By Jon Wilson
Among central Florida’s varied history venues, you'll find the Corporal Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum in Orlando, the Dade Battlefield State Park in Bushnell, and the National Armed Services and Law Enforcement Museum in Dunedin.
The Corporal Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum is named for a former Orlando Colonial High student who died in Vietnam as an 18-year-old Marine and won the Congressional Medal of Honor. It features hundreds of artifacts and hands-on opportunities.
In Bushnell, the 80-acre Dade Battlefield park encompasses 40 acres of pine flatwoods and a live oak hammock. It offers a yearly reenactment of the opening clash of the Second Seminole War, 1835-1842, a desperate clash that changed the course of history in Florida. A visitor center provides information, displays and a video about the battle. An indoor lodge and outdoor pavilions, picnics, hiking and wildlife photography round out the attractions.
The National Armed Services and Law Enforcement Museum is an educational memorial museum that honors the service of individuals in the U.S. Armed Forces and law enforcement at the Federal, State, and local levels. Hundreds of arms and artifacts are on display from the flintlocks of the Revolutionary War to the weapons of current time.
When you go…
Corporal Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum
3400 N Tanner Road, Orlando
Dade Battlefield Historic State Park
7200 County Road 603, Bushnell
(352) 793-4781
National Armed Services and Law Enforcement Museum
500 Douglas Ave., Dunedin
727-734-0700
