Partners statue is a sculpture that sits front in center in front of Cinderellas castle in Walt…read moreDisney worlds magic kingdom. Extremely popular photo opp as it features two Disney icons in the man Walt Disney himself and his main superstar Mickey Mouse. The couple stand hand in hand and greet the millions and possibly Even billions of visitors to the legendary theme park. Overall very cool and perfect sculpture for a Walt Disney world theme park. When people think Disney the words Walt and Mickey come to the forefront of everyone's minds.

The partner statue is a cool statue to check out when you were in Disney World. It is where it all…read morestarted between Walt Disney Mickey Mouse, holding hands building a foundation in the Empire that they have created.

Freewheelin is a statue by Gray Lee Price that perfectly captures a moment of youth when the world…read moreseemed boundless and in our innocence, we felt freedom in the wind. The statue is located in the Chapin Station and Neighborhood Park and is appropriately enough by the children's playground. Public art is an important part of a community. It gives a community a personality beyond the asphalt and steel. Public art, like all art, should make us think and feel. This is a great addition to the community.

This small plaque is to honor Colonel Corbin Marquand Sarchet, III, who is the founder of "Fiesta…read morein the Park" in Lake Eola. Fiesta in the Park has been recognized as one of the top 100 arts and crafts shows here in the United States of America and it is by the selfless work of this man and others that make it a reality. This plaque is a bit hard to find, though it is located by the Walt Disney Amphitheater in Lake Eola. I'm in Lake Eola pretty much weekly and it is surprising that I have never noticed this before. However, I saw today and I learned something new today about an extraordinary man who has given of himself so selflessly of for his community. If you were in Lake Eola Park seek this little plaque out. Lake Eola Park is definitely my favorite Park in Orlando and it is because of these little things that make this park so epic. Come check out the park as a whole and definitely seek out this little plaque.

A good authentic (some exceptions) Lebanese food. Service is really nice and ambience comfortable…read morewith nice outdoor area. Lacks on dish presentation and attention to detail.

Cedar of Lebanon is one of 9 sculptures that are part of See Art Orlando, a permanent contemporary…read morecollection of art that was unveiled by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the See Art Orlando Board of Directors on November 18, 2013. The art project was launched by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and art lover Jennifer Quigley. They hoped that adding public art to downtown Orlando would bring pride, boost the economy, and strengthen the city's cultural core. The art is mainly displayed around Lake Eola. You can find Cedar of Lebanon at the cul-de-sac on Osceola Ave next to Post Parkside just off Lake Eola Park Cedar of Lebanon was by sponsored by Khaled Akkawi and created by local artist Jake Harmeling who owns Qui Studios in Ivanhoe Village. He was the only local artist selected to create a piece for the See Art Orlando project. Cedar of Lebanon is a three story tall abstract metal tree made from bent sprinkler pipes and mirrored stainless steel canopies that are the leaves of the tree. The art work represents Orlando's diversity, strength, and elegance. At night the sculpture is lit from within. It is also meant to represent the nature found throughout Orlando. I like the the large scale of the piece and how it mirrors the trees found naturally all around Lake Eola.

A fun and free activity in downtown historic Kissimmee is a self guided mural tour. The murals are…read morepart of The Time For Art is Now public art project funded by Osceola Arts in downtown Kissimmee. The projects mission is to revitalize the downtown area with colorful works of art. Some of my favorite murals feature native Florida plants and animals like this one, Florida Panther by artist Ryan Semple. Semple focuses on subjects of flora and fauna in his art. Ryan painted this mural in 2020 with the help of his girlfriend Samantha Shumaker who he met while working on another mural. The subject of the mural is the Florida panther, a threatened species. Their population was decimated by hunting and they were one of the first species added to the Endangered Species Lust in 1973. In the 1970's there were only 20 to 30 left in the wild. Today there are around 200 living in the Everglades and Big Cypress Preserve. Habitat destruction, pollution, and diseases continue to threaten their population.

This mural is located on the side of the City Centre building, which is located on the corner of…read moreEast Central Boulevard and Rosalind Avenue in downtown Orlando. It is not far from Lake Eola Park and is a vibrant piece of art that enhances and beautifies the downtown Orlando, Florida area. Public art shows the underlying personality of a city, it adds soul to the concrete and steel that define most large cities and shows us the community rather than simply the population in terms of numbers. This piece of art is a wonderful addition to the downtown Orlando area and I definitely encourage you to come check it out.

A fun and free thing you can do in historic downtown Kissimmee is take a self guided mural tour…read more One of the murals you would see is the colorfu Bengal Tiger mural on the Broadway building by Florida based visual artist, Nicole (Nico) Holderbaum. Nico has painted murals around the world and has mentored thousands of students, guiding them in painting murals on over 30 schools in Florida. She is currently based in Miami. Bengal Tiger is part of The Time For Art is Now public art project funded by Osceola Arts in downtown Kissimmee. The projects mission is to revitalize the downtown area with colorful works of art. Created in 2020, Bengal Tiger is on Kissimmee Jewelers on Darlington Street and Broadway Streets. It features the majestic head of a tiger is shads of orange, yellow, red, purple, and pink. While I like the murals featuring native Florida plants and animals, this mural carries an important reminder that tigers are on the brink of extinction. Today there are fewer than 3,900 tigers that live in four percent of the land they once historically ranged. I think this mural serves as a wakeup call that we need to be environmentally conscience so that animals can roam the planet freely and not just entertain us in zoos.

I came across this little bit of history on a recent trip to Mead Botanical Garden. It seems that…read morenaturalist William Bartram, known as "Puc Puggy" to the Native Americans in the area, brought renown to Florida when he discovered native species of plants here sometime around 1774. The sign was erected by the Winter Park Garden Club in cooperation with the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs. I love finding these signs that give I said glimpse of the past. It is interesting to me to find these footsteps from yesteryear that let us to where we stand today. All in all, if you find yourself here and Mead Botanical Garden, take a moment to remember this man and think about what he accomplished. Florida was certainly a wildlands and very uncharted. His quest made the world a better place.