Taste History Food & Art Tours of Historic Palm Beach County, Florida

The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History is an international museum and its mission is to offer educational programs, and history and retrospective anthropology exhibits showcasing lifestyle, cultures, people, places, fashion trends, clothes, architecture, furnishings, decorative arts, interior designs, locomotives and toys, and information about popular uses of artifacts by people/events of various periods of time. The goal of the Museum’s mission is to collect and preserve objects and artifacts that relate to the Museum’s mission; provide educational & cultural arts programs for children, families, the general public and the economically disadvantage; and the goal is to enhance tourist attractions and the economy of the area.

From 2003-2005, the Museum was located in a rent-free 8,000 square feet facility in the former Pineapple Grove Shops Plaza located in the 300 Block of Pineapple Grove Way in the Main Street District of Downtown Delray Beach, FL. However, that plaza was sold and then demolished along with the entire City block where it was located. As a result, the Museum had to move. While at the facility, the Museum developed and presented exhibits about fashion history and popular culture and also hosted traveling exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution.  On the 4^th Saturday of each month, year-round, at 11am the Museum still conducts, without interruption, the Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach. Some of the Museum's accolades include being selected as Best New Museum in 2004 by the New Times Broward-Palm Beach Newspaper; Best Bets in Palm Beach County in 2006 & 2005 by the Gold Coast Edition of Guest Informant Magazine; and in 2006, the Museum's Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach were selected as Unique Travel Gem by AAA Travel Home & Away Magazine of Mid-America. In June 2006 and May 2008, the Museum's Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach were selected as Best Tour of the Town by The Palm Beacher & Gold Coast Magazines.

History of the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History

The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History is a non-profit 501(c) 3 history museum that was established in 1999. The inspiration for the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History of Delray Beach was the phenomenally successful popular culture & retrospective exhibit "40 Years of the Barbie® Doll" in celebration of Women's History Month which was on display from March 1999 thru September 2000 at the cultural center in Delray Beach, Florida. More than 20,000 visitors from around the world attended this exhibit which made it the #1 attended exhibit in the history of Delray Beach and one of the most memorable Museum exhibits in all of Palm Beach County. The Barbie® Doll exhibit was conceived and curated by Lori J. Durante who is the Executive Director/Chief Curator of the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History.

Since 1999, the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History has presented more than 19 exhibits including traveling exhibits.

MLFH’s Location:

Although still fulfilling its educational mission, the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History currently operates virtually without a permanent brick-and-mortar building. However, in-person heritage bus tours, school field trips and lectures will resume, per CDC guidelines due to COVID19. 

Statement of Future Plans for a Permanent Museum Facility

The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History has plans for a museum facility for the purpose of presenting permanent and traveling exhibits. And, the Museum is leading efforts to secure a location in Palm Beach County, FL for an additional permanent museum building for its hugely popular Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County and the Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Palm Beach County, FL.