Party in a palace, 1902-style

Flagler Museum offers free entry for Founder’s Day.

Step back in time to the Gilded Age and wander around the Flagler Museum in West Palm Beach for free on June 5.

From noon to 5 p.m., entry fees will be waived at Henry Flagler's palatial Palm Beach estate to celebrate Founder's Day in honor Flagler's granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews, who established the museum in 1959.

It opened to the public in 1960.

The 75-room, 100,000-square-foot Beaux Arts-style palace was built in 1902, six years after Flagler opened The Breakers Hotel just up the street. It established Palm Beach as a playground for the wealthy at the turn of the century. That privileged tradition is still going strong 115 years later, as the town is frequently thrust into the limelight when President Trump visits his Mar-a-Lago estate. In April First Lady Melania Trump visited Whitehall with Akie Abe, wife of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Flagler, the Florida East Coast Railway magnate known as the father of South Florida, built the mansion as a wedding gift for his bride, Mary Lily. It is filled with priceless art, one-of-a-kind objects and relics from a fascinating period in history. Today, it's designated as a National Historic Landmark.

"I believe Flagler and his accomplishments are one of the best-kept secrets in Florida," says Miami author Les Standiford, who has written 21 novels and historical books including “Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad That Crossed an Ocean." The book is available in the museum gift shop.

"The home takes a back seat to none in terms of its restoration and its status as a living museum. To walk in there is to timetravel. Everything is meticulously restored,” Standiford says. “If you live here in South Florida, don't miss it. It's a veritable time capsule sitting right on Lake Worth."

Regular admission is $18 for adults, $10 for children ages 13-17 and $3 for ages 6-12. Get hours and more information at FlaglerMuseum.Us.

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FILE The 75-room, 100,000-square-foot mansion was built by Henry Flager as a wedding present for his wife Mary Lily Kenan Flagler. The museum offers guided tours, changing exhibits and special programs.