetery, including settler Julia Tuttle, known by many as "the mother of Miami," and business pioneers like the Burdine family. It was created in 1887, making it the first and oldest cemetery in Miami. Visitors can appreciate the rare tropical plants and trees here, as well as, admire the Mediterranean Revival architecture, and the historic styles of the tombstones and mausoleums.

These Ghost Tours offer a unique opportunity to learn more about Miami’s fascinating past through the cemetery’s inhabitants. Featuring historian Dr. Paul George and other HistoryMiami guides, tourgoers will hear some of the tragic and bizarre stories of those entombed at City Cemetery, for example, the story of the “Lady in Concrete,” a woman buried in concrete by her loving husband who chose this method to preserve her body for eternity.

To book these City Tours or for information please call 305-375-1621, e-mail citytours@historymiami.org, or visit the City Tours website.

HistoryMiami is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. The organization accomplishes this through exhibitions, city tours, education, research, collections and publications. Learn more online at historymiami.org.

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18th International Map Fair Features First Maps of Florida and Cuba

The Miami International Map Fair returns to HistoryMiami, Saturday, February 5 and Sunday, February 6, 2011 from 10 am to 5 pm. Among the many wonderful maps on display will be the earliest printed maps of Florida and Cuba.

A rare 1566 Ferrando Bertelli map featuring Cuba and Hispaniola combined in the same map, a rarity at the time, will be available for purchase at the Fair for $9,500. An Arrowsmith Map of the United States and Florida will also be on sale for $28,500. This 1819 edition of the map provides numerous important updates, including being the first to provide an inset map of Florida. The addition of Florida likely reflects the fact that in 1819 East Florida officially became a possession of the United States as a result of the Adams-Onis Treaty.  In all likelihood this map is the first one to show Florida as a part of the United States.

"Eighteen years ago we decided to put on a Map Fair, and wondered if anybody would come," says founder and chairman, Dr. Joseph H. Fitzgerald. "Not only did they come but 18 years later it has become one of the most prestigious map events in the world. We are honored that people come to support our event year after year."

Miami is one of only three cities in the world - along with London and Paris -  to host a map fair and is the only one in the western hemisphere to do so.The first weekend in February, the fair provides the serious collector or casual buyer a weekend of browsing and buying antique maps and rare books and special topical lectures. Visitors are also encouraged to bring in maps from their own collections for expert opinions.

This year's lecturers will include New York Times bestselling author of Longitude, Dava Sobel; Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geography at Middlebury College Anne K. Knowles on "Envisioning History with GIS" and James Ackerman, Ph.D., Director of the Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography at the Newberry Library who will discuss "In the Rearview Mirror: An Appreciation of Twentieth-Century Roadmaps."

Daily admission to the Map Fair is $10 for adults; $5 for children 6-12; and free for HistoryMiami members and children under 6. Fair hours are 10 am to 5 pm at the Miami-Dade Cultural Plaza located at 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami. Free parking is available at the Cultural Center Parking Garage, 50 NW 2 Avenue.

For more information or to register for the 18th Annual Miami International Map Fair, please call 305-375-1617 or email mapfair@historymiami.org.

Take a Tour with HistoryMiami

HistoryMiami is much more than a great museum! With experts like Dr. Paul George on staff, HistoryMiami is able to offer wonderful interactive tours of the most interesting parts of Miami, including Overtown, Little Havana, the mysterious Miami Circle, and the historic Miami Cemetery. Tours go on all year long; below is the upcoming schedule. For updates, see the HistoryMiami website. Remember that a lot of the tours fill up quickly, so make reservations!

Miami River Boat Tour
Sat., Dec. 11, 10am-1pm
Leaving from Bayside Marketplace
401 Biscayne Blvd., downtown Miami
Enjoy a leisurely boat ride with Historian Dr. Paul George four miles upriver along the same banks where ancient Tequesta Indians settled. See the famous Miami Circle archaeological site and witness the colorful tugboats, Haitian freighters, houseboats and drawbridges that bring life to the river. See the pink house of ousted Cuban President Fulgencio Batista and discover the hidden communities, parks, restaurants, freshwater springs and the site of the rapids. Advance reservations and payment required. 
MEMBERS: $44; NON-MEMBERS: $49; CHILDREN: $25

New Year's Downtown Miami History Walking Tour
Sat., Jan. 15, 1pm-3pm
Leaving from HistoryMiami
101 W. Flagler Street, Miami
Celebrate the New Year with Historian Dr. Paul George on a unique tour of Art Deco and streamline moderne architecture throughout downtown Miami. Stroll along the river as you listen to tales of the Miami Circle and early Tequesta settlements. View the sites of the Brickell Mansion, Spanish missions, Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel, and the Seminole trading post run by the Brickells. Advance reservations suggested. MEMBERS: $20; NON-MEMBERS: $25

House of Refuge to Historic MiMo Walking Tour
Sun., Jan. 16, 10am-noon
Leaving from the Buenos Aires Argentine Bakery
7134 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
Join guide Sylvia Gurinsky and traverse more than a century of history along Collins Avenue and Ocean Terrace. From the site of the Biscayne House of Refuge, once maintained to save the lives of shipwrecked sailors along this isolated coast, to the Art Deco and MiMo (Miami Modern) hotels. Metered parking at 7300 Collins Avenue. Advance reservations suggested. MEMBERS: $20; NON-MEMBERS: $25

Everglades Chokoloskee and Ochopee Eco Coach Tour
Sat., Jan. 22, 9am-4pm
Departing from HistoryMiami
101 W. Flagler Street, Miami
Travel in an air-conditioned coach through the Everglades to Smallwood Store with Eco-historian Frank Schena. See alligators and bird life along the way and learn how Chokoloskee, home of the Calusa Indians during prehistoric times, became the trade center for homesteaders throughout the Ten Thousand Islands region. Tour also stops at the Big Cypress Preserve Visitor’s Center, Clyde Butcher’s gallery in Ochopee, and the Everglades Museum in Everglades City. Bring your lunch. Advance reservations and payment required. MEMBERS: $39; NON-MEMBERS: $44

Pinecrest Bike Tour
Sun., Jan. 23, 10am to noon
Meet at Pinecrest Public Library
5835 SW 111 Street, Pinecrest
Ride along with Historian Dr. Paul George on tree-shaded bike trails Henry Flagler once used as a staging area for the Overseas Railroad to Key West. See the local sites including the Serpentarium and the original Parrot Jungle, now Pinecrest Gardens. Check out the farmer’s market in the area. Bring your own bike. Advance reservations suggested. MEMBERS: $20; NON-MEMBERS: $25

Secrets of Spring Garden Walking Tour
Sat., Jan. 29, 10am-1pm
Meet at 1017 NW 8 Court, Miami
Stroll with Historian Dr. Paul George through the shaded streets of one of Miami’s most delightful hidden neighborhoods--Spring Garden, on the north bank of the Miami River. See the house dubbed the Hindu Temple, and learn of its unique history in early films. Examine unforgettable examples of Miami’s early architecture. Meeting point: Pink house with the Moorish dome. Advance reservations suggested. MEMBERS: $20; NON-MEMBERS: $25

Centennial Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal Boat Tour
Sun., Jan. 30, 9am-11am
Riverfront Las Olas, Ft. Lauderdale
Celebrate Fort Lauderdale’s Centennial with a cruise along the New River, the beautiful waterway that cuts through the city, with Historian Dr. Paul George. Admire the stunningly beautiful architecture of the mansions on the Intracoastal Waterway and see the Finger Islands, Tarpon Bend, Colee Hammock, the historic district, Riverwalk and the Stranahan House. Advance reservations and payment required. *MEMBERS: $39; NON-MEMBERS: $44 *Rate also applies to Ft. Lauderdale Historical Society Members

Have a Screaming Good Time in Miami for Halloween

From tame to terrifying, silly to scary, Miami has a Halloween event for everyone!

Bayside Halloween
Oct. 31, 5pm-7pm. Free to the public. Enjoy live music and entertainment from Bayside’s colorful street performers plus Trick or Treating for the kids. Bayside Marketplace. 401 Biscayne Blvd., downtown Miami, 305-577-3344. www.baysidemarketplace.com

Circo de Los Horrores
Oct. 8-31. Miami will be invaded by monsters, ghouls and goblins when Circo de los Horrores debuts to American audiences. This live touring production is a unique blend of human circus and horror featuring world-class acrobats, dancers and specialty acts from around the world. At the James L. Knight Center, 400 SE 2nd Ave., downtown Miami, 305-416-5977. www.ticketmaster.com (Recommended for children 10 and older.)

Buried Alive!
Oct. 22-24; Oct. 28-31, 7pm-11pm. Reaping horror, thrills and fear, ‘Buried Alive!’ rises up this Halloween with haunted houses, unlimited carnival rides, live DJs and nightmarish fright. Experience pure terror as lifeless corpses and mad characters roam a 5-acre field of screams. May not be appropriate for young children. At the Miami Seaquarium event area, 4400 Rickenbacker Causeway,Virginia Key, 786-235-4140. www.buriedalive2010.com

Jungle Island’s Halloween Spooktacular
Oct. 30-31, 10am-5pm. From trick-or-treating through the Jungle to themed animal shows, kids of all ages will enjoy a family-friendly, fun-filled time. Everyone can enter the annual costume contest. 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, downtown Miami, 305-400-7000. www.jungleisland.com

The Monster Masquerade at Dr. Wilde’s Screamatorium
Oct. 23, 8pm-mid. Come to where the wild things are and party in the dark with real spooky creatures while enjoying free witches brew and Dr. Wilde’s open bars, food from the lab including troll fingers, costume contests with prizes to die for and music that will keep the zombies dancing all night long. Zoo Miami, 12400 SW 152 St., Miami, 305-255-5551. www.zoomiami.org

Spooky Zoo Nights
Oct. 29-30, 7pm-11pm. Enjoy a night of spooky zoo fun, with a haunted house, haunted tram rides, haunted carousel, scary stories around a fiery pit and much more. Zoo Miami, 12400 SW 152 St., Miami, 305-255-5551. www.zoomiami.org

Zoo Boo!
Oct. 30-31, 11am-4pm. Children 12 and under can trick-or-treat, participate in costume contests and win fabulous prizes in a safe environment. Even Zoo Miami’s very own animals will receive special Halloween treats! Zoo Miami, 12400 SW 152 St., Miami, 305-255-5551. www.zoomiami.org

Not So Scary Family Halloween Bash
Oct. 24, 1pm-6pm. Features a haunted house, trick-or-treating, crafts and food and beverages. Miami Children’s Museum, 980 Macarthur Causeway, downtown Miami, 305-373-5437. www.miamichildrensmuseum.org

Monster Splash Nighttime Bash
Oct. 28-31, 5pm-11pm. Halloween-themed animal shows, haunted houses, roaming skeletons, fireworks and more. Candy stations and other cool surprises will be set up around the park for trick-or-treaters in costume. Miami Seaquarium, 4400 Rickenbacker Causeway,Virginia Key, 305-361-5705. www.miamiseaquarium.com

MCM’s 2nd Annual Fall Festival
Oct. 31, noon-5pm. Join Miami Children’s Museum and celebrate Halloween in style at the Fall Festival. Come dressed in costume and enjoy the holiday atmosphere. 980 Macarthur Causeway, downtown Miami, 305-373-5437. www.miamichildrensmuseum.org

Halloween Spookover
Oct. 29, 8pm-6am. Take a spooky Nite Hike of the Tropical Hammock. Listen to ghost stories and performances by the Theater League of South Florida. Then it’s lights out, while the League of Paranormal investigators leads guests on a paranormal investigation of the historic house and main grounds. Bring a floor mat and pillow for seating, but no sleeping arrangements will be made. Breakfast served at sunrise. Programs contain mature subject matter. Deering Estate at Cutler, 16701 SW 72 Ave., Miami, 305-235-1668. www.deeringestate.org

Howl-o-Ween at Fairchild
Oct. 31, 9:30am-4:30pm. This Howl-o-ween bring your dog to Fairchild. Pooches are invited to Fairchild for a day of four-legged fun. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables, 305-667-1651. www.fairchildgarden.org

Ghostly Ghastly Vice & Crime Coach Tour
Oct. 30, 1pm-4pm. Chill and thrill to stories of mobsters, smugglers and high-profile kidnappings on this coach ride as Dr. Paul George reveals Miami’s colorful criminal past. Visit the Miami City Cemetery, Al Capone’s historic Palm Island home and more. Reservations required. HistoryMiami, 101 W. Flagler St., downtown Miami, 305-375-1621. www.historymiami.org

House of Horror Amusement Park
Oct. 7-31. Mon.-Thu., 6pm-mid; Fri-Sun., 5pm-mid. At this professionally produced haunted house and park, ghouls and goblins will scream their way through a two-acre haunted house and enjoy amusement rides, carnival food, interactive games and more. The House of Horror concert stage will feature performances by the hottest acts in South Florida and local DJs on select evenings. Miami International Mall, east parking lot, 1455 NW 107th Ave., 305-593-1775. www.houseofhorrorpark.com

Halloween Weekend Extravaganza
Oct. 29-31, all day. From trick or treating to street entertainment, plus plenty of partying and a costume contest, Lincoln Road comes alive for Halloween! Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, 305-573-0882. www.gohrmc.com

Halloween on the Mile
Oct. 31, 3pm-6pm. Downtown Coral Gables invites kids of all ages to enjoy safe Halloween festivities on Miracle Mile. Enjoy trick or treating at area stores, a scavenger hunt and a costume contest at the Miracle Theater. Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, 305-569-0311. www.shopcoralgables.com