The Lake Wales Arts Center is located in a former historic mission style, Holy Spirit Catholic…read moreChurch. The church architect was Peter Cornelius Samwell of Winter Park and the landscape architect and decorator was A. E. de Leon. R. W. Burrows Construction Company built the Catholic Church in 1927. For the next sixty years the church congregation steadily grew until finally it reached capacity in 1988 and moved to a new church on 9th Street. Mrs. Frances Donnellon Updike, a parishioner and Ann W. Norton, an artist and educator, co-chaired a movement to raise the money to purchase the old church and transform it into the new home of the Lake Wales Arts Council which was founded in 1972 to promote arts in the region. Throughout the 1990's, the Arts Center expanded its programming by adding performances, exhibitions, summer camps, and community art education. By 2001, $1.4 million was raised for structural restoration and a new addition. The Michael Crews Education Wing and Gallery opened in 2001, named in honor of one of the Arts Council founders. In 2011 Polk County State College took over the building and renovated it. They held college classes and art events but they returned ownership back to the Lake Wales Arts Council in 2018. Today the Lake Wales Arts Center serves as a regional destination for visual and performing arts. They offer many free events throughout the year including concerts with partners like Bok towers in the Updike Concert Hall, in the grassy courtyard, and in the outdoor seating area. They also have art exhibitions, workshops, classes, festivals, and community events. Annual events include an international photo competition, black history month exhibit, and Hispanic heritage month exhibit. Art from seasoned and emerging artists is displayed in the Michael Crews Fine Arts Gallery. Art is rotated every 1-2 months. They offer the most publicly accessible pottery wheels in Polk County and they have the only publicly accessible stained glass studio in Central Florida. They are the home of the Lake Wales Chorale, a group of community voices that have toured internationally. On a recent trip to Lake Wales I was able to pop in for the free art exhibit Sacred currents Spirituality in African Art. I love how the Lake Wales Arts council was able to turn this historic church into a cultural resource for this community.

Fantastic display of horns throughout history from all over the world. Great after school…read moreprograms for arts and cultural enrichment. Wonderful upbeat environment with all kinds of concerts and performances. Highly recommended.

Florida Wildflower Studios is located in downtown Frostproof in the space formerly occupied by the…read moreArt League and Gallery. I love supporting the arts and was excited to discover them during the 39 Mile Scenic Highway Garage Sale that ran through town. Florida Wildflower Studios was created by Chip and Jacque of Jackie's Art Cafe as a way to gives artist a space to attend classes, exhibits, and participate in competitions. They are having an art show and competition for adults and middle school students next year. Entries are due January 2-5. Currently there is a contemporary primitive exhibit by artist Robert Bullock on display in their Gray Gallery. It is on display until November 23, 2023. On the day I visited they were selling art and all kinds of vintage items. They serve coffee from ETHOS Coffee Roasters of Lakeland. This is such a cool business to have in the historic downtown. It gives artists a place to work and display their art while inspiring the next generation of artists.

Florida Wildflower Studios provides an open art studio for members, classes of all levels for…read moremembers and non-members, exhibits, open aire art competitions, entertainment art and more. The art community is welcoming and thrives beautifully bringing varied talent in most any field. We went to an event last night and again was pleasantly surprised with the art competition entries and the talented entertainment Would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to learn, pick up a new hobby or polish their skills.

Frostproof is a small town in Central Florida in southern Polk County that sits on the Lake Wales…read moreRidge. The Lake Wales Ridge Scenic Highway 17 runs through downtown. Frostproof is south of Lake Wales, north of Sebring, and east of winter Haven. The town is located on an isthmus between Reedy Lake and Lake Clinch. Although you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, Frostproof is only an hour's drive from Legoland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios. The town motto is "The Friendly City." The first permanent settlement in Frostproof was in 1850 near Fort Clinch on Lake Clinch. It was named after a US army commander during the Seminole Wars, Duncan Lamont Clinch. The settlement was abandoned a few months later but by the 1880's homesteaders started arriving attracted by the abundant hunting and fishing. W.H. Overocker and other settlers applied for a post office in 1892. The town was originally named Keystone City but it was often confused with Keystone Heights in North Central Florida. The new name of Frostproof was chosen in an effort to convince citrus growers it would never freeze here. Ironically Frostproof froze over later killing all of the citrus trees although the citrus industry recovered and still thrives here to this day. Two of Florida's legendary agricultural giants, Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. and Latimer "Latt" Maxcy controlled most of the ranch and grove land in this part of Florida for years. Katherine Harris, a descendant of Bill Hill Griffin Jr. is a former Florida Secretary of State and the stadium in Gainesville where the Gators play football is known as Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field but most Gator fans just call it the swamp. I was in town for the 39-Mile Scenic Highway Yard Sale that runs right through downtown Frostproof. I was charmed by all of the ornate 1920's architecture from Florida's land boom years. You can walk the Frostproof Historical Trail, a self guided tour of the historical building in town. You can also fish, boat, and bird watch at Reedy Lake, attend a cultural performance at the historic Ramon Theater, or hike at the Ridge Audubon Center and the Arbuckle Wildlife Management Area of the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest. The Frostproof Historical Society and Museum displays exhibits, photographs, and artifacts about Frostproof's past and pioneers. Mister Chris Coffee Gallery & Depot offers coffee, giant muffins, live music and art in a historic train depot while P& J Recreation has been serving up the best southern style slaw burgers since 1943. Florida Wildflower Studios offers art classes, events, and activities. I love small, historic Florida town like Frostproof. They are loaded with charm and friendly people. They are also are great place to find vintage and antique treasures and natural beauty while enjoying the quieter side of Florida. Although Frostproof has two traffic lights in the downtown at most, there are treasures to be unearthed here.