Festival at Fort King: The History of the Seminole War

OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Fort King is a reconstructed U.S. Army fortress that now stands as a historical national landmark. The Fort King Heritage Foundation is dedicated to educating visitors and preserving the history of the Seminole Wars and the significance of Fort King at the time. The City of Ocala and Fort King Heritage Foundation hosted the annual Festival at Fort King historical reenactment event at the Fort King National Historic Landmark on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7, 2025, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

A large fort stands in the background with an American flag stretching over its wall and two vendor booths lined in front of it. On the ground across a field from the fort is a painted white square with a blue drawing of the fort and words reading, "Fort King National Historic Landmark." A tall pillar stands next to it as people walk around the area. — The Fort King Heritage Foundation and City of Ocala hosted Festival at Fort King on Dec. 6 and 7 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on both days. Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today

This two-day event featured multiple themed interactive attractions, historical reenactments, demonstrations, a live reptile show, Seminole camp displays, a variety of vendors, food trucks and entertainment. Upon arrival, guests walked through a wooded trail to enter the fort grounds before being greeted by storytelling and flute playing in front of the Heritage Garden. Past the garden was stadium seating with a fenced area where guests could watch a demonstration by Scales, “Tails and Teeth–Wildlife Park and Roadshow.”

A man dressed as a Seminole tells a captivating story in front of a garden. A sign in front of him reads, "Flute & Storytelling."

An alligator's jaw is held upward by a man while two other people wrap the mouth closed during a presentation. A fence blocks the audience from the gator.

To the left of the storytelling and flute playing section was a Seminole camp reenactment area where volunteers were dressed in traditional Seminole clothing, showcasing what Seminoles would have worn during the time. There were multiple chickee huts displayed around the area with items that would have been seen in those huts at the time of the Seminole War. Some of these featured weapons, fires, baskets, bags, blankets, cooking materials, animal hides, collectibles and more.

Two men dressed in Seminole clothing sit outside of a Chikee hut with old guns and traditional items surrounding them.

A crowd of people surround a man dressed in Seminole clothing, doing a historical re-enactment.

A man wearing Seminole clothing does a demonstration in front of a Chickee hut.

A chickee hut is filled with traditional Seminole items including animal hides, baskets, bags, blankets and cooking materials.

A chickee hut is filled with Seminole combat items including armor, dishes, weaponry, baskets and a gun.

A yellow chickee hut is propped up with a table in front of it. The table is filled with sharp weapons and a display board with historical object Seminoles would have carried.

Toward the paved outer section of the fort vendors and booths lined the sidewalks and outer walls of the fort displaying items for sale or interactive elements. Some of these vendors included Archaeology at Fort King, Silver River Museum, Discovery Center, Fort King merchandise, Seminole Wars Historical Foundation, Marion County Recreation & Parks and more. Some vendors sold t-shirts or handed out educational and promotional items while others sold traditional handcrafted items and demonstrated traditional trades such as blacksmithing, archaeology, carpentry and more. Food trucks were set up in front of the fort with picnic benches in the field for visitors to sit down with their treats.

A table with a green tablecloth and text reads, "Silver River Museum & Environmental Education Center." On the table are animal bones, hides and a turtle shell.

A table with a blue and purple theme is host to multiple promotional items. Two girls pose together behind the table under a canopy.

Tables with red and blue table clothes have handmade items scattered around them under a large tent.

A man sits behind a red table with popcorn, rock candy and other candy on it. In the background is a white sign that reads, "Giggles Popcorn."

A pink truck with painted text written on it promotes pretzels and lemonade with two white signs in front of it promoting pizza and pretzels.

An orange food truck withe serving counter and a menu has two employees standing inside. The sign reads, "Grill & Chill. with a variety of food and drink options."

A Kona Ice van is parked in a grassy field with trees and a fence surround it.

Two metallic stadium seating areas are filled with people in an open field with a dense forest behind them.

A band playing string instruments plays under a pitched canopy with purchasable CDs on the right and a circular piece of metal in the middle reading, "7lbs of Bacon."

A man demonstrates blacksmithing skills with a stone oven inside a wood building.

A man shows his carpentry skills for a crowd of onlookers.

Inside the fort, artisans surrounded the area with themed decorations, a themed food vendor, purchasable crafts and demonstrations such as woodworking, a land surveyor of the period, ragdoll making, handcrafted items and more.

A cast iron set is strung above a small fire made in wood logs. Surrounding it are items that would have been seen historically during the Seminole Wars.

Two men in historical clothing participate in a re-enactment event in a woodwork and spoon mule shop.

A man and woman stand behind a table, serving two people under a large white tent.

A group of people explore a small weaving shop under a white canopy.

Throughout the days, there were multiple reenactments and demonstrations that guests could watch from stadium seating in the open field behind Fort King. A hand-to-hand combat demonstration showcased how Seminoles would have fought and interacted with U.S. soldiers and ranked officials. Rifleman demonstrations and cannon firing provided a look into the weaponry of the time and how they were handled. “Re-enactment: Attack at Fort King” demonstrated what a large-scale battle at the fort would have looked like.

A man dressed in an old U.S. Army outfit stands next to three people dressed in Seminole clothing in front of a large fort and tents.

A man dressed in an old U.S. Army uniform performs a demonstration with a man dressed in Seminole clothing.

A woman stands in Seminole clothing, preparing for a combat demonstration.

A man in a U.S. Army uniform performs a hand-to-hand combat demonstration with a man dressed in a Seminole outfit.

Two men in historical soldier uniforms walk through a field surrounded by a dense forest with white tents pitched around the area.

A man sits at a table with white, red and gray table clothes surrounded by a dense forest, white tents and people talking behind him.

An open field is filled with white tents and men walking around in historical U.S. Army uniforms.

Fort King National Historic Landmark continues to educate visitors about the Seminole Wars and the significance of its history. The Fort King Visitor Center & Archaeological Resource Center is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. while the Fort King Park grounds, including the fort, are open every day from sunrise to sunset or 7 p.m., whichever comes first. The fort is free for anyone to visit and learn about the history through educational signs displayed throughout the grounds.

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Festival at Fort King: The History of the Seminole War

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