HVKBP & Florida Humanities Historic Lunch & Learn
Feb 20, 2026
From: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
A midday program at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park explores a lesser-known chapter of American history through scholarship, conversation and community gathering.
The HVKBP & Florida Humanities Historic Lunch & Learn returns as part of the park’s annual Black History Month programming, centering on the Southern Road to Freedom, the nation’s first saltwater Underground Railroad established in Florida in the late 17th century. The presentation traces how enslaved Africans and African Americans navigated Florida’s waterways in pursuit of freedom, expanding the commonly understood geography of the Underground Railroad beyond overland routes.
Presented by the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park Trust in partnership with Florida Humanities, the program invites attendees to engage with this history in the very landscape where stories of resilience, resistance and survival continue to resonate. Lunch is provided, and guests may also enter a raffle for a complimentary pavilion rental at the park.
The event takes place Friday, February 20 and is open to the public.