Florida: Discover the heritage

Daytona Beach preserves a number of African American heritage sites. Included is the former home of Mary McLeod Bethune, noted educator who advised Presidents and served as a consultant to the founding conference of the United Nations. You'll also discover Bethune-Cookman College, which Dr. Bethune founded in 1904 with $1.50 and five students.

The Florida Sports Hall of Fame in Lake City highlights some of the state's greatest African American sports figures, including baseball's Andre Dawson and golfer Charlie Owens.

ETHNIC HERITAGE

Cuban

The Historical Museum of Southern Florida in Miami features exhibits relating to Cuban history and culture.

Little Havana covers a 3.3-squaremile area west of downtown Miami. Explore Calle Ocho, or 8th Street, which is lined with Latin shops, restaurants, Cuban bakeries, and sidewalk cafes. Visit March 2-11 during Carnival Miami and Calle Ocho Festival, the largest Hispanicculture festival in the country.

Ybor City, a National Historic Landmark District in Tampa, began in 1886 as a company town for the workers at Vicente Martinez Ybor's cigar factory. Head first to Ybor City State Museum to view cigar-makers' tools and exhibits related to the Spanish-American War. Enjoy a taste of Tampa along with flamenco dancing at Columbia Restaurant, Florida's oldest Spanish restaurant. Fiesta Day, February 10, celebrates the ethnic background of Ybor City with food, live music, and cultural exhibits.

Jewish

Jewish history in Florida dates to 1763, when Alexander Solomons, Joseph de Palacios, and Samuel Israel arrived in Pensacola. Today it reaches every corner of the state.

The Ziff Jewish Museum of Florida in Miami Beach tells of the legacies left by David Levy Yulee, Florida's first US. Senator; Joe and Jennie Weiss, who opened Joe's Stone Crab restaurant; and Sanford Ziff, a businessman for whom the museum is named.

The Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach and the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg remember the worst human tragedy of the 20th century.

American Indian

Big Cypress Indian Reservation, in the heart of the Everglades, features the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, with exhibits and films on Seminole history.

The Annual Seminole Tribal Fair is February 8-11 at the Seminole Festival Grounds in Fort Lauderdale.

Miccosukee Indian Village, along U.S. 41 between Miami and Naples, includes a museum and several crafts demonstrations.

At old Fort Pickens, in the Gulf Islands National Seashore on Santa Rosa Island, see where the Apache chief Geronimo was imprisoned in the 1880s.

The Indian Temple Mound Museum, in Fort Walton Beach, explains this former ceremonial center of the prehistoric Mississippian culture.

Spanish

The influence of Spain shines in St. Augustine's architecture, with terra-cottatiled roofs, low-hanging balconies, and narrow streets. See the massive Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, the largest Spanish fort in the country; the restored Spanish Quarter; and Plaza de la Constitution. The Menendez Birthday Festival and Noche de Gala, February 23-25, celebrates the anniversary of the birth of St. Augustine's founder.