Great venue!! Great service!!…read moreGreat food!!! Great people!! Highly recommend!! Everting ran on time.

1-Star Review…read more Absolutely horrible and upsetting experience. What was supposed to be a beautiful wedding day was cut short because the venue shut the wedding down, and we did not even get to stay for the entire event. One staff member in particular--the shorter woman working that day--had an extremely rude and hostile attitude toward our guests. Rather than communicating professionally or attempting to de-escalate the situation, she called the police and claimed that the bride had threatened her, which was not what we witnessed. She also accused us of planning to leave with open bottles when we were not even leaving the property. What made this especially disturbing was that our group is made up of proud immigrants and people of color. Having the police called on us in the middle of a wedding over accusations that we believed were untrue made everyone feel incredibly unsafe and unwelcome. Everyone in our group has proper legal status, but that did not erase the fear and discomfort created by suddenly having law enforcement brought into what should have been a celebration. Based on our experience, if you are anything other than white, I would be extremely cautious about booking this venue. I can only speak to what we personally experienced, but the way our group was treated left us feeling singled out, uncomfortable, and disrespected. We understand that venues have rules and staff have the right to enforce them. What we do not understand is why the situation needed to be handled with such hostility and escalated to the point of involving police and ultimately ending someone's wedding early. A wedding is something people spend months or even years planning and thousands of dollars celebrating. No bride, groom, family, or group of guests should have their night end this way. What should have been a beautiful memory instead became an upsetting experience that many of us will remember for all the wrong reasons.

Archeological artifacts found at Mackay Gardens suggest that people lived here as early as 3000 BC…read moreto 1000 AD. Initial studies have shown a high potential for archeological sites especially along the undisturbed shoreline. In 1915, Alexander Mackay, a Scottish businessman and investor, purchased property on Lake Rochelle and began construction of the Mackay family estate, which he named "La Rochelle". British botanist John Morley was hired and relocated to Florida and plant citrus groves, which would become MacKay Estates Limited, the family's citrus and cattle holdings in Florida. Dr. David Fairchild who created Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Miami created an experimental tropical plant garden on the property. The 7,000 square foot Mackay historic red brick mansion was built in 1917. It was designed by Gustav Stickley in the craftsman style of architecture. The home features a grand ballroom with a dual fireplaces and an open staircase, sleeping porches, large porch columns, and open interior spaces. After their son was killed World War I, the MacKay family planted parallel rows of eucalyptus trees in a grove known called the Cathedral a short distance from the sunken garden. Past the Cathedral is a 1922 concrete arched bridge on a historic road over a canal connecting Lake Alfred and Lake Wales. In 2004, the Florida Community Trust purchased the property with funds from the Florida Forever program. The next year it was sold to the Trust for Public Land for $2.5 million. The City of Lake Alfred currently owns the 113 acre site and rents the historic Mckay home for weddings and other private events. In addition to the home the property has a park with a playground and restrooms and an environmental education center. There is a 1.1 mile hiking trail along a mile of lakefront shoreline. The gardens are ideal for a quiet walk or even a picnic, especially by the serene lakefront. With lush greenery, flowering plants, and a variety of trees, McKay Gardens feels like an oasis tucked away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This beautiful nature preserve is ideal for anyone who enjoys tranquil outdoor spaces, beautiful landscapes, and a quiet and reflective atmosphere.

We had the opportunity to go here for the wedding of a family friend, and my only issue was that it…read morewas hard to find based on the map location when searching for it. With just a little bit of driving around, we did find the sign and entrance for it. It's set back in a very nice park with a lake. There is Apple parking with a beautiful building set up for events. For the size of the wedding, they have an outdoor area directly behind the building that is covered with extra tenting for some of the extra tables that had to be set up. We were thankful for the covering as towards the end of things it started to rain. The group that was catering, the event did a fantastic job keeping food filled in the buffet style meal they had. All of the food was really good even though I sadly could not eat everything. I did love the desserts though. There's a small bar set up with some very basic offerings. They also had ice water and lemonade which I took of quite a bit. When the happy couple arrived, they arrived around the side of the building in what I believe was a model T. I didn't get a chance to get a close look at the car, but what a fabulous way to show up at your wedding. If you are anywhere near this area and looking to hold an event, you might want to consider this place. Just give your guests a heads up to look closely for the Signageor Google will leave you in the middle of the road somewhere.

Wow. Wow. Wow. The…read morereviews warned of grumpy owners, but honestly, we experienced the exact opposite. We were welcomed and took a seat on the patio which was beautiful. The staff were all so friendly with the owners making rounds and joking with everyone. We did the wine tasting which included 9 wines AND a glass for only 11 bucks!!! We also got bottles for only 16 bucks a bottle! However, the food is the real winner here! This is HANDS DOWN the best pizza I have EVER had. We got the cheeseburger, Philly steak, and the Margherita pizzas. The crust was PHENOMENAL, the flavors immaculate, and the wood fire taste was unbelievable. Then we move to dessert and the homemade carrot cake was OUTSTANDING!!!! I can not recommend this place more. In full transparency, 3 pizzas, 4 wine tastings, 2 carrot cake slices, 2 bottles of wine, and 1 beer, and our bill was only 140! UNBELIEVABLE

Stopped in, unfortunately just before closing. The host was very apologetic and gracious who still…read moregave us quick tour and some history. The tasting room is beautifully decorated and has plenty of items for purchase. Certain times of year it is also a restaurant. The grounds would make for a nice venue to celebrate various occasions. Hope you return again to taste and or dine. Enjoy!

If you are seriously searching for quality antiques, look no further! Jean Carroll has some forty…read moreyears worth of experience in the antique industry. She has lived in many countries and brings this cultural exposure to her store. If you are a fan of flawless antique furniture, glass, jewelry, artwork, sculpture and more, then will love this store. She recently opened her own gallery and it demonstrates her keen eye for beauty and value. I am a repeat customer, and LOVE this new venue. You can be sure that you are getting what you pay for, by someone who knows the history of the item. It is a visual feast! I only regret that I now need a larger vehicle to bring it all back North!

From the owner: Always Buying ... Antiques ~ Estate Jewelry ~ Fine Art ~…read moreSilver & Gold ~ Coins Fine Home Furnishings ~ Complete or Partial Estate .

My family rented this space for my sisters baby shower. It was well worth the price! We were able…read moreto set up early and then have the venue until late at night! It was a large space, has a kitchen, bar area, indoor and outdoor plus bathrooms for both men and women! The air conditioning worked WELL! I would rent this space again. However you can't put anything on the walls so bring lots of decorations.

Wonderful, small venue with great acts. Keep up the good work. Heart of downtown winterhavenread more

We had Catering Oasis do our daughters Wedding reception at the Garden Center in Winter Haven(March…read more2023). It was a mix and mingle reception with casual food stations. It was perfect, taco station, wing station and Mac and cheese station. The food was amazing. Thank you Michelle for your team. They were very professional helpful and kind. All of our guests were raving about the food. Thanks again Cathy H.

I couldn't have been more pleased. I'm from Michigan. I had no contacts in the area, phone calls…read moreand web sites were all I had to go on. Grant and Joe were quick to respond, helpful, professional, and easy to talk to. Their serving team was friendly, engaging and efficient. We chose the pork chops and they were spectacular. We fed about 120 people at an outdoor pavilion. These professionals came in, set up the grill, prepared the food, brought everything we needed and when we were done they picked up, cleaned up, no fuss, no mess. They exceeded my expectations at every level.