(a 12 minute read)

Immerse yourself in the Sunshine State’s rich history by attending authentic living history events and historical war reenactments in Florida.


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When VISIT FLORIDA asked me to write a sponsored post about historical war reenactments in our home state, I immediately knew I was qualified to do it. I have attended dozens of living history events and historical war reenactments statewide over the years, and on occasion I have even been a participant myself.

My first experience as a living history reenactor was as a volunteer. Back in the 1990s, the church I attended operated the general store for the Alafia River Rendezvous. The store provided a much-needed service for event participants and also served as a fundraiser for a charitable cause. The event was mutually beneficial, but wearing period clothing was a non-negotiable requirement.

My first impression was that the rendezvous was a mere excuse for adults to play “Dress-Up” and “Cowboys & Indians.” I would eventually learn, however, that living history events and historical war reenactments are far more than childhood games. They are the result of intensive research by professional historians and amateur history buffs who not only want to experience life in these periods themselves, but also hope to share publicly the things they have learned.


Living History & Historical War Reenactments in Florida


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There are scores of living history events and historical war reenactments taking place across the state of Florida year round, but the following eight rank among my favorites:

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument


Where: St. Augustine

When: Open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Colonial weapons demonstrations are on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at scheduled times throughout the day.

Admission: Adults (16 and above) $10, Children (15 and under) free with an adult

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The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine is the oldest stone (coquina) and mortar fort in the United States. Construction began in 1672 while Florida was still part of the Spanish Empire, although later it was controlled variously by Great Britain, the Confederate States, as well as the United States. On weekends, reenactors wearing Colonial Spanish uniforms give historic weapons demonstrations, including firing of cannons on the gunlock. Other colonial living history reenactments are held periodically at De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton, as well.

Although not hosted at the Castillo, there is an annual reenactment of Sir Francis Drake’s 1586 Raid on San Agustín each June. Event hosts from the Historic Florida Militia have period loaner clothing available for visitors who wish to participate.

Click here to find St. Augustine lodging on Tripadvisor!

The Dade Massacre


Where: Dade Battlefield Historic State Park, Bushnell

When: First full weekend in January (open to the public Saturday and Sunday)

Admission: $5 per person, Children under 6 free, Parking $3 per vehicle

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The Second Seminole War was the setting for the Dade Massacre. In response to the U.S. government’s effort to move their people to a reservation, 180 Seminole warriors ambushed a column of 110 marching US Army troops led by Major Francis Langhorne Dade on the morning of Dec. 28, 1835. Only three U.S. soldiers survived, and only three Seminole warriors were killed.

The annual reenactment of the Dade Massacre is hosted on site at the Dade Battlefield Historic State Park. Although the reenactment includes lots of action, men on horseback, bloodcurdling screams, and gunfire, this narrated presentation feels more like a play on an outdoor stage. The Dade Battlefield also hosts the reenactment of a World War II Allied/Axis skirmish the first full weekend in March.

Click here to find lodging near the Dade Battlefield on TripAdvisor!

The Fort Foster Rendezvous


Where: Fort Foster State Historic Site, Thonotosassa

When: January or February

Admission: $5 per person, Children age 5 and under free

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The Fort Foster State Historic Site is an extension of the adjacent Hillsborough State Park. The original Fort Foster was built during the Second Seminole War as a military resupply depot and defense for the bridge crossing on the Hillsborough River. There were occasional conflicts with neighboring Seminoles at the fort, but only one documented skirmish when the natives attempted to burn the bridge. Today reproductions of the original 1836 fort and bridge have been constructed on site.

The annual Fort Foster Rendezvous features military demonstrations and a small reenactment that is loosely based on the skirmish and varies from year to year. Jerry and I enjoyed learning how to throw the tomahawk at one of the living history stations during the event. The video below presents our competition as if it were a trailer for a motion picture.

YouTube video

Click here to find lodging near Fort Foster on TripAdvisor!

The Alafia River Rendezvous


Where: Homeland

When: January (open to the public on Friday and Saturday)

Admission: Adults (16 and above) $10, Seniors (age 60 and above) & Children $5, Children under 3 free

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The Alafia River Rendezvous is an annual event sponsored by the Florida Frontiersmen fraternity. It is the largest pre-1840s living history encampment in the Southeast. Each January, period reenactors from across the country descend on this 322-acre property in Central Florida to practice primitive crafts, trade their wares, participate in period competitions, and live like their pioneer ancestors. Although there are modern camping facilities available outside the rendezvous encampment, the most authentic way to experience pre-1840s life is to pitch a tent or tipi in the primitive camp.

Because the Alafia River Rendezvous is an immersive event that requires authenticity, all participants, including volunteers, are required to wear period dress. When I worked the event, I recall that our clothing could not have zippers, our shoes could not have rubber soles, and any modern invention had to be draped in burlap, canvas, a blanket, or animal hide to not detract from the experience of the hard-core reenactors. Also, we did not want to be viewed as “farbs,” reenactors who don’t pay attention to detail or take authentic living history seriously. Visitors who attend on the two public rendezvous days are not required to be in period dress.

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One year, while working the event, I took a week of vacation from the classroom so I could devote my time to the rendezvous. Although I worked at various tasks, my primary job was delivering ice and groceries to campers with a horse-pulled wagon.

Click here to find lodging near Homeland on TripAdvisor!

The St. Andrews Bay Salt Works Raid


Where: St. Andrews Bay Beach, Panama City

When: April

Admission: Free

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Before refrigeration, salt was crucial for food preservation, and hundreds of salt works sprang up along Florida’s Gulf Coast, boiling sea water in iron kettles for its production. To stop supplies from reaching the Confederates, a series of Union assaults were initiated in late summer 1862. Over a year later, in December 1863, men from the U.S.S. Restless and other naval ships landed at St. Andrews Bay, and proceeded to destroy more than 290 salt works operations, valued at $3 million at the time.

The reenactment of the St. Andrews Bay Salt Works Raid is one of Florida’s newer living history events. It is hosted by the Pawnee Guard, a local historical reenacting unit that participates in other reenactments across the Southeast. Despite the smaller scale of this reenactment, the marine landing is a dramatic introduction to the land battle. I was surprisingly moved by the realism of the dramatized medical demonstration following the battle. It was a vivid portrayal of the physical and emotional pain endured by soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

Click here to find lodging near St. Andrews Bay on TripAdvisor!

The Battle of Olustee Reenactment


Where: Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, Olustee

When: January or February (open to the public Saturday and Sunday)

Admission: Adults $10, School-age children $5, Pre-school-age children free

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The Battle of Olustee was the only major Civil War battle in Florida. On the afternoon of Feb. 20, 1864, Union troops, in an attempt to interrupt Confederate food supply routes, clashed in a fierce battle with forces at Ocean Pond, near Lake City. Retreating African-American soldiers from the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (featured in the 1989 Academy Award-winning movie “Glory“), in a feat of superhuman strength, pulled a disabled train with cars of wounded soldiers for three miles back to Camp Finnegan. After securing horses, they continued to pull the train all the way back to Jacksonville.

I have attended the reenactment of the Battle of Olustee twice. Reenactors portray the event in an impressive scripted battle. The sight of Union and Confederate cavalry emerging from the pines onto the battlefield, the sounds of explosives sending palmettos soaring high into the air, medics and chaplains ministering to the wounded and dying scattered across the ground, all make for a moving realistic experience.

Click here to find lodging near Olustee on TripAdvisor!

The Battle of Bowlegs Creek


Where: Fort Meade Outdoor Recreation Area (also known as Peace River Park), Fort Meade

When: Traditionally held in April, but moved to Nov. 18-20, in 2016

Admission: $10 per vehicle

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The Battle of Bowlegs Creek was the final skirmish in a Union campaign to stop the flow of Jake Summerlin’s cattle to Confederate troops. On April 7, 1864, near the confluence of Bowlegs Creek and the Peace River, the Second Florida Cavalry, U.S.A., defeated the Confederate Cow Cavalry, a battalion organized to protect Florida’s cattle drives and settlers.

The Battle of Bowlegs Creek Heritage Festival is an annual event to memorialize Polk County’s only Civil War battle. Although this conflict is on a smaller scale than Olustee or Brooksville, I appreciated the intimacy of the reenactment. Observers can easily navigate around the perimeter of the battlefield to view the conflict from various angles, almost like a theater in the round. We also witnessed some impressive cannon fire that occasionally produced the elusive smoke ring.

Click here to find lodging near Fort Meade on TripAdvisor!

The Brooksville Raid


Where: Sand Hill Scout Reservation, Brooksville

When: Third weekend in January (open to the public Saturday and Sunday)

Admission: Adults $8, Youth (ages 6-12) $4, Children (ages infant-5) and Scouts in uniform free

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The historical Brooksville Raid was another Union effort to stem the export of Florida cattle and supplies to Confederate troops situated farther north. This virtually bloodless skirmish over a six-day period in July of 1864 resulted in only one Union fatality, but the local community was utterly devastated by the looting and burning by the marauding Union soldiers.

Although the Brooksville Raid was not a major battle, the annual event is the largest Civil War reenactment in Florida, comprised of more than 1,500 reenactors and their families, 28 cannons, 60 horses, and 50 sutlers. The second time I attended the event, the reenactors portrayed the scripted Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee. This time the reenactment was on an epic scale.

If you have never attended a living history event or historical war reenactment, I encourage you to load your family into the car and take a drive into Florida’s past. You will find the experience both educational and entertaining for all ages. While you are there, why not sample some Indian fry bread, kettle corn, and sarsaparilla? Stroll through a living village, watch skilled craftspersons at work, observe folk artists creating one-of-a-kind pieces, and even better, watch a cavalry gallop across a field and tremble at a cannon’s blast!

Click here to find lodging in Brooksville on TripAdvisor!

Note: For greater insight into the lives of hardcore reenactors, I recommend Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz.

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We Would Love to Hear From You


Jerry and I enjoy dialogue with our readers, especially when they share little-known historical destinations and events. Have you ever attended a living history event or historical war reenactment? If so, we would love to hear about your experience. We invite you to leave your comments and questions below, and we always respond!


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8 Living History & Historical War Reenactments in Florida 1
Howard Blount is founder and co-owner of the travel web site Backroad Planet. He has traveled internationally since boyhood and lived abroad in Mexico, Chile, and Paraguay. Now his passion is navigating the roads-less-traveled of this amazing planet in search of anything rare and remote. On the stuffy side, “Mr. Blount” has been a writer, consultant, and published author with the likes of Simon & Schuster and McGraw-Hill.

Retired from a 35-year career as a middle school teacher, Howard enjoys spending his time on anything that includes mountains, waterfalls, dachshunds, gospel choirs, books, restored classic movies on Blu-ray, HDTV, autumn, sandhill cranes, hot springs, Florida springs, rain and other gloomy weather, log cabins, cracker shacks, abandoned sites, unearthed history, genealogy, museums, documentaries, To Kill a Mockingbird, scenic and historical sites, castles, cathedrals, the Civil War, cold sheets, National and State Park Passports, quotes, the Rambos, Dionne Warwick, Steely Dan, Doobies, Diet Pepsi, Fish City Grill, anything Apple, all things British, Jesus, and lists.

And on a random note, Howard is a fourth cousin once removed to Truman Capote.

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