CURRENT EXHIBITS

 The Grand Hotels of Kissimmee

Steamboats and the railroad were bringing travelers to the new city, and vacationers took day excursions on boats to picnic destinations while some folks took strolls along the lakefront; some engaged in games of tennis and golf, while others dressed in their finest attire to attend performances at the nearby opera house.  This was the city of Kissimmee during the 1880's and through the early days of the 20th century.

Today, tourism in Central Florida is often thought to have begun with the advent of Walt Disney World.  However, Kissimmee fast became a resort destination some 90 years earlier when steamboats began plying the local waterways.

One particular parcel of land near Kissimmee lakefront (now occupied by the City Center Complex) served respectively as the site of five different hotels:  The Kissimmee Hotel, Hotel Kissimmee/Tropical Hotel, The Graystone, Bostain's Hotel, and Tropical Hotel.  These were all establishments showcasing themselves in the grandest tradition as a destination for the social set of their time.  President Chester A. Arthur, the Vanderbilts, and John Jacob Astor (honeymooning with his bride, Ava) are among those who stayed at the original Tropical Hotel.

On view now thru Labor Day, September 6th. The Grand Hotels of Kissimmee is an exhibit of photographs, artifacts, and text offering a glimpse into the existence of these important establishments which have long faded into the shadows of past history.  Catch it before it "checks out"!