What an outstanding experience to tour this campus! The guide Jack C is simply amazing. Me & Barby took the one & one half hour tour & really enjoyed it. We found free parking on College St one block away. It cost about $30 & you can get a AAA discount. They give you a small audio ear piece & you can hear Jack in your ear as you walk from building to building. If you're a FLW fan, this is a singular experience. read more

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I'm just here to add to the chorus of voices offering praise for this comprehensive and enjoyable FLW extended tour. The guide we had was knowledgeable and a great storyteller. I also appreciated some of her strong opinions about the architecture and the architect. Our tour had many delights along our walking/exploring journey. We went a little long, which everyone appreciated, and I was not tempted to look at my watch once. (Pro Tip: The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (The AGB) at Florida Southern College is extraordinary, and you will find several local-flavor restaurants nearby.) read more

Everything was easy to walk to, lots to see, great little fish place by museum, super informative and great prices read more

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Guggenheim Museum is one of my favorite places in New York. This is one of eight Frank Lloyd Wright Building designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site among Statue of Liberty, Grand Canyon and other landmarks. You can't walk by and not stop to admire its elegant design. You can spend days and evenings to study this architectural wonder. When I found that Frank Lloyd Wright did some major design for Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, immediately I put it in as an entry in my Must-Go-Visit list. On a nice breezy Friday, we stop by the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center to explore some of 13 remarkable structures by Frank Lloyd Wright. We parked on the college parking lot with a designed parking space for visitor with a short walk across the Frank Llyod Wright Way. Led by docent, Carol H., we visited an Usonian house. That is a nice name from United States Of Northern Independent America. In theory, Usonian home was designed as an inexpensive residence that would encourage informal style of living. In other words, this would mean large open living areas, small bedrooms with built-in storage space. Generally, with horizontal floor plan, no attics or basements with flat roof. They used construction techniques board, and batten walls. Many models were created and constructed with prefabricated concrete blocks. Usonian house highlighted or blended in a robust relationship with outdoors, connecting the inside to the outside. This is a perfect setup for Florida to take advantage of sun, lakes and water, and hills. Unfortunately, it is not as inexpensive as conceived and 13 affordable faculty homes were never built. This Usonian house was designed in 1939 but not built until 2013! Another surprise is that in this flat Florida, this campus is on a hill overlooking Lake Hollingsworth. As we walked around the campus, we can see how Frank Lloyd Wright use his architectural style to build Roux Library and other buildings. At the center of campus is the Water Dome with a refreshing water streaming toward the pool. By now you'll find that all buildings are connected via esplanade but they are slightly low, no more than 6 foot 8 inches or at most 7 feet height I found that the tall Annie Pfeiffer Chapel amazing. But the smaller Danforth Chapel with its Cranberry-Gold-stained glass, organ and its original designed pews and cushions was my favorite. Does Frank Lloyd Wright's design work out for Florida. I think the flat roof may be a problematic area! With heavy Florida thunderous pouring rain, the science building roof are now equipped heavy tooling to ventilate the building. Well, that is good decision as safety come first! You may not be a student of architecture but the lovely Florida Southern College campus is an interesting stop when you are near Lakeland! read more

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I arrived in Lakeland early for my tour, so I was able to drive around the town and campus. What a lovely town, I drove around the lake and saw many swans. My tour started at the gift shop where I paid for my ticket which I had booked online. There is a 10% discount for booking tours online. I purchased the basic guided tour $30, $27 if booked online in advance. Parking across the street was plentiful on a Sunday afternoon, not sure what it would be like when classes are in session. Even the parking lot was designed by Frank Loyd Wright. The gift shop is very well-maintained and has everything, Frank Loyd Wright, including books, glassware, and postcards. There weee 4 in our tour. Carliegh, our guide was thorough and knowledgeable. She was a wealth of knowledge, and was able to easily answer all our questions. She shared the history of Florida Southern College's relationship with Frank Loyd Wright and the history of the buildings. With the basic tour we were able to enter the Annie Pfeiffer chapel, the Danforth chapel, and the newest FLW building on campus the Usonian house that would have been used as faculty housing. We saw the exterior of all the other Frank Loyd Wright buildings, and with each stop Carliegh shared the history and background of the buildings. The basic tour lasts approximately 90 minutes it includes walking and a few stairs. I recommend a visit to Lakeland, Florida, Southern College, as well as a tour of the Frank Loyd Wright buildings on campus. read more

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My husband and I purchased the in-depth tour and our guide was Manager Jack Cabot. Jack was the best guide ever, and we have toured many places. Jack's knowledge of the FLW structures on campus was extensive. Jack shared much that we didn't know about FLW. He spoke with assurance and intelligence, he was articulate and organized in his thought processes. He cared about us and ignored the time in order for us to see and understand everything of FLW on campus. This tour is not to be missed if you are in Florida. We traveled 2 hours from Venice and it was well worth the time. read more

Did the walking tour at Florida Southern university. Nice walk around the campus that is dotted with Franks buildings. They have different tours available read more

I am a huge Frank Lloyd Wright fan and have wanted to do this tour for years. We booked the in-depth tour and did it mid-morning. This is important to know because in Florida it is almost always super hot so I would recommend doing the tour early in the day as you are outside for most of the tour. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable, and they give each tour guide a headset so you can hear the guide while walking. In addition to seeing the buildings on the outside, you also get to go inside several of them. One of my favorite buildings was the chapel. The stained glass was beautiful and I love the clean lines and symmetry. I am very happy we had the opportunity to do this tour and that the college is maintaining and restoring these treasures. read more

I love this tour!!! Before moving to the area, I geeked out at the idea that WE were moving to a place that had FLW buildings!! I couldn't believe it, having been a FLW nerd since childhood. So, naturally, we've done the walking tour a few times. No, the buildings and tour don't change much but it's always so nice to just BE inside one of his masterpieces like the Anne Pfeiffer Chapel and the Danforth Chapel, to walk along his own version of orange groves in the Espalanades, marvel at his Water Dome, and even gawk and drool over the Usonian House (which, I've learned has an inside tour for FREE if you're a member of the Polk Museum of Art... which I am!). There's loads more to see, too. And, when you're done, a delightful little gift shop where I want to buy ALL of the things!! I love this tour and even driving by, I get a little geeky. I want to take any and all visitors there, but only one has had an interest (it's hot here and this IS a walking tour), but it was very well received. I can't help it. Frank Lloyd Wright is the man!! read more

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Very good tour! We did the in depth tour at 1030. Lasted around 2-1/2 hours. The guide was very knowledgeable and pleasant. Quite a bit of walking but we were in and out of buildings so it wasn't too hot. The buildings were architecturally amazing and the campus was beautifully laid out. We especially liked the planetarium which incidentally is the only one of FLW designs that was ever built. It has a whisper wall in it (I'll let you look that one up on the internet). Also, if you stand in the center of the room and speak, it amplifies your voice immediately back to you. Very weird feeling! Price was only $31.50 if you booked it online, which is very reasonable for a tour that long. The gift shop was nice. My wife bought a colored glass tile that Wright often used in his architecture to bring light it. The guide did tell us that he hated artificial light. Would recommend this tour, especially if you'rea a Frank Lloyd Wright fan. read more

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We spent a Sat morning touring this hidden treasure. There are 13 Wright structures on the college campus. On the In-depth Tour, we got to see the interiors of 9 of them. It was wonderful learning about his architectural philosophy. Ver educational and inspiring. read more

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A great, informative tour We really enjoyed it. Jack, the tour guide, taught us a lot and it was interesting and the time went by so fast..... read more

I've lived in FL and never heard of this FLW gem of a college campus. Our docent Tyler was excellent, knowledgeable and knew FLW architecture like the back of his hand. Definitely a good place to visit - easy pace tour through many of the historical buildings. read more

My partner and I took the 2 1/2 hour in-depth tour today. Our docent, Jan, was friendly and passionate about Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW). I appreciate FLW's aesthetic, but he should have had a reputable engineering firm review his designs because every FLW-designed building that I have toured, including those on the campus of Florida Southern College (FSC), have leaked like a sieve. As a result, the buildings have become impractical. It is very expensive to maintain FLW-designed buildings and I'm not convinced that FSC can afford to continue to properly care for them. Regardless, we enjoyed the tour. It's a MUST for any FLW fan. read more

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This was a great self-guided tour with a $5 fee although we probably would have done the guided one but for the fact that it was Thanksgiving weekend. We parked at the visitor/tour center across from campus and strolled at our own pace using the map as a guide. Very interesting and quite amazing that there are so many FLW buildings in one place. Definitely worth it if you are between Tampa and Orlando; do know that the exit is right off the highway but the college is not. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright was a visionary well ahead of his time. His concepts are time enduring. Imagine had he had access to some of the contemporary building materials. I love his work and find it to be quite interesting. read more

we took the behind the scenes tour. the tour guide is very knowledgeable of Frank LLoyd Wright. too much so. I had hoped we would see behind the scenes of the buildings. we got to sit too much. Take a different tour. It is worth it to tour the buildings. read more