Post #635493 by bigbrotiki on Tue, May 8, 2012 8:01 AM

Tom, you are such a space age primitive! I think I knew something about the Gauguin connection, but forgot - didn't they own that painting at one point?

Yeah, I was amazed that some of the locals I talked to had never been to Bonnet House. It is such an island in the center of beach tourist-ville. It is right in the middle of the busy "strip" along the beach, wedged in between hotels, souvenir shops and pizza joints:

Quote from the website:
"Due to the threat posed by inappropriately massive nearby development, the National Trust and the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation designated listed Bonnet House as one of America’s 11 most endangered sites in 2008."

You find the entrance to the park on a white condo-lined side street, and all of a sudden you come upon THIS:

I went there two years ago and took some pics. Robert, you will like it there: The owners liked MONKEYS:

And so, not only are the descendants of those monkeys jumping around in the trees on the property...

...but because the owners were artists...

..they also had eclectic taste in their decor....

..so you can find some nice and weird monkey statuary:

And not only did they hang African and Oceanic art in the courtyard...

...but off to the side of their coral/ sea shell collection room...

...they have an intact pre-Tiki bamboo bar!