I purchased their homeschool event at the telephone museum for my kiddo and I. It was such an…read moreenriching experience and the staff here especially the teacher guide explaining the history behind the telephones does such a fantastic job of making it so fun and interactive. I loved the way he was able to story tell it and get all the kiddos excited and involved! Kudos and big raise for him please. The grounds have lots of interesting sculptures to see as well. I look forward to coming back for more of their events.

The Maitland Art Center was a pleasant surprise. Who would have imagined that Maitland had such a…read morebeautiful arts center with so much variety? The place includes an art gallery (I recommend the current exhibition by André Smith), the museum with a collection of works and items from Florida that tells the story of Indigenous peoples and white settlers from even before colonization, the Telephone Museum, a chapel with Mayan architecture (which can even be rented for weddings), a covered venue for events that can also be rented, and outdoor areas with some sculptures. A cool weekend outing, and also inexpensive: the admission to the art gallery is only six dollars for adults and free for seniors and students.

Since the Zora Neale Hurston museum was closed we went to check out the home of her childhood best…read morefriend Matilda Moseley..my daughter was doing a report on Zora so we took her to Eatonville to see where she lived,grew up and visited. The house itself was small and lots of interesting item from back in the day..lots of pictures of Matilda and Zora around the home..Brian the caretaker of the home gave us a quick tour and information about the history and it being the 2nd oldest home in Eatonville ..overall a fun quick learning experience for her..Thanks

The Moseley House Museum is located in the Historic District of the Town of Eatonville and is the…read moresecond oldest structure in the town. The Moseley House was constructed near the turn of the century and is one of two remaining examples of the pre-1900 wood frame structure typical to the town. Although the property has been renovated, it still retain features distinguishing it as an archetype of the housing found in the town at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. The house is directly associated with the descendants of two first generation Eatonville citizens: Joe Clark, Eatonville's founder and second mayor and Mrs. Matilda Clark Moseley, niece of Joseph E. Clark. Matilda was married to Jim Moseley, the son of Eatonville's fourth mayor, Sam Moseley. Miz Matilda, or "Tillie" as she was affectionately called, was Zora Neale Hurston's best childhood girl friend. Whenever Zora returned to Eatonville, she was a frequent visitor at the Moseley home. Founder Joseph E. Clark and writer, folklorist, anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston are the most celebrated citizens of Eatonville. We were not able to enter the house but was able to take a good look at it from the outside.

Visiting the Zora Neale Hurston Museum was truly a treat! I learned so much about Zora's life,…read morelegacy, and her contributions to literature, culture, and history. The exhibits were informative and thoughtfully curated. It's a small but powerful space that honors her beautifully. Ms. Shirley Abullah has such a warm and welcoming presence--she was incredibly thorough and passionate in sharing Zora's story. I left feeling both inspired and more connected to such an important part of Black history. I wish more people knew about the museum and about Zora in general. The museum operates solely on donations and is located in historic Eatonville, one of the oldest Black-incorporated towns in the U.S. Each year, they host a large festival celebrating Zora's birthday--it's definitely something worth experiencing!

History is always on the top of my mind when visiting any place, and my trip to FL was no…read moredifferent. I noticed that some of the reviews may turn you off from visiting, but I hope you won't let it. As stated, it's not real a museum per se. It is more of a mini rotating exhibit of a chosen artist to show their work. This is more like a single room Vister Center, for Eatonville. Staff member, Ms. Shirley welcomed us in with open arms when we walked in. She provided us with some reading materials to learn more, and let us take our time looking at the art. She shared with us a little about Zora Neale Hurston. Who appears to have a deep impact on this oldest black municipality in the country. And it was nice to learn a little about the showcased artist as well: Granville Carrol.

What a great museum and way bigger than I was expecting! It cost $8 for admittance and they have…read morebrochures in each section to assist for a self guided tour if you prefer to take your time. The selection was larger than I knew it would be as I thought only of Tiffany Lamps, but it is the glass making, pottery and even art as well! It is a beautiful, picturesque gallery that is worth a look. Only major downside is finding parking but that is really a winter park issue and not the museums fault.

Fantastic and inexpensive attraction in the heart of the historic area of Orlando…read more The largest collection of Tiffany glass in the world and every bit of them are astounding. The self guided tour is fantastic. I did not take advantage of an audio tour. Had I, it probably would have easily been 2-3 hours wandering and looking. Without; it took a good hour. Wide variety of attractions too. Metalworking, painting, glass work, so much more.

Architect and…read morecarpenter There are skilled carpenters and there are talented architects, seldom is one person both. William Waterhouse was one of these rare and special individuals and built a very cool house that reflected his unique abilities. The Waterhouse family decided to come down from New York to spend some time in the Maitland area of Florida in the late 19th century. Wasn't much down there at that time so Mr Waterhouse decided to build his own house. Since he was an accomplished architect he designed the home in the New York style that he was familiar with and since he also hapened to be a skilled carpenter he built the house himself from the abundant local pine. In 1884 the house was finished and the family moved in and lived, entertained and become prominent in the community. The house is impressive and cool but certainly not extravagant. The Waterhouse family would probably be called upper middle class today, well off but certainly not filthy rich. The house was of course changed over the years but was finally restored to reflect it's original character and even filled with antiques from the period. Tours are available with wonderful docents for only three dollars. You not only get to see the cool house, wonderful period furniture and antiques but also the workshop filled with old tools from the time the Waterhouse family lived here. The docent we had was great, she knew everything there was to know about the house, Waterhouse family and the local area in the time the home was built. Patiently answered our questions and gave us a great tour and history lesson. Since the house is right on the grounds of lovely Lake Lily Park after seeing the house you can spend some time walking around the park. A great way to spend a few hours while in Maitland.

Nice little 30 minute tour of this old house built by people that moved here over 100 years ago…read more The house remains almost the same except for a few details, the tour is nice and explains a lot about the house and the people that lived here. Tour is cheap only $3.00 and worth the money,so if you are near lake Lilly come check out it. Its Only open till 4pm so come early. Good tour if you are bored and around the area.

The Winter Park Historical Museum is a small free museum located across the railroad from Central…read morePark. It is operated by the Winter Park Historical Association and resides in a former railroad freight depot. There is a one room exhibit hall that features changing exhibits. The goal of the museum is to engage people in the history of Winter Park. The current exhibit is about the hotels and motels of Winter Park throughout the city's history. The exhibit highlights include the luxury hotels of the late 1800s, like the Seminole Hotel, built in 1886 on Lake Osceola. It was a place that attracted northerners and had luxuries such as steam heating and gaslights. President Grover Cleveland was a visitor but it burned down in 1902. Also included in the exhibit is information about the roadside family motels, tourist courts and the boarding houses used by the workers who built Winter Park. The museum offers programs throughout the year. It is staffed by a volunteer so if you want to know more about the history of Winter Park you can actually speak to someone about it. It also has a small gift shop. If you are in the area it is worth stopping by.

Well crafted tiny museum with friendly staff. Stopped by recently for their exhibit on Winter Park…read moreretail and restaurants of yesteryear. More people came in looking for directions to the Farmer's Market but with a quick visit if interested in our beautiful city.

We go every year. And every year it's getting more packed…read moreso make sure you get there very early I got there at 10:30 a.m. and was having a hard time finding a spot for free. I do have parking for 10 and $20 but I did find a spot and a neighborhood. I love this art show so much beautiful stuff that I can't afford. But I like talking to the artist and finding out where they're from. It was a beautiful day in Winter Park saw a few friends and enjoyed looking through all the shops.

This was my first Arts festival in Winter park and I had such a great time, it was so well…read moreorganized. There were so many Artists, almost impossible not to find someone or something that you liked! I purchased two items, a painting and ceramic bowl, I love them both! Lots of food and drinks, love performances, also, kids and pet friendly so the whole family could come and have a great time.

The Winter Park Downtown Historic District is a fantastic neighborhood with its roots tracing back…read moreto 1881. The neighborhood has some great restaurants and shopping options and is close enough to downtown Orlando to make it convenient, yet far enough away to embrace its own identity and be a lot more laid back. The streets are cobblestone and just adds to the ambiance. This is a nice upscale neighborhood and gives a cool, almost small-town feel in the midst of the city of Orlando, Florida. I would definitely recommend a visit to this cool neighborhood.

Winter Park began as 8 acres of land purchased by David Mizoram Jr. in 1858 who called his purchase…read moreLakeview. The town of Winter Park was plotted when Loring Chase and Oliver Chapman purchased 600 acres in 1881. Life was given to the new town when the railroad was persuaded to extend it's line. The railroad depot built in 1882 was the towns first building. A store was built at Park Ave and Morse Blvd that housed a mercantile, post office, and assembly room. The building still stands. The town was chartered in 1887 and became a retreat for wealthy northerners looking to escape the cold climate in the winter, hence the name of the town Winter Park. The towns economy was built on entertaining winter tourists. Rollins College, the oldest college in Florida was founded here in 1885. The city was incorporated in 1925 and is governed by four city commissioners and a mayor. Today Winter Park is 9 square miles and home to approximately 28,500 residents. The town is known for it's lakes, parks, museums, and shops and restaurants along historic Park Avenue. My favorite restaurant is the Briar Patch. The Winter Park Historic District includes buildings constructed from 1882 through 1965, and it runs along Park Avenue from Canton to Comstock Avenues. Winter Park has held on to its old small town charm. Popular past times here include a boat ride on Lake Osceola, a meal on Park Avenue, and a trip to the Morse Museum. Favorite festivals include the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival and the 4th of July Celebration in Central Park. The Winter Park Historic District is a delightful mixture of the new and the old and just like in the 1800's you can still arrive by train.