Visiting a botanical garden for the first time, I expected a vibrant display of diverse flowers and…read moreplants, plus a little bit of cute wildlife, the kind of immersive nature experience you see in travel guides. Instead, this botanical garden felt more like a peaceful park with lots of trees and a well-maintained walking trail. My expectations were definitely high, so the experience surprised me. That said, it was calm, quiet, and relaxing. There were plenty of places to sit, which makes it a great spot for a picnic, reading, journaling, or simply unplugging for a while. If you are looking for a serene outdoor space to reset and enjoy a slow, mindful walk, this is a solid choice. If you are hoping for a colorful, flower-filled botanical garden experience, you may want to visit during peak bloom season or check what is currently flowering before you go.

We stopped at the Joy & Gordon Patterson Botanical Garden during a weekend in Melbourne Florida…read more It is located on the campus of Florida Institute of Technology. I had a little difficulty finding the correct parking lot and entrance to the garden but once in the correct lot I saw the sign. It is a leisurely walk through the 15 acre garden. It is not a garden in the sense of flowery plants but more a native hammock. There is a meandering stream and a little pond of turtles, we counted 10 including snapping turtles. Melbourne's oldest schoolhouse, 1883, has been relocated here. It was the weekend and campus was pretty quiet. We enjoyed a nice walk, even in misty rain. I recommend a visit to the garden if you are in the area especially if you have kids who would enjoy the turtles.

The James W. Rossiter House is it historic home of James Wadsworth Rossiter, Sr., who came to this…read morepart of the world in 1902. He purchased this property in 1903, go the history of the house can be traced to before the Civil War. I love to find Historical pieces of a community such as this. It is important that we know the footsteps of the past that led us to the present. It is hard to imagine what Florida was like not only during the Civil war, but even in the early 1900s. There was no air conditioning and I am confident that life was very difficult here in the Sunshine State. If you find yourself in melbourne, come check this place out.

I love to discover historic buildings so I was pleased to discover this museum on a recent trip to…read moreEau Gallie, now part of Melbourne. The Rossetter House Museum is made up of the 1908 Rossetter House and Gardens, the 1892 Roesch House once owned by the first mayor of Eau Gallie and the 1865 Houston Cemetery where the first white settlers to Eau Gallie are buried. James Rossetter (1863-1921) was born in Hamilton County, Florida. He arrived in Eau Gallie in 1902 and bought this property in Eau Gallie in 1904 from the first settler to the area, John Houston who fell in love with the area while conducting a Seminole Indian census in 1850. The house started as a small existing building on the property. Rossetter was a leading merchant in the fishing industry and agent for the Standard Oil Company. As his wealth increased, Rossetter purchased the winter home of John Aspinwall, a New York industrialist and moved it to his property. The Aspinwall structure was built in 1890 and makes up the west wing of the house, connected by open-air breezeways. James lived in the home with his wife Ella and their children Caroline, Ella, James, Appleton, and Charles. Caroline and Ella remained in the home until their deaths at which time the house and contents were donated to the Rossetter House Foundation. It is managed by the Florida Historical Society who gives guided tours Wednesday through Saturday. After you finish your tour you should make your way to Main Street, Eau Gallie which is just steps away with restaurants, shops, and art. I highly recommend stopping at FM Pizza Oven and Joan's Perfect Pie to complete your visit.

I had Mr. Klopfenstine make two stained glass panels approximately 10 inch wide X 7 ft high to go…read moreon each side of the front door. They fit perfectly and look beautiful. I sketched them and Klopfenstine made them come to life. He delivered them and installed them in person. He did it all. I give him FIVE stars (out of five Unfortunately, I am VERY sad to say, that he was deceased several years ago. I am very fortunate that I was able to have him do the job.

Amazing art work and can't believe the stuff this amazing artist has created. His work is featured…read morein museums and his studio is open to anyone. Loved the experience even bought some pieces of his outstanding artwork. This is a must see for people in cocoa beach!

This is a very interesting gallery in the Melbourne Art District. Fascinating works of art. Had…read morevarious selection. The service was friendly. Can't say much about the value or the pieces, since I'm not an art expert. What was interesting was there was a piano outside and noticed a person playing it, even when the gallery was closed. Not sure if it was a one-time occurence or all the time. Just got a good vibe about this place. Enjoy

I'll start with the pros- the actual museum portion is great. Lots of information and artifacts to…read morecover. The ancient Egypt section was a highlight for me. I also really liked the variety of the gift store. Items for all ages and interests. The cons- it's really small. Don't plan on this visit taking up more than 2 hrs, especially with small kids who are only interested in looking and not reading facts lol. Also, the fun zone left a lot to be desired. The games are really outdated and there was no one there to assist in the reptile area. Overall it was a good experience but not a place I see the need to go to more than once

This store is so amazing! They sell genuine dinosaur bones here! They have a children's exhibit…read morehere! They sell the coolest things! They sell jewelry and raw gemstones. They have a section of store devoted to framed insects and bats. This store really does have everything. My mother got a beautiful large raw labradorite stone and a stunning white and sky blue necklace pendant from the sole mine in the world that has this gemstone. My brother got a real megalodon tooth with a sterling silver fish hook for a pendant hook. For what they offer here I can say that their prices are reasonable. They also have a decent amount of parking. This is a great place to go to if you are local in the Space Coast area of Florida and if you are a tourist visiting or planning to visit. I definitely recommend this fantastic and wonderful store.

Love this art center/ gallery/ boutique! I may be a little biased as I have my jewelry line on…read moredisplay and for sale here, but there are many reasons why I dig this place. Off Center has some really amazing locally created art and art pieces. Ruth Ann, who owns Off Center is not only a creative visionary and jack of all trades, but she's a genuinely nice person. All the staff is friendly and creative. They offer several art classes for children, which they really seem to enjoy. This place is a great resource for art and creativity, and a little retail therapy.

We register ahead of time for an event during spring break…read more The artist who was painting was great! They gave the kids enough time to paint each step. The place is on the smaller side and was packed. I'm sure the kids being on break had it more slammed than normal. The entire place was nice and cleaned (very organized). It is definitely expensive and not something we would do again soon. Maybe a mom night out in the future. I deducted a star because honestly parking is a nightmare. I was not familiar with the area and there was street parking... random paying parking, there was no clear sign for the parking behind their building (an email said that there was parking behind there). This place would be soooo great if there was a real parking lot, maybe in the future in another location. I do recommend this as something fun to do.

We brought sushi and wine, Painting with a Twist brought the FUN! We had a wonderful time…read morecelebrating a friend's birthday. Even with instructions our paintings definitely showed our different characters. Elisabeth and Bri (pronounced Bree) were fabulous in teaching and helping us with our non artistic talent! This was an opportunity to enjoy each other in a non bar/club setting but still meet other people and have a blast. I do think they need a soundtrack that goes with the instructions but the background music was pleasant. So much fun!! Highly recommend

This is a fantastic flea market. It's my favorite flea market out of all the other flea markets…read morethat I've ever been to. They have ample parking and they have a lot of awesome shops all gathered in one cool, massive, open to the outside but still covered, building. You can even find fantastic deals on really great items such vintage and antique pieces here. I once found an antique, 1800's Victorian period, rose gold and opal ring. It was in a ring display holder amongst all kinds of different rings ranging in different sizes, styles, and ages, that were for sale. They sell all kinds of things here, such as clothing, plants, pets (including purebred puppies) and pet supplies. They sell dishes and all different kinds of other things that you would find in a garage sale or yard sale. They sell knives and other different custom one of a kind items, which is great for finding that perfect gift for birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc. Plus, don't forget that prices at flea markets are often times negotiable. I would definitely make it a point to stop here and shop for Christmas and the holiday season, as the weather will be beautiful outside that time of year and there will likely be holiday themed shops and a lot of the best shops of the year to browse during that time of year. They also have a food area where you can stop, and take a break from walking around, to get some tasty food and refreshing drinks to keep you cool and hydrated. This area is definitely a little on the smaller side, given the enormous size of the flea market, but they do have a fair amount of seating. An issue to consider when deciding if you should come to this flea market is that it's so very hot in Florida (especially in the Summer months), that it's almost too dangerous to walk around outside at flea markets, because you risk suffering a heat stroke. They sell many ways of staying cooler online. We live in a state where people come year round to visit the theme parks, so people are always finding new ways of staying cool in the Summer. My mother just bought a hat that is solar powered, and it has multiple adjustable fans that blow air on to her directly, that she uses when she is out and about in the Florida heat. She primarily uses it to keep her cool while she is gardening. Something that might help a lot is if vendors at this flea market carried business cards, with a good number to call, in the event that they wanted to tell us if they had something available that a specific customer might have an interest in, ahead of time. Like if a vendor sold rings, and then gave me his card, he could call me if he had any vintage and antique rings in stock, and I could call him whenever I wanted to check and see if there was anything I might be interested in in stock that day as well. I definitely recommend checking out this flea market. It's a fun way to spend the day and you definitely won't regret it.

Some vendors had excellent pricing and were very helpful in finding items. I was on a hunt for…read morebrass items and they were plentiful! My friend ended up getting a piece for 10 dollars that was over a $200 value when we looked it up online afterwards. I was able to find cds for a dollar each! I had my eye on the candle holders in my photo but the pricing was a bit steep.