Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens
633
Osceola Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
Winter Park, FL 32789
http://polasek.org/
AT A GLANCE: Albin Polasek Sculpture Garden
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Date of Visit:
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Saturday, July 8, 2017
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Parking
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Plentiful, onsite
parking
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Amount of time needed
to peruse exhibits:
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45 – 60 minutes
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Amount of time needed
for gift shop
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5 - 10 minutes
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The “must have”
souvenir
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Artsy refrigerator magnets or notecards
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Online shopping
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No
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Kid friendly shopping
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Yes
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Kid friendly
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Yes
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Dress code
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Casual, but not
tacky.
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Be sure to…..
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Sit in the “Hosey
Chair”
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Nearby/other
establishments to visit
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Walkability, general
downtown area / amount of traffic
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Similar to the gardens
in Port St Lucie Botanical Garden, the garden
area is flat. Those using strollers or
wheelchairs will appreciate this.
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Safety, in terms of
type and number of crimes committed in general area
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Generally safe. The downtown area is safe to walk (in terms
of traffic); elsewise, take the car. Stow
valuables out of sight and lock your car.
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| Part of Winter Park's downtown shopping area |
This week’s blog is
about the Albin museum, but also about Winter Park, truly an original town. The quote below gives a quick look at the town’s
history:
“Winter Park was founded as a resort
community by northern business magnates in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Its main street includes civic buildings, retail, art galleries, a
private liberal arts college, museums, a park, a train station, a golf course
country club, a historic cemetery, and a beach and boat launch.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Park,_Florida
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Park,_Florida
Winter Park has
everything it needs to be a fantastic small town that many visitors don’t know
about. It’s located 30 minutes northeast
of Universal Studios, and 45 minutes northeast of Disneyworld, making it a nice
respite from the crowds and chaos of The Attractions. Winter Park is not a tourist town, and most
of the folks you’ll meet are locals.
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| This shop window advertises its "Complimentary In-Store Yoga." |
In the late 1800s, Loring
Chase, a wealthy man, visited the area to recuperate from lung issues. He loved the quietness and the quaint
landscape, so he purchased an enormous tract of land and envisioned a fully
functioning town on the newly purchased area.
Chase spent much of his remaining years laying out neighborhoods and
designing the downtown area. It seems
natural that he intended this new town to entice others like himself: wealthy and looking for a warm place to visit
during the harsh northern winters. The
time of greatest pop increase was the 1920s, when WP grew from 1,078 folks in
1920 to 3,686 in 1930 (13% increase, the greatest 10-year jump in WP’s 127-year
history. Today’s population stands at
27,852.
If it’s possible, stay
a few days in Winter Park. Here’s my 3-day
Winter Park itinerary:
Day 1:
- · Arrive around lunch time, and grab a light lunch either on the road or in Winter Park. Tip: save on lunch costs by eating somewhere other than Winter Park.
- · Rent a room in one of the city’s hotels https://www.hotels.com/de1413804/hotels-winter-park-florida/. They range in price, so there’s sure to be something that falls within your budget.
- · Stroll around Winter Park’s downtown area. This area is loaded with people watching opportunities and great window shopping. Take as long as you want.
- · Return to hotel. Nap.
- · Dinner: Winter Park has approximately 34 restaurants (I counted # of locations on google map). We visited 4Rivers Smokehouse, which was unbelievably tasty. https://4rsmokehouse.com/locations/winter-park/
Day 2:
- · Visit the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in the morning, the earlier the better to avoid crowds.
- · Have lunch.
- · Take a pontoon boat ride with Scenic Boat Tours especially if it’s a hot day. The cool air over the water is refreshing, and the glimpse of the quiet life on the lake is fascinating with hidden canals. Scenic Boat Tours
- · Visit Albin Polasek Sculpture Garden
- · Return to hotel. Nap.
- · Dinner
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| I was excited to see the Detroit "D" on the cap for Tigers baseball |
Day 3:
- · Visit Cornell Fine Arts Museum Cornell Fine Arts Museum
- · Lunch
- · Walk around Winter Park’s downtown area again; shop as necessary
- · Depart
All
of these places are within walking distance of each other, but I don’t
recommend it. I’m not sure why, buy Florida
(in general) has many car versus pedestrian incidents. They don’t always turn out well. Be safe, and take the car.
Albin Polasek
Albin
Polasek was a notable international artist from the late 1800s to the 1920s. He was prolific, creating 400 sculptures
during his life. 200 of them are in the
Albin Polasek Sculpture Garden in Winter Park, FL. The museum is Polasek’s retirement house, and
is now registered as a historic site Polasek
is buried in the Winter Park cemetery, with his sculpture “12th
Station of the Cross” displayed on the headstone Polasek's tombstone disiplaying "12th Station of the Cross"
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| The entire sculpture, "Twelve Stations of the Cross," in Polasek Sculpture Garden |
To
get a feel for the Polasek Gardens and Museum, view this 8-minute video which display
many of the photos that I have included in this week’s blog. Go ahead and watch it anyway. The music is soothing, and will put you in
your “happy place.” Video overview of Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Garden When we visited, the Museum has an exhibit honoring the 49 people who were killed at the
mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando in Florida last summer. Fitting, the exhibit is called: “Summer of Love.” "Summer of Love" exhibit In
Spring, the Polasek Gardens host the annual Winter Park white out where packs
of artists roam the town of Winter Park and create one-of-a-kind works of art based
on what they see or experience Additionally, there are several
FREE days (no admission) throughout the year
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| From "Summer of Love" Exhibit |
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| From "Summer of Love" Exhibit |
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| From "Summer of Love" Exhibit |
Admittedly, offerings at the gift shop are thin. In Winter Park, that's ok because there is an abundance of shopping opportunities in town or at the other museum.
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| One of the "must-have" souvenir is one of these notecards, preferably one featuring Albin Polasek |
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| Refrigerator magnets offer a good shopping opportunity |
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| The gift shop occupies a small corner in the Museum. These last three photos capture the majority of it. |
Wander the gardens, as they are peaceful and relaxing. I loved that the Hosey Chair exhibit is for sale. I hesitated, because I didn't think it would fit in the car. This makes a great photo opportunity for families and friends, as there is plenty of room to clamber on.
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| The Hosey Chair is for sale! |
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| Parking is available if one arrives by boat. Follow the signs to the museum or gardens. |
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| I like who the artwork is placed with nature, as opposed to a sculpture stuck in the middle of an open field. |
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| This serene gathering place provides another great photo opportunity. |
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| Buddha, in the ferns. |
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| In the gardens. |
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| The Polasek Sculpture Garden is flat. Really flat. |
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| This artwork reminded me of a sculpture that was in Northland Mall, Southfield, Michigan. I always loved visiting the sculpture, and no one cared that kids climbed on it. |
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| One of my favorite water features ever. Look closely to see the water trickling down from the top of the harp, mimicking the strings of the instrument. |
Winter Park is a town
that’s almost invisible to tourists.
Visit it and get a sense of what wealth could do in the late 1800s /
early 1900s. Go ahead and visit the
theme parks in Florida; after all, it’s what we’re known for. But take a few days and head northeast to
Winter Park to get a glimpse of another Florida: one with privilege and wealth.
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