By Coral Gables Gazette staff
The Coral Gables Museum will open its galleries free to the public Saturday, July 18, for a Family Day on Aragon built around America250 programming, with children’s activities, exhibitions, a film screening, a chamber concert and a blood drive.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the museum, 285 Aragon Ave., and is presented in partnership with the Allapattah Collaborative CDC. It is part of the museum’s broader programming marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Family Day on Aragon is the museum’s monthly family program, combining free gallery admission with hands-on activities tied to current exhibitions and local history. This month’s installment centers on Many Voices, One Nation: En nuestras palabras, a bilingual exhibition connecting South Florida community stories to the broader American experience.
Games, treasure hunts and a bilingual exhibition
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., families can take part in games, treasure hunts, face painting and food trucks on the museum grounds.
The activities are organized around Many Voices, One Nation: En nuestras palabras, developed with the Allapattah Collaborative CDC and presented as part of the national America250 commemoration. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the idea of “E pluribus unum” through oral histories, archival photographs, personal narratives and community memory. The exhibition is on view at the Coral Gables Museum from July 1 through Sept. 6.
Visitors will also have free access to the museum’s other current exhibitions, including Local Leadership, National Legacy: Coral Gables Mayors Across a Century, Life is a Barranquilla Carnival and Diplomacy and The Beautiful Game.
A founding-era film for families
From 2 to 4 p.m., the museum will screen the Disney short film Ben and Me, an animated story that imagines a mouse named Amos as the hidden inspiration behind Benjamin Franklin’s inventions and public life.
The film fits the day’s founding-era theme while keeping the afternoon programming geared toward families and younger visitors.
Music to close the day
The day closes with a 5 to 6 p.m. chamber performance by the Miami Symphony Orchestra.
The concert brings MISO’s classical programming into the museum’s intimate setting and requires an RSVP.
A blood drive outside the museum
Running alongside the museum programming, OneBlood will station its donor bus outside the museum from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Eligible donors will receive a $25 eGift card, a OneBlood T-shirt and a complimentary health screening. Appointments are recommended, though walk-ins are welcome.
What to know
Family Day on Aragon runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 18, at the Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Ave.
Admission to all galleries is free throughout the day. Games, treasure hunts, face painting and food trucks run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Ben and Me screens from 2 to 4 p.m.; and the Miami Symphony Orchestra performs from 5 to 6 p.m., with RSVP required for the concert.
The OneBlood donor bus will be on site from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
Originally established in 1996 and relaunched as a digital publication in February 2025, the Coral Gables Gazette is an independent local news organization dedicated to factual, objective and accountable community journalism. Our newsroom reports on the people, policies, institutions and events shaping Coral Gables, Florida, providing residents with timely, informative coverage of the issues affecting their community. Our reporting includes City Hall, local government, municipal elections, public spending, real estate development, business, education, arts and culture, and neighborhood affairs throughout the City Beautiful. We follow City Commission decisions, examine public records and report on the businesses, organizations and individuals contributing to Coral Gables. We believe informed residents are essential to a healthy, engaged community. Stories published under the Coral Gables Gazette News Staff byline are prepared or compiled by the publication's editorial team. We strive for accuracy, fairness, transparency and clear distinctions between news reporting, opinion and advertising. Readers are encouraged to submit news tips, corrections, editorial inquiries and story suggestions through our Contact page and learn more about our standards through our Editorial Policy.
