I have been a regular customer for many years staying here on business. First the pluses: Friendly…read morefront office staff, coffee in lobby, Keurig coffeemakers in rooms, comfortable beds, clean sheets. Now the neutral: hi fat breakfast provided, small gym. Outdoor pool that is often closed when I am here. Now the negative. The floors in the room are consistently filthy. There is tile in the bathroom and by the entrance. My bare feet turn black from walking on it. I let management know each time, and I'm told it's the cleaners they have to use from the franchise. But take a look at what a towel wet with water brings up, on my last several stays, each towel a different stay. PreCOVID they had a different cleaning staff, and the hotel was immaculate. Not true anymore

We stayed two nights and requested a late checkout on Sunday. The parking lot had been empty all…read moreweekend. We went down at six am and were told the dayshift is the person to talk to. They were late and weren't there at seven as we'd been told. We called at ten forty five and the man's response to my request was" we are not offering late checkouts today, there is nothing I can do for you. If you are not at the hotel, I suggest you get here as soon as possible". So we will be finding another hotel for our future stays

This is hands down the best winery I've ever visited. From the moment we arrived, the owners were…read moreincredibly welcoming, accommodating, and genuinely friendly. It's truly a hidden gem my daughter discovered while browsing Google during her last visit with us before heading back to Illinois the next day. Our children were home for the holidays, so this ended up being a last-minute plan--and what a pleasant surprise it was. The atmosphere was super relaxing, the wine was excellent, and we absolutely loved the cranberry and blueberry wines. My son had the best time playing with the owners' golden retriever Charly which made the visit even more special for our family. We also loved that they offer craft classes, adding a fun and creative touch to the experience. We'll definitely be back!

Great conversation with owner. While the muscadine was too sweet for me, the blueberry, cranberry…read moreand elderberry were good.

Every city or town needs a convenient, inexpensive place where groups can hold all kinds of…read morefunctions and meetings, and this is that place! Wanna place where your organization can hold its annual meeting; done. Need a place for Grandpa's 90th blowout b-day party; perfect. How about a super casual wedding reception; ideal. Worried about rain for your ten-year family reunion; you're covered. You get the idea. Recently remodeled it can handle up to 240 folks. If needed it has a giant kitchen. His and hers bathrooms. Easy access and decent parking. The staff will handle table and chair setup to meet your needs. For a couple of hundred bucks plus a security deposit you'll have a turn-key facility that's darn nice. Note that if you are going to serve alcohol the security deposit will be increased in case you get all wild and crazy! I've been to a couple of functions here and have learned to appreciate how valuable a place like this can be!

I cannot begin to express the beauty of Florida Barn Wedding and Events! Pictures do NOT do justice…read moreto this Florida gem. The owners Betsy and Randall are PHENOMENAL to say the least. From the moment we arrived to begin set up for rehearsal they were so gracious and accommodating. We almost got rained out by a tropical storm and they helped us find every option on the planet to accommodate our brides dream wedding. They were never intrusive and bent over backwards to help us realize our vision. The venue is stunning! From the amazing bridal suite to the grooms area and overnight guest rooms upstairs, the sprawling oaks, horses in the background, barn stalls for our catering and bar, massive covered reception area, fully landscaped cocktail hour and dance area, I could go on and on. This area is so blessed to have this hidden treasure located in the tri county area with such amazing hosts. We cannot thank you or rave about this place enough!! I traveled all the way from Atlanta and was blown away by the beauty and grace of this venue.The owner's kindness and generosity to helping our families dream wedding come to fruition was top notch to say the least!

From the owner: Your wedding is a truly special event that happens just once in a lifetime. It is a celebration of…read morelove, unity, and happiness. As such, engaged couples search far and wide to make sure that their big day turns out to be the amazing event they have always envisioned in their minds. If you are in Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando, Palm Beach or even out of state, and are on the lookout for an amazing Florida Rustic Barn wedding venue you and your guests are sure to love - you could not have come to a better place! Florida Barn Weddings & Events is the favorite destination of engaged couples and other clients who are in search of a rustic barn venue in Florida that is the perfect place to celebrate their momentous occasion.

My fiancé and I signed a contract with The Garden Ballroom, 353 3rd St NW, Winter Haven, FL…read more(operated by Once Upon A Dream Events by Lorraine, LLC) in January 2025 for our wedding reception to be held in February 2026. Recently, Lorraine informed us that she had lost the lease to the contracted venue due to issues with other building tenants. At first, she suggested an alternative location, which we agreed to. Weeks later, she would not confirm the arrangements at that location and then attempted to force us to hold our reception at another venue in a different city, several miles farther away from the original location, without our approval. We rightfully declined and requested a refund of our deposit. She refused, claiming in email, it is within her rights to move or transfer the venue to any place legally based on her DBA. After consulting an attorney, we have been advised she is in breach of contract, as the original location was a material and central part of the contract. She should not be able to move the location without consent from her clients - namely us. In our opinion, this business practice is unethical, unprofessional, and deeply unfair to anyone who trusts her with their special events. We caution anyone considering this company to think twice and protect yourself by consulting an attorney before signing anything to avoid being faced with a similar situation. We are sharing our experience so that others are fully informed before making such an important decision. We all deserve better than to be strung along, displaced, and denied refunds when a vendor cannot deliver the contracted service.

Do no book this venue. The owner's are extremely unprofessional. The couple thought it was okay to…read moreberate a mother carrying her child while the event was taking place. They yelled and yelled, showing complete lack of respect for their client as the doors were open. After being advised that she was the aggressor, the owner, Lorraine, threatened to get aggressive with the mother. She thought it was okay to snatch a $15 candle from a mother, which could be considered as assault. Then follow the mother into the lobby to continue scolding her. If you want your event to go smoothly without any hiccups keep looking. Their conduct was completely unacceptable and they felt okay behaving like high school bullies because, "They are the owners."

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to read two reviews. Read Ariel W's and especially…read moreperuse her photos. As a five-year resident of this teeny tiny town, I'll add to hers and here are my additions- * The pavilions are a big draw as they have nice big canopies for shade and sturdy picnic tables. Each has its own trash bin a few feet away. That's nice but they are fly and hornet magnets! Just sayin- * Because of the adjacent playground, birthday parties are common. Expect a bunch of rug rats to be running around. * This is a no pets park except for service animals of course. There is minimal chance you will step in something horrendous with your bare feet. * It's nicely lit at night so it's a nice place to enjoy the cool of the evening. * If you enjoy alcohol, as long as you wrap your can, you know what I mean, nobody with bother you. * This is rural Florida and everyone with half a brain knows every lake has gators! The beach is nice and if you swim during the day the chances of even seeing one is minuscule! If you decide to take a swim at night with an open wound, well, you didn't really need four appendages, did you?

Donaldson Park is located on East Main Street close to downtown. There are shady oaks, picnic…read morepavilions with tables, and a playground. During my visit there was birthday party in one of the pavilions. Donaldson Park sits on the shores of Lake Verona and there is a beach for swimming. I have always heard that if you swim in lakes in Florida you can get the brain eating Naegleria fowleri amoeba. When water gets up your nose it travels to your brain which is almost always fatal. There have been 37 reported cases in Florida since 1962. Peak times to get it are July through September. I am not sure if they test the water here or if people are just careful not to submerge their heads in the water. Although I grew up swimming in lakes in New Jersey, this is the first time I have seen a swimming beach on a Florida lake. Also noteworthy is the dinosaur skeleton on the beach. It features heavily in promotional pictures for Avon Park. The park is used by the City of Avon Park for events like the Blueberry Festival and Christmas in the Park. The beach looked inviting but I am just not sure how safe it is to swim here.

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.

So sad I drove up here Sunday all the way from Ft Lauderdale to find out they were closed. All it…read moresays on the sign was we will be back no time no date I felt so sad. I used to go up there all the time when I lived in the area, very disappointed.

Super quaint and secluded winery in Lake Placid Florida. The staff was very friendly and you can do…read morefour tastings for $1. The wines are mostly sweeter but they did have one that was semi dry that was very good (footstomper). Great central Florida detour to check out.

Went there for the first time this week. It's an upscale vibe, had a jazz guitarist in the corner,…read moreservice was very good as was the ambience. The menu is very limited. As a handful of entrées and appetizers. Best part was that the wine was very affordable- surprisingly so. The Caymus Cabernet was $90 a bottle which is excellent and I hope they don't raise it. Overall the food was good but not exceptional. Wish the menu was a little broader but that would violate the limited menu expectations of some. We'd go back since it was 4 stars and 5 for the wine price. Enjoy!

Food was on point. Service was solid but had to ask multiple times for water to be refilled and…read moresilverware to be replaced. Just a bit more attention to detail also had to inform the waiter about the 25% off drinks only to have to ask for the bill to properly be discounted. So that was a service miss. All in all however and in spite of the above the waiter did try his best as well as the other wait staff. Ambiance is a 10 the food is excellent overall a GREAT addition to downtown Vero Beach. Very nice supper club vibe