manatee village historical park

FilRon

This wonderful free historical park was a great surprise. We attended a great lecture and then spent several hours exploring the buildings and exhibits.

205gailt

If you are interested in history, this is a place for you. The park consist of local, historic building saved from demolition and moved to this one location. Stop in the main building for a map and to visit the small upstairs museum. The staff is very friendly and helpful. This is a nice way to spend a few hours and the price couldn't be better!

seniorcruiser

Manatee Historical Village is a small collection of buildings representing Old Florida. There is even an old locomotive to climb on as well as a children's play area. Just the right size for a small dose of history. Even the family pooch is welcome. Suggest using the GPS as it is a bit tricky to get to.

93mimi

My husband and I went here with our 5 yr. old grandson who really likes trains. He enjoyed climbing on the big,old train engine, dressing up as a cowboy, completing the scavenger hunt and the gift shop. We liked all the old buildings and their history, friendliness of all the staff and reasonable gift shop prices.

CJSheppard

Ever wonder how Floridians lived before electricity brought us air conditioning? Check out the ingenious "Cracker Gothic" home at this small historical park. You'll also see a one-room schoolhouse, a courthouse and a church from a century ago.

Bannatyne

A real time machine. Well restored original area buildings and an easy to navigate setup. The volunteer that we ran into was very knowledgeable and added greatly to the visit. Much pride has been taken in restoration. Payment is by donation. A couple hours is more than enough to ramble through this excellent presentation.

574patk

Enjoyed all the historical buildings and our informative volunteer who gave us a detailed description regarding the history of the Park. Beautiful setting and great place to take the kids..

Leeannev52

This is a national historic site with buildings from the early pioneer days in Florida. The Wiggins store, one of the original stores in the area built in 1903, the First Court House built in 1806 and many more. For animal lovers, two cats live in the museum or it's grounds. We have been twice & found something new each time. This time the Manitee Burying ground where a high ranking Union officer is buried alongside Confederate soldiers

barbarabR8916ZU

Great place to cist and learn about yesteryear. Great volunteers. I would not visit in the summer since it all most all outside it can very hot.

lossieglen

We (family of 4, 2 adults and twins aged 9) visited the Park during our trip to the US and it was one of the most interesting days we had. We planned to stay for an hour and 3 hours later we forced ourselves to leave. We found it fascinating and the kids loved the whole experience. We came upon the park by chance but still talk about it today and it gets more of a mention that the visits to the big theme parks in Orlando.If you are in town, do not miss this experience; it is very much a must.

carlym2013

This was a place that we were wanting to visit for quite some time and kept putting it off. We live so close by and just didn't get there. We were quite surprised and don't know why we didn't go any sooner. It was a place with many little building that show the history of the area. The day we visited, they were preparing for a wedding to be held at the little church. There is a one room school house, a court house, an old home, a barn, and even a general store with many old items that were fun to guess what they were used for. The place is free to visit although donations are accepted. There was a couple on site to answer questions.

ERIC353

The Village consists of about a dozen old buildings and historical items from the Manatee County area laid out in a park like setting. It is very easy to find right off of Manatee Ave in Bradenton. There is no charge for parking or admission. The highlight of the Village is the restored and furnished Wiggins General Store. It contains some excellent exhibits and displays as well as a gift shop. There is an excellent free brochure with the history of each building on the site. The array of displays is quite diverse. An old steam locomotive is especially interesting. The whole park is scenic and informative and makes for a very enjoyable visit.

Georgia1524

This Park has several buildings to walk through and see what life was like a long time ago. Re-enactors explain their crafts well and show you how to make items

charimia

A free place to go learn about the history of our area. Great older buildings. Just be careful walking on the brick sidewalk- I can't imagine how people always walked on them, especially when wet. Better than mud I guess. :-) Stop by on a nice day; you won't regret it.

Kelandry

free local history with buildings to explore. Docent led tours if you call ahead. scavanger hunt for the littles