Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Exploring Orlando's Loch Haven Park: A Center
of Arts and Culture
On this overcast day we decided to explore other areas of Orlando
in more detail. About 10 minutes north of downtown
Orlando is Loch Haven Park, an area that holds a number of major
attractions, including the Orlando Museum of Art, the Mennello Museum
of American Art as well as the Orlando Repertory Theatre, the Orlando-UCF
Shakespeare Festival, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and the
Orlando Science Center.
We started our exploration off with a trip to the
Leu Botanical Gardens. The centerpiece of the gardens
is the Leu House Museum, a restored farmhouse dating back to 1888.
It is located on Lake Rowena, one of the hundreds of lakes in Orlando,
and surrounded by a 50 acre garden of roses, palms and camellias.
The complex also features an orchid house with one of the best collections
of orchids in the United States. The Leu Botanical Gardens also
offer a new tropical stream garden, a kitchen garden complete with
herbs and vegetables and a butterfly garden.
Leu House Museum
Just 10 minutes away is Loch Haven Park, one of Orlando's centers
of art, culture, and science. One of the main attractions is Orlando
Museum of Art (OMA), one of Florida's cultural gems
and a popular destination for visitors from all over the world.
The collection features American art from the 19th century to the
present, African art and art of the ancient Americas. Outstanding
temporary exhibitions are drawn from private collections and those
of the world's great museums.
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Loch Haven, a cultural and science mecca |
The "Rocket Thrower" sculpture |
The upcoming exhibition at the OMA is called the "The Art
of the Motorcycle". Based on the landmark Guggenheim Museum
exhibition, it explores the motorcycle as both cultural icon and
design achievement and offers a thought-provoking challenge to conventional
assumptions about art and popular culture in the modern age. The
exhibition will run from Jan. 22 – July 23, 2006 and feature
more than 70 historic and contemporary motorcycles.
Orlando Museum of Art
The Mennello
Museum of American Art is centered around the Museum's
outstanding permanent collection of paintings by Earl Cunningham
(1893-1977). It also houses special exhibitions, publications, and
programs that celebrate outstanding traditional and contemporary
Amercian artists. The Museum's Cunningham collection was donated
by collectors Marilyn and Michael Mennello of Winter Park, Florida,
and was opened to the public on Nov. 22, 1998.
Menello Museum of American Art
The Orlando
Science Center includes ten themed exhibit halls with
a large variety of interactive activities for children and adults.
A CineDome Planetarium shows large format films and an Adventure
Theater as well as five Discovery Laboratories can keep everyone
busy for hours. In total the Science Center has four levels of hands-on
exhibits, a 200-seat cafe, 7,000 square feet of exhibition space
for national and international traveling exhibits. The Orlando Science
Center is open Monday to Thursdays from 9 am to 5 pm, Fridays and
Saturdays from 9 am to 9 pm, and Sundays from noon to 5 pm.
The Orlando-UCF
Shakespeare Festival is a non-profit
professional theater that produces professional productions of Shakespeare,
classics and contemporary plays, as well as plays for young audiences.
The group also develops new plays from readings through World Premieres
and fosters innovative educational programs to serve the community.
Shakespeare is watching you....
As a professional theatre for family audiences in partnership with
UCF, Orlando
Repertory Theatre (The Rep) opened its doors on October
9, 2003. The theatre focusses on classic and contemporary children's
literature. It is a place where young audiences can come and experience
the adventure and creative wonder of watching their favorite characters
come to life.
Loch Haven's cultural offerings continue with the annual Orlando
International Fringe Festival of theatrical
performances. The 10-day, world-renowned festival showcases original
works; premiere performances; and first-class improvisational comedy,
musicals, drama, mime and dance in 500 shows by more than 300 performers
from around the world.
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Sculptures outside the Menello
Museum of Modern Art |
The Orlando
Philharmonic Orchestra is Central Florida's resident
orchestra, appearing in more than 105 performances each season.
As a fully professional ensemble, the Orlando Philharmonic engages
the talents of more than 80 professional musicians from around the
globe. The Philharmonic‘s mission is to foster and promote
symphonic music through excellence in performance, education and
cultural leadership.
For general information about Orlando please contact the Orlando
Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Orlando and Central Florida travel stories:
Orlando Off the Beaten
Path
A visit to the Orange
County Regional History Center
Exploring Orlando's African
American Heritage at the Well's Built Museum
A lovely evening walk around downtown
Orlando's Lake Eola
Visual delights served
up on the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour
A walking tour through quaint
historic Winter Park
Our high-speed adrenaline adventure
at Boggy Creek Airboat Tours
Our picnic lunch by the Kissimmee
waterfront
Exploring picturesque Mount Dora
on the "Herbie Express"
Orlando's Loch Haven Park:
Center of culture and arts
Exploring downtown Orlando's
historic neighbourhoods and parks
Learning about citrus at
Florida's Natural Visitor Center
Architectural and natural
beauty at the Bok Historic Sanctuary
Central Florida: a haven
for naturalists and plant lovers
Central Florida's wildlife:
surprising ecological diversity..
Driving home through St. Augustine:
the oldest city in the US
p>Articles on Golf in Central Florida:
A first-hand
look at ChampionsGate
A first-hand look at the
Royal St. Cloud Links
A first-hand look at Timacuan
Golf and Country Club
Attending the Father
Son Challenge at ChampionsGate
An overview of golf in the Orlando area:
Orlando- Golf's Ultimate Theme Park
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