With the exception of the Native American inhabitants, whose roots in Southeast Florida extend thousands of years, much of the region's history dates only to the late 1800s. Despite its relative youth, the area offers many intriguing places to visit for history buffs.

Without Henry Morrison Flagler's influence, it's difficult to imagine how Southeast Florida might have developed. Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad, linked cities from St. Augustine to Key West and opened many areas in South Florida to travel by land rather than exclusively by boat.

Among Palm Beach's most majestic reminders of this era is the Breakers (One S. County Rd., Palm Beach; 561-655-6611), one of a series of opulent hotels that Flagler constructed along the railroad. It stands on the site of Flagler's second Palm Beach resort, the Palm Beach Inn, which was built in 1896. The original structure burned to the ground in 1903, and its replacement met the same fate in 1925. Today's Breakers opened in 1926 with a 200-foot-long lobby distinguished by high-arched ceilings painted by Italian artisans, as well as a dining room modeled after a Florentine palace. The Breakers features seven distinctive restaurants.

The nearby Flagler Museum (Cocoanut Row and Whitehall Way; 561-655-2833) also stands in tribute to his vision. Completed in 1902 as a wedding gift to his wife, it was designed by Paris-trained architects John Carrére and Thomas Hastings. Christened "Whitehall," the home was described as "the Taj Majal of North America." Today, Florida's greatest monument to the Gilded Age features guided tours that show off the opulent furnishings, art and decorative objects that represented the height of style on Florida's Gold Coast. There are also changing exhibits and Flagler's private railway car, the Rambler, which was built in 1887.

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