Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida facts for kids

Inside the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida

The sign for the Heritage Museum

The entrance to the Heritage Museum

The Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida is a fun history museum located in Valparaiso, Florida. This town is in Okaloosa County, Florida. The museum helps you discover how people lived in this area long ago. It's a great place to learn about the past in a hands-on way.

Explore Northwest Florida's Past

The museum has a special collection of items from history. You can see sharp flint spear points. These were used by very old hunters called Paleo-Archaic people. They lived thousands of years ago! There are also stone tools from that time.

You can also find pieces of pottery. These pottery shards are from the Woodland Period. This was a time when people started to settle down more. The museum also shows items from more recent history. These include a big black iron wash pot. People used these to wash clothes.

What You'll See Inside

The museum displays many everyday items from the past. You can see crosscut saws. These were used to cut down trees. There are also turpentine collection cups. These cups collected sap from pine trees. This sap was used to make turpentine.

You might also spot a pretty porcelain pitcher. There are even old school desks. Imagine sitting at one of those desks for your classes! The museum also shares the history of fishing in the area. A large heritage mural shows scenes from the past. You can also visit the Crestview Train Depot right at the museum.

Hands-On History Classes

The museum offers special classes called "Heritage Alive." These classes happen once a month. They teach you how pioneers in the area used to do things. It's a great way to learn history by doing it yourself!

Here are some of the cool classes you can take: