The natural setting of Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki within the Big Cypress Swamp purposely melds with its mission.
The surrounding cypress dome provides context for Seminole life within South Florida’s swamps, where the tribe has lived for more than a century.
The museum complexAlthough the bulk of the exhibits are under cover in the airy museum, a walk on the boardwalk behind it yields a feel for the landscape.
Interpretation along the boardwalk highlights how the Seminole align their lives as a part of the natural world around them.
Boardwalk through the cypress strandResources
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Overview
Length: 1 mile loop
Trailhead: 26.325975,-80.999618
Address: 34725 West Boundary Rd, Clewiston
Fees: $10 adult. $7.50 children over 5, student with ID, military, and 55+. $30 family. Free for children under 4 and tribal members with ID.
Restroom: Inside the museum
Land manager: Seminole Tribe of Florida
Phone: 877-902-1113
Open 9-5, closed holidays. Entry to boardwalk closes at 4. No pets.
Directions
From Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley) between US 27 and Naples, take exit 49, Snake Rd. Follow this narrow road 18 miles from the Miccosukee Reservation into the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Make a left onto West Boundary Rd. The parking area is on the right, with the museum across the road.
About the Museum
According to tribal history, ancestors of the Seminoles first crossed paths with European culture in 1510, when a Spanish slave ship landed in South Florida.
The movie “We Seminole” introduces you to Seminole culture and life, both ancient and modern, setting the stage for browsing the 5,000-square-foot exhibit hall.
Mannequins illustrate tribal dress and activitiesInterpretive information is provided by tribal members through audio recountings.
The use of certain arrows, how women ran the camp, how sofkee was made, and hundreds of other details paint a picture of the evolution of their culture.
The displays show extreme attention to detail, such as the waterway scene with its ripples and details of what’s under the water.
A swamp sceneAn exhibit on the Green Corn Dance illuminates the religious beliefs and practices of the Seminole Tribe. Each exhibit contains objects of historic importance.
A temporary exhibit on Osceola, for instance, included his deerskin coat from 1835 worn by the warrior during the signing of the Lake Monroe Treaty.
Traditional activities are explained through visualsHike
Walk the cypress dome boardwalk to experience an extension of the museum outdoors, a further window into Seminole culture.
Interpretive markers along the mile-long boardwalk provide specific details about the use of the native plants pointed out by Florida’s native peoples.
Even in winter, the cypress dome is coolerWalking clockwise along the path as it jogs through the cypress, you approach the Clan Pavilion within a quarter mile.
Each of its panels provides an illustrated background on the eight Seminole clans and their animals.
Panels on the clans have since been updatedA quarter mile later is the Ceremonial Grounds, a re-creation of a traditional meeting ground on high ground within the swamp.
Chickees are used for meetings are centered around a stickball court, the game described in the museum in the Green Corn Dance exhibit.
Stickball court in the center clearingContinue along the boardwalk to reach another small encampment, the Seminole Village.
It is meant to represent the roadside tourist camps and roadside attraction villages found across Florida through the 1960s.
Boardwalk near the villageHere, you may find Seminole artisans at work on patchwork, beading, or basketweaving. Stop and ask questions. Some of their wares may be for sale.
The understory of the swamp becomes more dense on the next leg of the boardwalk as the lower canopy descends.
Explanation of traditional uses of pop ashOrchids and bromeliads sprout from pop ash branches. Pond apple dangles its globular fruits.
A raccoon or otter may splash through the shallows, where floating water spangles mask the movement of alligators.
Alligator flag signals deeper waterA final display on high ground is the Hunting Camp, a temporary encampment used by hunters ranging through Big Cypress tracking deer and other game.
The loop ends at the picnic area behind the museum. Exit through the interior, peeking into the gift shop on the way out. They sell art, books, and traditional items.
Picnic areaExplore More!
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See our photos from Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Billie Swamp Safari With airboat and swamp buggy rides as well as interpretation of native species, Billie Swamp Safari is a nature-based attraction providing immersion into the Big Cypress Swamp.
Florida Trail, Seminole 56.2 miles. Stretching from the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation to Lake Okeechobee, the Florida Trail Seminole section traverses a vast agricultural region, the former Everglades. Hiking is on roads and levees.
Big Cypress National Preserve Protecting nearly three quarters of the million-acre Big Cypress Swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve is Florida's second largest and most remote wilderness. 
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge The longer of two loops at Florida Panther NWR guarantees a wet walk through panther habitat of wet pine flatwoods and cypress domes