coral gables museum

Set in a beautiful building on Aragon Avenue, this former police station and jail has been transformed to a spot of fun and learning. the Executive Director met me and gave me a mini tour and I loved what I saw. This is a real treasure for Coral Gables and I highly encourage locals and tourists alike to spend some time at this very well done and maintained museum

We enjoyed the museum very much. The exhibit "Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow was very informative. I had never seen a KKK outfit so close up. Unfortunately that exhibits leaves soon.The two docents we had were very informative about the origins of Coral Gables. It is a very inexpensive museum. They are not reciprocal with other museum memberships. The gift shop is lovely. It is well stocked with very nice and reasonable items. If there is another exhibit of interest, I would not hesitate to go. It doesn't take a long time to go through the museum, unless you read everything. For just browsing, maybe an hour.

The standard commentary on the founding of Coral Gables by the Merrick family is 'ok', and comes across as more of propaganda than anything - I highly doubt the settling of the city with 'volunteer' labour was 'rosy'... However, the temporary exhibition on Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges was stunning. I had never blended these two simultaneous events together - yet, this exhibition opens up a new understanding of racism, prejudice and being an outcast in one's own country - and how that led to common bonds, and - noteworthy - success, great success, for those young and eager to learn black students in the south - taught by ambitious, morally guided teachers who arrived as desperate immigrants. Truly one of the best focused exhibits I have seen in a while. Must see! Check for opening hours - they open late.

If you are interested in the early years of Coral Gables you can learn much about it at this museum. They also have various specialty exhibits of art.

We went with a friend and her kids on a day that they were no charging the entrance...thank you for that. It was a disappointing since it is very small and there is nothing really interesting to see other than the old building (very well maintained).

When we went there was a mini-golf course set up and it was run down and broken--not at all fun to play. The rest of the museum was dedicated to the history of the area and all I learned was that I really didn't care about the history of the area that much.

This is an adorable little museum in the heart of Coral Gables. Despite living around the corner it took me over a year to get here (tickets via a deal site- but regular price is about $7 pp). When I visited they had some art installations that were not permanent and were not overly impressive but the real gem in this museum is the permanent history of the are and Merrick family. There was a lot of history crammed into the couple rooms and I loved the old pictures. For living in the area I found it extremely interesting to see the history and photos. The building itself is also old and unique. There is a square out front where they frequently have events such as free concerts. Just be sure that when you go it is not closed for a private event. I believe they also do a family day. I then returned the following week with my boyfriend for a walking tour of the area that I saw advertised when there the week prior. It was a bargain at $10 pp and lasting almost 2 hours. The tour was small and I was told it was a fairly new program but was expanding to every Saturday (at 10am). The guide was not quite as knowledgeable (at answering questions etc) as I would have liked but he did make up for it in enthusiasm and his willingness to just walk us right into the lobby of cool buildings that I never would have seen on my own. We practically walked by my own house and I still got to see things in a new way and parts of buildings that I haven't seen in over 3 yrs of living here. When we returned he offered us to see the museum (which i had paid for the week before- I didn't realize it was included in the walking tour). I would highly recommend doing the walking tour for the interesting history and it is a bargain since you get to also see the museum at the end.

A small museum but very much part of the community with events outside on the plaza every week and changing exhibitions and concerts inside

This museum while small compared to others around town , has a quaint and uniqueness of it's own. Always finding interesting and innovative ways to get the local community involved. After all isn't that what museums are suppose to do? From Parcor adventurist jumping off walls to more subdue lessons of Rums from different countries. It really is very informative and always a great time. The Architecture is very reminiscent of the Spanish era and it's beautiful surroundings. Excellent to visit during the Gallery walks. A must on my list !

This is a great museum in a historic building right in downtown Coral Gables. While the museum is a bit light on physical objects/actual artifacts the exhibits are still very engaging and informative. Imaginative use of space and some very creative presentation. We really enjoyed our visit. Do take a moment to explore the spectacular reliefs on the building's exterior and the unique neo-Mediterranean architecture of the neighborhood as a whole.

A warm welcome awaits you in this charming, medium-sized museum in the historic South Florida town of Coral Gables. Each room contains large photographs, books , plans, contemporary advertisements of one family's dream to create an ideal Spanish-themed town in the early 20th century. A fine story and a fine museum. We also took one of the Saturday morning historic walking tours with a knowledgeable guide from the miseum - a great way to get to know the beautiful town of Coral Gables

Here is a sweet little museum if you are in the area. There is one exhibit about the local history as well as rotating exhibits. We were there during a Philip Johnson Glass House exhibit (not sure why as the home is in CT).We went during a Friday event night, paid a small admission fee and there was a live band and a bar set up for wine and beer sales.The gift shop is affordable and offers unique hand made gifts. I'd go back here again.

There is not much of interest at this "museum". The history of Coral Gables is some what interesting to locals but limited. The other exhibits; local photo contest, mini-golf and sister cities exhibit are not particularly appealing. If it was free I wouldn't be so critical. The building itself is beautiful. The gift shop had some nice things.

we went for a friday night coral gables social activity. This the musem was hopping. It provided a great history on the evolution of coral gables. THe musem is beatiful and we had a great time.

If you like to gain "a sense of place," and love to have an historical context when you are visiting a new community, it is nice to find a museum to help you understand your surroundings and the Coral Gables Museum does a wonderful job. We had a guided tour, with a Road Scholar group and were welcomed and toured with a gracious and knowledgeable host.