William John Howey (January 19, 1876 - June 7, 1938) was an American real-estate developer, citrus…read moregrower, and Republican politician from Florida. He founded and served as mayor for the town of Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida where he developed and sold citrus groves, becoming one of Florida's greatest citrus developers. He was one of the first citrus growers to send fruit from Florida to England. In 1921 he opened Florida's first citrus juice plant. He ran for governor on the Republican ticket in 1928 and 1932. Mr. Howey's prominence led to many distinguished guests visiting the Howey mansion, These included Lord Bathhurst of England, H.B. McNeal, publisher of Golfer's Magazine, golf master Chick Evans, Kansas Governor Alfred Landon, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Phillip's of petroleum fame, and President Calvin Coolidge who was guest of honor at an all-male dinner party in February 1930. Mr. Howey's former home near Lake Wales, Florida became the site of Florida's Bok Tower at the Bok Tower Gardens. In 1925 Mr. Howey commissioned a 20 room mansion in the town he founded. The architect was Katherine Cotheal Budd. During WWI she designed temporary lodgings known as hostess homes for women who were visiting their husbands at military training camps. Budd is credited for creating 72 lodgings with a homelike atmosphere and the Howey House is one of a few existing examples of her work. The Howey Mansion was designed in the popular Mediterranean Revival style. The house is set back on a wide lawn with wrought iron gates and a long horseshoe drive. The entrance to the home features an elaborate, two story bas relief frontispiece .The massive front door and the woodwork on the first floor is made from peaky cypress. Leading to the second floor is a graceful curving stone stairway with a wrought iron banister. Other features of the home include three large fireplaces, a ballroom-size drawing room, enormous beamed ceilings, and a servant call-bell phone system. There is even a hidden passage behind a sliding bookshelf panel in the library. The original 15 acres grounds of the mansion were called The Park and included many botanical plants and shrubs. On March 6, 1927 The Park was the host site for an open air concert performed by the New York Civic Opera Company bringing the top opera singers of the day to the mansion for a concert for the community. The mansion was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Place on January 27, 1983. On April 12, 2017 it was listed for sale at $480,000. The new owners are Brad and Clay Cowherd, Orlando real estate investors who have made period-accurate restoration of the house. I visited the Howey Mansion for the Founders Day Festival. Admission for tours of the home was discounted to $10. The Howey Mansion is available for private rentals like weddings while historical tours are also available Monday through Friday at 11am. The Founder's Day event included a local market, food trucks, live music, and family activities. I enjoyed visiting the tents and touring the mansion including the hidden bar in the basement that was created during prohibition. Behind the mansion, is a trail through the woods that will take you to the Georgian marble mausoleum where the Howey family is interred including William J. Howey (1938), daughter, Lois Valerie Howey (1941), and Mary Hastings Howey (1981). This year Centennial Founder's Day Celebration, marked100 years since the town's founding in 1925.

What an incredible place! We really enjoyed the tour Fran and Mercy gave us. They were extremely…read moreknowledgeable about the property and you can tell they love what they do. The property itself is gorgeous. If you're looking for an event space, you're in luck they rent it out for weddings and other events.

I was invited to an art opening at the Oakland Manor House. I don't know if i was dazzled more by…read morethe beautiful art or by the incredibly beautiful restoration of the Oakland Manor house. The Manor house was built in 1921 as a guest house, back when Oakland was the place to be in Orange County. We had the pleasure of meeting one of the men who lovingly restored this house and he fave us a tour and told us the history. I would highly recommend this as a place to stay or a place to have a small event. It is absolutely gorgeous!

A quiet retreat near Lake Apopka in Oakland Fl. A place for tranquility, RN wellness Coaching,…read more consultations, meditation classes, yoga retreats, and more. Classes for The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. Monthly book club meetings and monthly nature walks featuring the Flora and Fauna of Central Florida. See Facebook and www.oaklandmanorhouse.com and livingwellrn.net. Bed and breakfast. 5 rooms available. Near West Orange Trail and Lake Apopka. .

The first meeting with the event planner/manager went very well. I was impressed with the warm…read morewelcome I received and all of the answers to my concerns. I was promised a written proposal within two days, that proposal took 10 days. I wanted clarification on certain things that were promised verbally on the first meeting and were not listed on the proposal, it took 13 additional days to get a written response. From that point on communication with me via email or text were ignored. After 6 weeks, I texted Planner again to notify her that I was going on vacation and wanted to give her the deposit and signed contract in order to secure event date. An additional 10 days have transpired since that last text and I have not heard from her. Thank God I was able to find a new venue for my event a month before. BUYER BEWARE

Great food (BLT and French Fries) and service at The Ridge Grille in Clermont- new managers are…read morereally doing a great Job

Beautiful venue for your events! So much courtyard space with the chapel, saloon, viewing deck, and…read morehall! The possibilities are endless! 10/10

I had such a wonderful time at the Hidden Barn!! The venue was stunning!!! The entire staff and…read morecrew were so sweet and helpful!! The animals were so adorable!! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone, it's the perfect place for a wedding or any event!!!