A fun and free activity in downtown historic Kissimmee is a self guided mural tour. The murals are…read morepart of The Time For Art is Now public art project funded by Osceola Arts in downtown Kissimmee. The projects mission is to revitalize the downtown area with colorful works of art. KowTown is a 69X18 foot mural by Irish American artist Shea Monaghan. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, he moved to the Space Coast as a young boy. Living mainly in Melbourne, he enjoyed fishing, the beach, and the outdoors. While attending art classes at UCF in 2014 he started two graphic design companies. He now works on large scale acrylic paintings, murals, and free lance graphic design. KowTown takes its inspiration from the agricultural history of Kissimmee when it was nicknamed Kowtown or cowtown. Prior to the opening of Disney World in 1971, ranching was an important part of the Kissimmee economy. Cracker cowboys named after the 'crack' their whips made, tended to herds of cattle on large ranches. I love the historical nod of this mural. Its vibrant colors make it a real standout in the downtown area.

A fun and free activity in downtown historic Kissimmee is a self guided mural tour. The murals are…read morepart of The Time For Art is Now public art project funded by Osceola Arts in downtown Kissimmee. The projects mission is to revitalize the downtown area with colorful works of art. Cosmic Owl is a mural of a burrowing owl created by artist German Lemus. Lemus was born in Honduras, raised in Miami, and served in Hawaii while serving in the army. He is inspired to create art from music, culture, nature, and current events. Burrowing owls are native birds threatened and they are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Burrowing owls are small and live in underground burrows found usually in parks. Burrowing Owl is one of several murals featuring native Floridian wildlife. I always delight in finding burrowing owls in different parks while I am exploring and it was a joy to discover this colorful mural.

A fun and free activity in downtown historic Kissimmee is a self guided mural tour. The murals are…read morepart of The Time For Art is Now public art project funded by Osceola Arts in downtown Kissimmee. The projects mission is to revitalize the downtown area with colorful works of art. Some of my favorite murals feature native Florida plants and animals like this one, Florida Panther by artist Ryan Semple. Semple focuses on subjects of flora and fauna in his art. Ryan painted this mural in 2020 with the help of his girlfriend Samantha Shumaker who he met while working on another mural. The subject of the mural is the Florida panther, a threatened species. Their population was decimated by hunting and they were one of the first species added to the Endangered Species Lust in 1973. In the 1970's there were only 20 to 30 left in the wild. Today there are around 200 living in the Everglades and Big Cypress Preserve. Habitat destruction, pollution, and diseases continue to threaten their population.

A fun and free activity in downtown historic Kissimmee is a self guided mural tour. The murals are…read morepart of The Time For Art is Now public art project funded by Osceola Arts in downtown Kissimmee. The projects mission is to revitalize the downtown area with colorful works of art. One of the large scale artworks you would see is the Kissimmee mural on the corner of Main Street and Monument Ave. It was painted by Puerto Rican artist RIC ONE in 2021. He is self taught and has been painting for over 25 years. He also painted Two Koi mural in downtown Kissimmee. On the subject of his art he has said "I want to deliver a meaningful message through my art with substance that does not need to be explained. I want to enhance the beauty of this city with color & creativity." No explanation necessary for this colorful mural featuring the word Kissimmee. It is is believed Kissimmee is a modern spelling of an ancient tribal word. Inside the word Kissimmee RIC ONE has painted some of the iconic images associated with the history of the town. There are oranges and cowboys which are a nod to Kissimmee's cattle ranching history. I even saw the head of a sandhill crane. This is the kind of mural you want to use as a photo backdrop because with its Greeting From: Kissimmee it has a postcard like quality that lets everyone know just where you are.

HeartandSoul is a mural by a local artist that is a part of the creative infusion Disney Springs…read moreArt Walk. The pieces area spread through the popular Disney springs outlet shopping and entertainment district. This particular piece features a very brightly colored flower on a blue background. It is kinda hard to make out what it is. But is very lovely to look At. Overall a really good piece that is part of a cool art initiative in an area that will attract a lot of viewers.

During my travels I have visited a lot of Veteran Memorials but this is the first war dog memorial…read morethat I have found. This memorial is located in front of the Avon Park Community Center and it was dedicated on November 9, 2018. It was donated to the City of Avon Park by the Battle of the Bands and the Loyal Order of the Moose. The Battle of the Bands is an organization created on February 15, 2005 in order to create an annual display that honors veterans on Main Street every holiday season. The monument features a 5 foot tall soldier, German shepherds, collies, and other breeds of dogs. At night the memorial is lit up. As a huge dog lover this memorial instantly caught my attention. It not only recognizes how dogs have served in combat but also how they have offered emotional therapy and support to our soldiers. I love this touching tribute to mans best friend.

I am so ashamed and triple embarrassed! OMG Steven B, what did you do?…read more I've lived in this teeny tiny town for five years and I'm a lifelong dog lover and I've been a member of the Loyal Order of Moose for many years. I've driven by this wonderful memorial maybe a thousand times and for some strange reason it's never "clicked!" Along comes my good Yelp friend https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=lvthTfCQGD0qaEk6jCdRdQ from considerably out of town and she writes the very first review! I am so ashamed! Thank you, Ariel W., for bringing me to my senses. This is an awesome and well-deserved memorial for our four-legged friends that is co-sponsored by the local Moose Lodge. War Dogs have helped humans for hundreds of years, saved countless lives and provided much needed emotional support to our soldiers. The memorial is very nicely done in bronze. I've stopped by twice now and I'm not ashamed to say that I've shed a tear or two!

A fun and free activity in downtown historic Kissimmee is a self guided mural tour. The murals are…read morepart of The Time For Art is Now public art project funded by Osceola Arts in downtown Kissimmee. The projects mission is to revitalize the downtown area with colorful works of art. You can't miss the bright yellow and orange marigolds on the multi story mural, The Wild Ones was created in 2019 by Florida born artist Steven Teller. He specialize in street art and large scale public murals. Of his art he has said "I create to offer a new moment of perspective. A doorway to a fresh setting. Diverging from the previous river of time. An offering to momentarily step into a different space, vantage point, or sentiment. So, I paint representations of natural beauty, metaphors of growth, and a positive perspective. I do this by using captivating and palatable color schemes depicting floral designs entwined with portraits and animals in graphically geometric, abstract spaces. Florida is home to seven species of marigolds. The red, orange and yellow colors of the flowers in the Wild Ones mural are meant to reference "the cultural patterns and colors of the Seminole and Miccosukee Indian Tribes of Florida."

A fun and free activity in downtown historic Kissimmee is a self guided mural tour. The murals are…read morepart of The Time For Art is Now public art project funded by Osceola Arts in downtown Kissimmee. The projects mission is to revitalize the downtown area with colorful works of art. Iron Horse is a 17 X 76 foot mural painted on stucco. The mural was created by C. Stanley Creative, the husband and wife team of Christian and Jessica Stanley. C. Stanley Creative was founded in 2018 by Christian Stanley, a Central Florida based muralist, graphic designer, and illustrator who graduated from the University of Central Florida's graphic design program in 2011. His public art can be found in Nevada, Kansas, Tennessee, Illinois, and throughout Florida. The inspiration for Iron Horse came from Kissimmee's agricultural and railroad past and transformed into a robotic future. I love the quirky robot rodeo. The science fiction subject matter sets it apart from the other murals in downtown which tend to feature animals and realistic historical events. This mural serves as a tie between the past, present and future of Kissimmee.

A fun and free activity in downtown historic Kissimmee is a self guided mural tour. The murals are…read morepart of The Time For Art is Now public art project funded by Osceola Arts in downtown Kissimmee. The projects mission is to revitalize the downtown area with colorful works of art. This work is different than the other murals in the downtown in that it is not brand new but instead Osceola Arts rehabilitated it. Located on the exterior walls of Lanier's Historic Market Place, this mural was created in early 2000 by artist Tom Copella. Tom began his art career by attending the Art Institute in Pittsburgh. Upon graduating, he moved around a lot finally settling in Kissimmee Florida where he painted numerous murals. Tom passed away unexpectedly in 2021. The large scene depicts a time gone by. It tells the story of a small town city filled with businesses, neighbors, friends, and their pets. Some of the figure are based on real historical people. Tom Copella painted himself and his wife carrying a bucket into the center of the mural. The mural was recently restored by local artist Juliana Davidson and her assistant Casey who have worked on numerous historical murals in the area. Murals are a great way to tell the history of an area. Over thirty years the paint faded on the Lanier mural. Cracks were repaired and paint was added to the figures. Julianna did an outstanding job bringing the mural back to life. I love the charm and exquisite detail, like the shadow of a bird as it flies up the building.