The Lake Wales Arts Center is located in a former historic mission style, Holy Spirit Catholic…read moreChurch. The church architect was Peter Cornelius Samwell of Winter Park and the landscape architect and decorator was A. E. de Leon. R. W. Burrows Construction Company built the Catholic Church in 1927. For the next sixty years the church congregation steadily grew until finally it reached capacity in 1988 and moved to a new church on 9th Street. Mrs. Frances Donnellon Updike, a parishioner and Ann W. Norton, an artist and educator, co-chaired a movement to raise the money to purchase the old church and transform it into the new home of the Lake Wales Arts Council which was founded in 1972 to promote arts in the region. Throughout the 1990's, the Arts Center expanded its programming by adding performances, exhibitions, summer camps, and community art education. By 2001, $1.4 million was raised for structural restoration and a new addition. The Michael Crews Education Wing and Gallery opened in 2001, named in honor of one of the Arts Council founders. In 2011 Polk County State College took over the building and renovated it. They held college classes and art events but they returned ownership back to the Lake Wales Arts Council in 2018. Today the Lake Wales Arts Center serves as a regional destination for visual and performing arts. They offer many free events throughout the year including concerts with partners like Bok towers in the Updike Concert Hall, in the grassy courtyard, and in the outdoor seating area. They also have art exhibitions, workshops, classes, festivals, and community events. Annual events include an international photo competition, black history month exhibit, and Hispanic heritage month exhibit. Art from seasoned and emerging artists is displayed in the Michael Crews Fine Arts Gallery. Art is rotated every 1-2 months. They offer the most publicly accessible pottery wheels in Polk County and they have the only publicly accessible stained glass studio in Central Florida. They are the home of the Lake Wales Chorale, a group of community voices that have toured internationally. On a recent trip to Lake Wales I was able to pop in for the free art exhibit Sacred currents Spirituality in African Art. I love how the Lake Wales Arts council was able to turn this historic church into a cultural resource for this community.

Fantastic display of horns throughout history from all over the world. Great after school…read moreprograms for arts and cultural enrichment. Wonderful upbeat environment with all kinds of concerts and performances. Highly recommended.

Melange is a really cute antique shop in Lake Wales in a very unexpected location. The sign for the…read moreactual shop says that the building is a law or real estate office, but it's a perfect place to house antiques! It also contains a small custom framing shop. As most places, it's really hot in here so take a fan to enjoy your experience properly. The husband and wife team are very personable and comfortable with their customers. They can be somewhat hard to find but once they spot you they will welcome you and answer any questions you have. It was unfortunate to hear that due to the coronavirus, they may be going out of business. If they do, it will be a shame but if they don't, I hope people in the area (and those visiting) will stop and buy something! It broke my heart to leave this gorgeous leather push-pin sofa that was something you would see at Restoration Hardware, for $900! And I'm sure they would've negotiated! Unfortunately the owner was not able to reach the person selling the sofas but such a shame! Hopefully they are in business when I return in a few weeks! Support local everyone!

I love this place!! Antiques and wine the best!…read more The husband and wife team are outstanding. I say give them a try. The weekly events and a daily wine bar. Their located in the heart Lake Wales, FL

i have used Tindell's for several years now. My items were…read moreordinary yet held intrinsic value to me. Damaged in a recent moved, DiAnna welcomed the opportunity to turn the ordinary into the extra ordinary. She cleaned, refreshed the prints, and reframed them. I turned the entire job over to her allowing her to chose all the framing materials. No doubt the artist would be please with her results....i know I am. Highly recommend.

I can't expound enough the terrific restoration of my grandmother's pastel. Beautiful!!!read more

The crow's nest has the most interesting lighting arrangements the owner operator Chris "Amata"…read morecalls "artisanal wares." I've never seen the sort of tin man looking lights with nobs to turn lights up, down, or off. Interesting inventions at the least.

Freaking love this place!! The owner is so sweet and talented. We bought a table from him and…read moreabsolutely love it. We are going to purchase a new item he created that dispenses liquor. He can also create customized things for you. Well worth the stop and price. Sure he is open one day a week, but it is because he teaches at the local college.

The shop was clean, organized and it's an art gallery. They have lots of beautiful art work…read moredisplayed. They also sell shirts, key chains, art work... It's suck a cool logo, who wouldn't want to spread the love!?! My friends and I decided to get a tattoo on Mother's day. They had a great special! It was nice to see the owner Wingnut taking the time to teach his student; Tatianna is doing her apprenticeship.

From the owner: Art Gallery and Tattoo Studio Offering Custom Tattoos,…read morePaintings, Clothing, Accessories, & More. What better way to spread love to the world than with art.