The Travel with Friends series offers stimulating day trips to exciting museums, exhibitions and private collections. Tickets for these travel opportunities will be available to Friends of Artis—Naples at the Premier level and above.
If you are not yet Premier level and would like to receive access to the exciting slate of 2024-25 trips, please contact the Development Department at 239-254-2719.
2024-25 Season Travel with Friends
Dates and tickets available beginning fall 2024.
Tastes of Miami: Little Havana and South Beach
November
Join the Friends of Artis—Naples on a private food tour of Miami’s Little Havana, featuring a delicious Cuban luncheon. In addition, we will delve into a range of cultural highlights, starting with the history of the Cuban exiles’ arrival in Miami and continuing along Memorial Boulevard before reaching Calle Ocho. Our stops will include a market for Caribbean fruit, a cigar rolling demonstration, an apparel retailer featuring the guayabera shirt and Panama hat, art galleries, the oldest bar in Little Havana and Domino Park. We will then enjoy a walking tour through South Beach, highlighting the historical elements of Art Deco architecture. Our final stop will be the Wolfsonian Museum at Florida International University, where the collection spans 1850 to 1950, showcasing a pivotal century of major change, conflict and progress.
The Florida Native American Experience
December
Nestled in the heart of the Everglades on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum offers a captivating look at the Native American Seminole Tribe of Florida. We will immerse ourselves in the museum’s five galleries brimming with Seminole culture and history, inspiring a deeper appreciation and understanding of the remarkable 19th-century Seminole people. Afterward, we will also enjoy a stroll along the adjacent boardwalk, which winds through a beautiful indigenous 60-acre cypress dome. A private luncheon will be served to conclude our visit.
Palm Beach: A Historical Treasure
January
The Friends of Artis—Naples return to Palm Beach! Our day will begin with a docent-led tour of Whitehall, the palatial 75-room winter residence of Henry Flagler, founder of Standard Oil and the architect of the Florida East Coast Railway, which linked the entire east coast of the state from Jacksonville to Key West. After touring this grand estate, we will decamp for a private luncheon before taking a walking tour of Worth Avenue — the epicenter of Old Florida, abounding with art, culture and high-end shopping at every bougainvillea-draped turn. Following the tour, you will have free time to explore Worth Avenue’s hidden gems at your own pace.
Tampa … Then and Now
February
Step back in time and surround yourself with the opulence of the Gilded Age. Experience Tampa’s late 19th-century transformation on a docent-led tour of the stunning Plant Museum, a former luxury hotel in downtown Tampa built by steamship and railroad magnate Henry Plant. This tour will bring the era into focus, showcasing its connection to the Cuban Campaign of the Spanish-American War. Continue your journey by marveling at Tampa’s famed riverfront on a narrated architectural river cruise, and indulge in a delightful lunch at the Oxford Exchange, a vibrant downtown social hub featuring dining, a bookshop, a library and a private club. Cap off your day with a visit the Tampa Museum of Art’s newest galleries. Explore one of the most extensive collections of Greek and Roman antiquities in the southeastern United States, and delve into its diverse collection of modern and contemporary art that encompasses sculpture, photography, painting and new media.
Neighboring Arts: Sarasota and Venice
March
Explore the contemporary Sarasota Museum of Art, boasting 15,000 square feet of exhibition space across three floors. Under the guidance of the museum’s Senior Curator Rangsook Yoon, our group will enjoy a special tour of the galleries showcasing a dynamic range of 20th- and 21st-century art. We will also enjoy a delectable lunch at the museum’s Bistro, housed in a reimagined vocational arts space of a former high school. Next, prepare to be captivated by nature with a docent-led tour of the Marie Selby Gardens at Spanish Point. Here we will learn about the gardens’ history, archeological research, native plant life and more. We will then tour the exciting Venice Photography Studio and Gallery of famed artist Clyde Butcher.
Arts and Design in Miami
April
Innovative design awaits you in Miami’s Design District with a museum visit and public art walking tour. Start by exploring the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami), dedicated to promoting experimentation in contemporary art and fostering the exchange of art and ideas throughout the region and across the globe. After lunch, take a walking tour through the district that explores the history of the neighborhood’s art and architectural history. We will encounter various outdoor installations and murals, including Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome, Criola’s Interdimensional Portal, Virgil Abloh’s Dollar a Gallon, Amani Lewis’ Baltimore’s Finest and more. There will also be free time to independently browse the eye-catching retail boutiques!
Additional Travel Benefits
Enjoy artistic excursions on your next travels.
Let your museum card be your passport to the arts.
North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association
Friends of Artis—Naples at the Ambassador level and above receive free or reduced admission to art museums through the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association. Details about the 800-plus participating arts, cultural and historical institutions can be found at www.narmassociation.org.
Museum Travel Alliance
Artis—Naplesis delighted to be a part of the Museum Travel Alliance (MTA), which provides donors of participating museums with access to unique, high-end cultural travel programs. Friends of Artis—Naples and patrons in the Leadership Circle are eligible to take advantage of this benefit, joining travelers affiliated with other participating museums from across the country on MTA tours. All tour programs are developed and operated by Academic Arrangements Abroad, the leader in museum travel since 1977.
Museum Travel Alliance Website
For more information about Friends of Artis—Naples, contact friends@artisnaples.org.
Friends of Artis—Naples
239-254-2719
friends@artisnaples.org
Tes Manley, President