Undiscovered Florida 2018 - 20

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Not to be outdone, neighboring Fort
Lauderdale boasts a countywide $100
million art in public places program along
with such world-class venues as the
Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale, the Broward
Center for the Performing Arts and Cinema
Paradiso, home of the Fort Lauderdale
International Film Festival.
A major part of Palm Beach County's
art scene are its highly regarded museums,
among them the Flagler Museum, former
home of Standard Oil magnate and early
Florida hotelier Henry Morrison Flagler,
whose Florida East Coast Railroad is credited
with opening the Sunshine State to tourism
and residential development.
Set on the still-exclusive island of
Palm Beach, Flagler's estate was hailed as
grander than any palace in Europe when
it was completed in 1902, and it's no mere
hyperbole. The Gilded Age mansion is
lavishly ornate, with floors crafted from
seven varieties of marble, rich rugs and
carpets, elaborately carved and decorated
ceilings, and jaw-dropping works
of art including paintings, sculptures
and statuary.
North of Palm Beach, the pace slows
down Old Florida-style in Martin County,
but the cultural calendar stays busy in the
scenic city of Stuart, boasting art galleries,
antique shops, museums and juried art
festivals. The landmark Lyric Theatre, built
in 1926 as a silent movie house, offers a

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full slate of concerts, shows and cultural
events, while the Barn Theatre, the county's
oldest community theater, stages five major
productions every year.
Across the state, the seaside enclave
of Naples focuses on the arts with a
Philharmonic Orchestra, scores of arts
organizations and a collection of acclaimed
museums and galleries.
Beyond the mainland, there are cultural
venues up and down the Florida Keys, with
many clustered in Key West including the
Red Barn Theatre featuring musical theater
and cabaret shows; the Tennessee Williams
Theatre, offering stage, dance and musical
productions; and the Waterfront Playhouse,
located at famed Mallory Square and going
strong at nearly 80 years of age.
Art galleries in the Keys seem as
abundant as the palm trees, many

featuring works themed around the
islands' natural splendor.
Speaking of nature's gifts, they are on
colorful display at the Key West Tropical
Forest & Botanical Garden, the only frostfree botanical garden in the U.S., featuring
a collection of trees, shrubs, and palms,
including several "champion tree" specimens.
Tropical gardens also are a feature of
the Oldest House Museum and Garden
in Key West, where family portraits, original
furnishings and ship models tell the story of
Old Key West. Built in 1829 and set on Duval

Undiscovered Florida
http://gumbolimbo.org http://flaglermuseum.us http://cranesbeachhouse.com http://flamingogardens.org http://theimag.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Undiscovered Florida 2018
