Smallwood Store
Smallwood Store
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
*Est in 1906 The Smallwood Store is now a museum open 7 days a week. At the Historic Smallwood Store you will learn the story of the pioneers who tamed this vast wilderness also known as "Florida's Last Frontier". Learn about the Calusa Indians and later the Seminole and Miccousukee Tribes that traded at the Trading Post. Visit the Tigertail gift shop located inside the Smallwood Store Museum. You will find books & DVD's related to Southwest Florida History, authentic Seminole crafts & carvings, artwork & photography from local artist, alligator heads, t-shirts and much more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
394 reviews
Excellent
217
Very good
119
Average
36
Poor
13
Terrible
9
Hatzlacha
Virginia956 contributions
Feb 2023
The place is overflowing (in a great way, no pun intended) with antiques and memorabilia from the times it was a frontier-type store and post office. We booked a boat tour which allowed us to walk around the store for free (otherwise there may be a small fee). Got a feel for how people lived and worked early in the 20th century. Just outside the store there's some stand-alone food options. Only bathroom was an outhouse. [Of note, don't be confused... this is a historical site/museum, not an active general store. For actual provisions all the way down here, its best to drive them in.]
Written February 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jlgood50
Ringgold, GA1,502 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
While we were spending the night in Everglades City, one of the locals recommended we visit the Smallwood Store. It was pouring rain, so I didn't take any pics. There is a $5.00 fee to tour the museum/store. My Son & I were the only people there, so we had the place to ourselves. Lots of history, with old artifacts, photographs & newspaper stories. I really enjoyed my time there. Definitely worth a stop!!
Written September 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott B
Takoma Park, MD20 contributions
Dec 2022 • Solo
This is a fascinating little museum that recreates genuinely what it was like when it was the general store for the area. Many of the items are held over from the time it was a store so the place has an authenticity that many similar museums do not. The owner (who is a descendent of the infamous Mr. Watson from the area) was friendly and full of useful information. A visit is well worth the $5 entrance fee.
Written January 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katty Sean M
125 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
This place should be a historic landmark. It’s fairly hard to find and sits right on the water. Their museum is a we messaged you for a conference call, you did not answer and the only bathroom they have is a old dirty porto potty. This place should be phenomenal, but it isn’t. The staff working there are nice but in my opinion this place is in desperate need of some TLC and the $5 per person fee to enter the museum is way too high.
Written April 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AJNNJ44
New Jersey472 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
The Smallwood Store is described as a ‘museum’ but it’s really more accurately described as a ‘time capsule’. We found it fascinating to poke around the place and see/touch/experience so many genuine articles seemingly frozen in the history of the place. The staff was friendly and pleasant.
Written November 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Pidge
Wayne, NJ612 contributions
Jul 2021
Don't let the name fool you- while part of it is a gift shop selling things like shirts and books from local authors- Smallwood Store is more of an exhibit. After paying the mandatory five dollars to enter, it takes about 15 minutes to wander through and examine the historical bits and other tchotchke scattered about. If you're a fan of quirky roadside attractions like me, you'll probably declare it money well-spent (even if only for the thrill of walking through a piece of history).
Written July 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeremy P
13 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
Museum admission was included with purchase of the Bloody Watson Boat Tour, but would have been worth the $5 admission if we had to pay it.
The museum was like a time capsule of the area for over a hundred years, displaying coke bottles, cash registers, and other relics from the working store.
Displays are set up throughout that included ledger books that the store kept, items found in the surrounding Everglades, and every nook and cranny of local history you could possibly think of, including a lot of tribute paid to the natives that lived in the area before settlers came and historical consideration of the locals’ relationship with the natives.
We purchased books and DVDs from the store about the Everglades and Ed Watson. Well worth the stop and we should have budgeted more time to see it all; there is so much history packed into the small store!
The museum was like a time capsule of the area for over a hundred years, displaying coke bottles, cash registers, and other relics from the working store.
Displays are set up throughout that included ledger books that the store kept, items found in the surrounding Everglades, and every nook and cranny of local history you could possibly think of, including a lot of tribute paid to the natives that lived in the area before settlers came and historical consideration of the locals’ relationship with the natives.
We purchased books and DVDs from the store about the Everglades and Ed Watson. Well worth the stop and we should have budgeted more time to see it all; there is so much history packed into the small store!
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael F
9 contributions
May 2020 • Friends
This charming museum is a collection memories and stories like no other! As you walk up the stairs and escape the Florida heat you are greeted by a welcoming breeze. with all the doors and windows open, you every so often catch a glance of the incredible landscape but you are easily distracted with the thousands of products that once supplied the town. This authentic time capsule will transport you back to the good old days, and give you a great appreciation for the people who pursued a life in the “last frontier.”
The caretakers of the museum are the descendants of the founder, Ted Smallwood. Their incredible knowledge of the area and the wild stories they will share with you will have you walking out with your jaw in your hands!
The 5$ at the door is more than fair and I hope you consider adding this stop to your trip. This museum should be kept going for years to come! It can be so difficult to find tangible historical culture in Florida, this is a great place for anyone who is interested in learning about this incredible place and some of it’s people.
The caretakers of the museum are the descendants of the founder, Ted Smallwood. Their incredible knowledge of the area and the wild stories they will share with you will have you walking out with your jaw in your hands!
The 5$ at the door is more than fair and I hope you consider adding this stop to your trip. This museum should be kept going for years to come! It can be so difficult to find tangible historical culture in Florida, this is a great place for anyone who is interested in learning about this incredible place and some of it’s people.
Written May 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shelby C
Pembroke Pines, FL11 contributions
May 2021
This place was built in 1906!!! It was used as a trading post for local people in the area, including many of the Native Americans who would travel by boat to get their goods. The inside is full of artifacts and there are some placards to read. The place could use a bit more dusting but I imagine some of the items cannot be cleaned due to potentially damaging them. You go at your own pace since there is no tour guide. The store was bigger than it seemed and our group was there about 45 minutes. It costs $5 to get in, which is fine because otherwise, how else would this place stay open? There's obviously no indoor plumbing, but there is a port-a-potty outside. Also, this place is built on stilts because of the water and there's no wheelchair ramp or elevators, so if you cannot climb the stairs, there's no other way in. It's amazing that this building still stands after so many hurricanes that I wonder how much longer it'll last. If you are travelling across the coast, it is worth a stop!
Written May 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joy E
Largo, FL532 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
It is a museum. $5.00. We agreed that it was well worth the five dollars. I found an ice cube maker that we used when I was a child.
Cindy the Curator is very knowledgeable and friendly and will tell you many stories if you just ask. You might want to check with her before booking your boat tour. Cindy is only here until the end of March.
We went down back and we saw dolphins jumping in the water. I suggest before booking your tour to check with the store as they also have four different tours during the day.
Cindy the Curator is very knowledgeable and friendly and will tell you many stories if you just ask. You might want to check with her before booking your boat tour. Cindy is only here until the end of March.
We went down back and we saw dolphins jumping in the water. I suggest before booking your tour to check with the store as they also have four different tours during the day.
Written March 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
skipmarilyn1251
Pahokee, Florida
Near by RV accommodations for self contained 31 ft minni .bago.
Written March 23, 2018
It's been a few years since my visit, but I have to ask...did anyone else mention the wax figure/taxidermy of the old guy in the rocker? I think it was Mr. Smallwood but I can't remember exactly. I must have walked by 5 times before I noticed him. I was so busy looking at all the cool stuff in the museum. I was then "dying" to know if it was a wax figure or what!
Written February 12, 2018
He is fiberglass, unfortunately wax would never survive in the heat of the summer here in South Florida. It is a very close likeness of Mr. Smallwood, especially to the people who actually knew him it was a little more than weird when we first got him.
I have told the story before to other visitors but when the man who created him was putting the finishing touches on him they tied him to a chair in the backyard to secure him and do the finishing touches. Someone called the sheriffs department on him because they thought it looked like elder abuse when it was just a dummy. So you are not the first one to think he is real!
Written February 13, 2018
vdouglas2015
Okeechobee, Florida
Is Smallwoods still open? What are the hours?
Written December 22, 2015
Where would you recommend to eat in the area?
Written February 13, 2015
HI
I would recommend the Havana Café located here on Chokoloskee Island, they have fresh seafood and a 5 star rating on Tripadvisor. There are good restaurants in Everglades as well.
Written February 14, 2015
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