Guided Day Trip to St. Augustine: The Lightner Tour & More with Ruth Grim

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025 | 9:00am - 5:00pm

Join us for a day trip to St. Augustine’s Lightner Museum in the heart of this famous historic town. Founded in 1948 by Chicago publisher, collector, and professional hobbyist Otto C. Lightner, this is one of Florida’s most unique museums. It combines art, architecture, history, and design with selections from Lightner’s hobbyist collections. The museum occupies the former Hotel Alcazar, a resort hotel commissioned by Standard Oil executive Henry Flagler. Completed in 1888, the magnificent Spanish Renaissance Revival building is like stepping back in time to the Gilded Age. From exquisite 1890s furniture and vintage typewriters to American Brilliant Era cut glass and Victorian mechanical musical instruments, the museum offers a rich and engaging array of artifacts.

Founder Otto Lightner described his museum as a “collection of collections.” While Lightner championed all kinds of hobbies — from stamp collecting and cigar label albums to wood carving — he also had the means to build a vast personal collection. His acquisitions spanned fine and decorative arts, natural history specimens, and Americana from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Our chartered bus will depart from OMAM promptly at 9:00am and will return to OMAM by 5:00pm. OMAM Guest Curator Ruth Grim will provide a background on the museum’s history on the bus ride and provide a tour of the excellent examples of 19th Century European and American art. The museum tour will be followed by lunch at or near the museum and an afternoon enjoying St. Augustine’s downtown historic district with its many activities.

The trip registration fee ($40 Museum/Guild members; $50 non-members) includes transportation and Ruth's discussion during the ride. Participants are responsible for paying for their own meals, admissions, and other expenses. Since the Lightner Museum is part of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, our premier-level members will be able show their current membership card and receive free admission. Those without NARM benefits will need to pay admission upon arrival ($19 for adults; $16 for seniors/military/students). Trip registration is non-refundable as seats are limited.

About the Curator

Ruth Grim has a Master of Arts from the New York University Institute of Fine Arts with a specialization in 18th and 19th century European art. Her museum career spans 32 years of curatorial work throughout the state including 18 years at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach, seven years at the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala, and more than six years as chief curator at the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach.