I am a fan of the 1920's Florida land boom years ornate architecture. I especially love the old…read moretheaters that have been lovingly restored in many small towns. I discovered this Mediterranean-Revival gem in Frostproof while attending the Scenic Ridge 39 Mile Long Garage Sale, The sale ran right through the historic downtown in front of the theater. The theater was open to sell snacks and provide restrooms. Ramon Theater was built in 1925 by Vera and Frank Thompson at a cost of $100,000. The building was designed by M. Leo Elliott, a well known architect from Tampa. The Thompsons named the theater after their second son Ramon who was born in 1925. The theater was built with a wide stage, dressing rooms, and an orchestra pit for vaudeville shows. Later on it showed silent movies with piano accompaniment. The original piano, used to accompany silent films, has been preserved and is on display in the lobby. The Ramon was Frostproof's only movie theater and it was operated by Vera Thompson until it closed in the late 1960's. The theater was left to decay until the Frostproof Chamber of Commerce purchased it and the building next door. In 2002 they were able to raised half of the 1.3 million dollars needed to restore the historic building. The rest of the restoration money came from state and county grants. The theater was reconfigured, the snack bar removed, and new carpeting, wallpaper, and updated restrooms were added. The original seats have been removed and they set up folding chairs for performances. In 2007 a gala was held to celebrate the progress made on the restoration and its new life as a community event venue. Today the historic theater hosts productions, concerts, and social, civic and business events. Upcoming events include a musical salute honoring veteran on November 11th, Christmas with Chris Ruggiero on December 14th, and Joey Grillo tribute to Tom Petty on February 3, 2024. The theaters murder mystery events are very popular. The November murder mystery is already sold out but there is one on December 31st that still has tickets for $25.

Wow! What a great little theater I didn't even know existed!…read more A friend was doing a show here, so I drove down to check it out. THis theater has been meticulously restored and you can see the time, money effort, passion, and love that was put into the renovation- and in speaking with the staff, you can also see their pride and passion! There are many theaters like this around our great country, many in sad disrepair, so it is wonderful to see an old theater like this one back to its former glory. I look forward to seeing more shows here in the future!

Cute indoor museum for small kids. Each section had a good amount of things for small kids to…read moreexplore. Not only did my 10 month old love crawling around but my 17 year old son and husband enjoyed the puzzles and building areas. I enjoyed the little mini Publix area. If in the area it's a good place to escape the heat!

Great place nice people! It's temporarily in lakeshore mall…read more My kids really enjoyed themselves!

We visited in May 2019. The Art League Gallery is now a studio for members and workshops. It's…read morecalled Grateful Hearts and is not a gallery. So Sad. When we were his in 2016 it was a very nice gallery exhibiting local artists' work. The ladies I met inside were very nice, but no artwork.

What a pleasant surprise in Sebring, FL! While visiting family in the area, my sister insisted we…read morego to the Highlands Art League gallery. Gallery? In Sebring? My sister said she went there every time she visited grandma. Who knew there was a gallery, so we said okay and went. What a lovely place! A lot of artists have retired in Sebring and operate this small gallery and also teach classes. We had a wonderful tour by one of the artists, met another one working on a beautiful painting and ended up buying a small oil of a chicken for the kitchen and a painted tile for fun. The art is a nice mix, the gallery has an entire area dedicated to a specific local artist each month (and a wine and cheese reception too), and the prices are reasonable. Check it out next time you are in Sebring - I know we will!

Can't beat free and fun mural pics, and fun circus stuff inside. It's small inside with a costume…read moreshop and memorabilia, but it's nice and thoughtfully put together. I think it was most fun taking pics outside around the building. Inside it was nice and the person working was super welcoming!!!

The place is listed as one of the local attractions. The property is easy to find, just look for…read morethe bright and colorful murals outside the store. The parking is just behind the museum. This museum is free. They do take donations. The donations are used to promote the art of clowning lol. I think it's a good cause. The inside of the museum is not that big. It is divided into two rooms. The place is packaged with clown things. At the entrance, I was greeted by a friendly host. She asked me if I wanted to watch the introductory film playing. I did and so she walked me to one of the rooms. This was the museum side. The film was not long. It was interesting. It talked about some of the different things around the museum. After the film, the host gave a tour of the room and explained more things. That was a really cool room to visit. The ceiling had paintings of clowns new and old. The room had memorabilia such as clothing, shoes, pictures, and much more. I learned new things. The second room was like a store. It had wigs, little statues, funny things, and other things. It was a good place to buy souvenirs. The staff was so nice and friendly. I enjoyed my time here and learned new things.

I have wanted to go to this yard sale event along the Scenic Highway for a few years now but it is…read morequite a distance from where I live. It required the commitment of leaving my house at 5 AM to make it to the first stop closest to me, Frostproof by 8 AM. This was the year I finally made it. The sale is always held the first Saturday in November and attracts thousands of people. It takes place from 8Am to 3 PM. The sale is sponsored by Ridge Scenic Highway Corridor, Corridor Management Entity, City of Lake Wales, Frostproof Chamber of Commerce, Lake Wales Woman's Club, Lake of the Hills Community Club, Town of Lake Hamilton, Dundee Methodist Church, and the City of Frostproof. These civic, religious, and non profit groups have been working together since 2007 to promote tourism along the Lake Wales Ridge. While you shop at the sale you can also dine at local restaurants and shop at businesses. While I pretty much stuck to the sale it was hard not to get sidetracked by some of the places I have always wanted to visit. I got to visit a few on this trip in addition to reaching each of the official sale stops. The sale runs along the Lake Wales Ridge and extends 38.7 miles from its intersection with US 27 S of Frostproof to where it intersects with US 17/92 in Haines City. There are five official locations for the sale. These are downtown Frostproof, Lake Wales at the Woman's Club, Lake of the Hills at the Community Clubhouse, Dundee at the Methodist Church, and Lake Hamilton at the Town Hall grounds. In between the official stops are many other unofficial sales. It would be impossible to stop at every sale in one day. Along the route are a number of cultural and historical sites along with lakes, natural areas, citrus groves, and unique Florida attractions. The first stop in Frostproof was the perfect way to start the sale. I loved shopping among the historic buildings of Frostproof. I got coffee with Mr. Chris in a historic train depot and visited the friendly folks at the Chamber of Commerce. I love how this sale introduced me to the beautiful Lake Wales Ridge. There is still so much more I want to explore.

Lake Placid is known as the Caladium Capital of the World. Ninety-eight percent of the world's…read morecaladium bulbs are grown in Lake Placid. Although native to South America, caladiums are popular house plants that are easily propagated from tubers, or bulbs. Ninety-eight percent of the world's tubers are grown in Lake Placid on fourteen caladium farms. To celebrate the importance of caladiums to the Lake Placid economy, an annual festival is held late July. This year was the 34th annual Caladium Festival. I always wanted to attend so I am happy I made it happen this year. It was worth the drive to take part in this charming celebration. The festival is held over three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A car show is held in nearby Devane Park on Saturday. The main events of the Caladium Festival take place in Stuart Park. There is plenty of free parking in a field next to the park. In Stuart Park you will find artisan tents, food, live entertainment, and of course caladiums for sale along with other kinds of plants. Do not miss the Elk tent for their popular strawberry shortcake ice cream dessert. For only $6 it benefits their children's charity. The Masonic Lodge sells fried catfish and the Knights of Columbus make pulled pork. There are other tents and trucks selling every kind of food you can imagine not to mention all of the nearby cafe's, restaurants, and coffee and ice cream shops which will also have food and drinks for sale. A highlight of the festival is shopping for caladiums at the numerous tents in Stuart Park. Before this festival I really never gave much thought to caladiums but I was impressed with how pretty they are and how many different shades of pink and red they came in. They make attractive and hardy house plants and ground cover for the garden. Other items I saw for sale included tropical wine, local honey, clothes, accessories, jewelry, and art. Almost of all of the area businesses were also selling caladium themed merchandise. The festival also has a floral arrangement competition sponsored by The Lake Placid Garden Club, a Caladium Festival art competition, and the Tiny and Little Miss Caladium Festival Pageant. For $18 you can purchase a bus ticket from the Women's Club and take an hour long tour of the caladium farms. Throughout the festival there is live entertainment on the stage in Stuart Park. It was really hot throughout the day and Advent Health was on hand with free cold water, cooling towels and backpacks, and a cooling off misting area. Other stops I made during the festival which I really enjoyed were to the Lake Placid Historical Society and Museum where I took in a little town history and enjoyed a complimentary cold water and to the Caladium Arts and Crafts Cooperative where I shopped local artisans. Of course I couldn't help but admire all of the murals in the downtown that gave Lake Placid its other nickname, Town of Murals. If you are thinking about attending this festival, do it! The folks of Lake Placid are some of the friendliest you will meet in Florida.

Lake Placid, Florida is the caladium capital of the world, and every year they have a festival to…read morecelebrate. This year, 2021, was the festival's 30th year, and my first time attending. The festival ran from 9 am - 4 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10 am - 3 pm on Sunday. In addition to the Arts and Crafts Show and Plant Show which ran all three days, they also had a Car & Bike show on Saturday. You were encouraged to buy bus tickets at the show to tour the nearby caladium farms, but we did not do this. Parking was easy because we arrived early. The first thing we did was go the closest tent to buy caladiums. I bought a flat of 10 different caladium plants for $24, which is dirt cheap. I was thrilled that there was also cactus vendor, and ended up buying a few succulents, also at outstanding prices. I went home with a new bromeliad too - I can't say no when it comes to cool plants. The festival was much larger than I expected it to be, with a nice assortment of craft vendors selling a variety of products. When the heat became too much, we went inside a nearby building to vote on our favorite piece of caladium art, and caladium plant display. I love that the church was handing out ice water, and there was a water truck you could refill your water bottle at. There were plenty of food vendors, and the fresh fruit mix vendor was perfect for this steamy day. Make sure you wear plenty of sunscreen if you go; while there were a few shade tents set up to eat at, and listen to the live assortment of musical acts, it was broiling outside. A great time was had by all, and we will definitely be back next year.

I can't believe I missed reviewing this place! Several years ago, I moved down to Florida to take…read morecare of my elderly mother. About once a month she would decree she wanted to play Bingo so off we went to this joint with the dutiful son pushing the wheelchair! Arriving- They are on Main Street in a tiny plaza 200 yards off US 27 North. On popular days attendees monopolize all the parking places much to the dismay of the neighboring pizza place! On those days, parking can be a challenge! They are open most every day. Ambience- Wild and crazy, mostly elderly folks having a great time and occasionally screaming BINGO like they just won a new lease on life. A sprinkling of sons and daughters like me looking like they'd rather be sent to the 7th level of hell or maybe they were there already! They don't call it a Bingo Hall for nothing because it's just a big room with tables and chairs and of course the caller's station. There is a kitchen with food, mostly fried, and drinks available for purchase. It's strictly non-smoking and every so often they call a smoke break where the addicted stagger outside for their fix. Cost- It's hard to tell. It's like a casino. There are all kinds of different Bingo games, single and multiple jackpots, progressive games, games with crazy rules etc. I'd make sure my mother had $25 cash in her purse, and she could play for hours and have the occasional drink and snack without taking out a 2nd mortgage! Customer Service- Sometimes the elderly need a little help, especially the games with non-standard rules. These folks were wonderful! It is what it is. Some people will yell that it's gambling and treat it like it's an illegal drug, but I say it's a wonderful diversion for folks that are finishing up their life. Sadly, my mother passed away but wherever she is, maybe there is a Bingo Hall!

Great place to play bingo for an afternoon or evening. They play paper and have computer machines…read more We played both, being from Lakeland, didn't want to drive home at night so played the matinee game on Sunday. We had fun, won a little, great people. If we were to go again we'd go for the evening game. I think they are closed on Monday, but open rest of week with matinee on Wednesday and Sunday.