Orlando will mark Native American Heritage Month with a thoughtful evening at the Orange County Regional History Center. On Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., the museum presents Preserving Florida’s Indigenous Heritage, a panel conversation with community leaders, archaeologists and preservation advocates about how Florida cares for the places, objects and stories of its first peoples.
The discussion ranges across the full sweep of that heritage. Panelists will talk about protecting archaeological sites and burial grounds, preserving material culture in museum collections, and the work of documenting the art, culture and living traditions of Indigenous peoples in Florida today. It is a chance to hear directly from the people doing the preserving, and to learn how those efforts connect past and present.
The program is part of the History Center’s Lunch & Learn and evening lecture tradition of bringing Florida history to life in downtown Orlando, inside the landmark 1927 courthouse the museum calls home at 65 East Central Boulevard. The evening also makes an easy pairing with the museum’s galleries, which trace 14,000 years of Central Florida history, from the region’s earliest inhabitants through the citrus, cattle and tourism eras.
Native American Heritage Month is observed each November, and events like this one give Orlando residents a way to celebrate it close to home. Whether you are a teacher, a student, a history lover or simply curious about the deep roots beneath the city, Happy City News recommends booking a seat for November 18.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
