Programs & Events
Join us at the
Lake Wales
History Museum
Join us for fun, educational community programs and events.
Upcoming Events
Museum Book Club
The Outlaw ocean: journeys across the last untamed frontier
by Ian Urbina
Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 12PM
Dedicated to non-fiction, you’ll discover the truth can be much stranger than fiction. Join us every month to discuss new book! Read the book and come ready to discuss the best non-fiction books. Free to the public. Books are available to check out free of charge at the Museum while supplies last.
exhibit opening reception
celebrate the opening of our new exhibit!
Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 6PM
Wear your festive Day of the Dead attire for the museum’s opening reception of Celebration of Souls: Day of the Dead in Southern Mexico. Enjoy live music, signature drinks, Mexican food, photo station, and prizes for the best attire.
$10 per person
guided tour
history bus tour
Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 10AM
Join us for a tour through old Florida history, driving through the heart of downtown Lake Wales and beyond, stopping at historic buildings such as the Rhodesbilt Arcade, the old Lake Wales State Bank, Dixie Walesbilt Hotel, Bullard Building, Lake Wales Arts Center and more! Along the way, participants will learn about the historic district, buildings and lakes of Lake Wales. Enjoy an air-conditioned ride on the History Bus! We’ll gather at the Lake Wales History Museum before boarding at 9:45 AM. Seating is limited. Advance registration and payment is required.
$15 per person
guided tour
downtown lake wales walking tour
Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 10AM
Join the museum staff for a 90-minute walking tour of downtown Lake Wales, which highlights historic architecture. Bring water and sunscreen, and wear outdoor-appropriate attire. Tour begins at the Lake Wales History Museum located at 325 South Scenic Highway in Lake Wales.
$10 per person
black history month Florida Talks Spring Speaker Series
The Jim Crow Era
by Dr. Martha Bireda
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 6PM
This talk will be in person. Free to the public. Please RSVP.
Join us for this talk about how The Jim Crow era did more to create anti-black beliefs and feelings than slavery. Stereotypes created during the Jim Crow era are deeply embedded in the collective American consciousness and unfortunately have been internalized by many. This racial cultural conditioning of the American mind is the most destructive legacy of the Jim Crow era. Dr. Martha Bireda will examine Jim Crow laws and customs, especially those established in Florida; the ways in which stereotypes were reinforced and perpetuated; and most critically how they continue to influence race relations in the nation today.
Martha R. Bireda, Ph.D., is Director of the Blanchard House Museum of African History and Culture, located in Punta Gorda, Florida. For over 30 years, Dr. Bireda has consulted, lectured, and written about social issues related to race, gender, class, power, and culture.
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
black history month Museum Book Club
black miami in the 20th century
by Marvin Dunn
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 12PM
Dedicated to non-fiction, you’ll discover the truth can be much stranger than fiction. Join us every month to discuss new book! Read the book and come ready to discuss the best non-fiction books. Free to the public. Books are available to check out free of charge at the Museum while supplies last.
guided tour
history bus tour
Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 10AM
Join us for a tour through old Florida history, driving through the heart of downtown Lake Wales and beyond, stopping at historic buildings such as the Rhodesbilt Arcade, the old Lake Wales State Bank, Dixie Walesbilt Hotel, Bullard Building, Lake Wales Arts Center and more! Along the way, participants will learn about the historic district, buildings and lakes of Lake Wales. Enjoy an air-conditioned ride on the History Bus! We’ll gather at the Lake Wales History Museum before boarding at 9:45 AM. Seating is limited. Advance registration and payment is required.
$15 per person
women’s history month Florida Talks Spring Speaker Series
Female Superheroes
by Magdalena Lamarre
Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 6PM
guided tour
downtown lake wales walking tour
Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 10AM
Join the museum staff for a 90-minute walking tour of downtown Lake Wales, which highlights historic architecture. Bring water and sunscreen, and wear outdoor-appropriate attire. Tour begins at the Lake Wales History Museum located at 325 South Scenic Highway in Lake Wales.
$10 per person
women’s history month Museum Book Club
the women with the silver wings
by Katherine Sharp Landdeck
Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at 12PM
Dedicated to non-fiction, you’ll discover the truth can be much stranger than fiction. Join us every month to discuss new book! Read the book and come ready to discuss the best non-fiction books. Free to the public. Books are available to check out free of charge at the Museum while supplies last.
guided tour
history bus tour
Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 10AM
Join us for a tour through old Florida history, driving through the heart of downtown Lake Wales and beyond, stopping at historic buildings such as the Rhodesbilt Arcade, the old Lake Wales State Bank, Dixie Walesbilt Hotel, Bullard Building, Lake Wales Arts Center and more! Along the way, participants will learn about the historic district, buildings and lakes of Lake Wales. Enjoy an air-conditioned ride on the History Bus! We’ll gather at the Lake Wales History Museum before boarding at 9:45 AM. Seating is limited. Advance registration and payment is required.
$15 per person
Florida Talks Spring Speaker Series
the legacy of franklin roosevelt’s wpa in florida
by David Schmidt
Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 6PM
This talk will be in person. Free to the public. Please RSVP.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was on one of FDR’s most wide-ranging, yet controversial programs. Many saw it as a ‘make work’ program which did not accomplish its goals – the acronym was derided as ‘We Piddle Around.’ The evidence indicates that the program was far more successful and, even today, Floridians enjoy the buildings and constructions created by the WPA. This program views the WPA and focuses on the still existing projects.
David Schmidt, curator of the Florida Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring, Florida, taught for 37 years focusing on United States History, geography, and special education. Mr. Schmidt holds two masters’ degrees from Ball State University and did additional study at Michigan State University, Indiana University, and Bowling Green State University.
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
guided tour
downtown lake wales walking tour
Saturday, April 16, 2022 at 10AM
Join the museum staff for a 90-minute walking tour of downtown Lake Wales, which highlights historic architecture. Bring water and sunscreen, and wear outdoor-appropriate attire. Tour begins at the Lake Wales History Museum located at 325 South Scenic Highway in Lake Wales.
$10 per person
Museum Book Club
the swamp: the everglades, florida, and the political paradise
by Michael Grunwald
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 12PM
Dedicated to non-fiction, you’ll discover the truth can be much stranger than fiction. Join us every month to discuss new book! Read the book and come ready to discuss the best non-fiction books. Free to the public. Books are available to check out free of charge at the Museum while supplies last.
guided tour
history bus tour
Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 10AM
Join us for a tour through old Florida history, driving through the heart of downtown Lake Wales and beyond, stopping at historic buildings such as the Rhodesbilt Arcade, the old Lake Wales State Bank, Dixie Walesbilt Hotel, Bullard Building, Lake Wales Arts Center and more! Along the way, participants will learn about the historic district, buildings and lakes of Lake Wales. Enjoy an air-conditioned ride on the History Bus! We’ll gather at the Lake Wales History Museum before boarding at 9:45 AM. Seating is limited. Advance registration and payment is required.
$15 per person
Museum Book Club
sapiens: a brief history of humankind
by Yuval Hari
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at 12PM
Dedicated to non-fiction, you’ll discover the truth can be much stranger than fiction. Join us every month to discuss new book! Read the book and come ready to discuss the best non-fiction books. Free to the public. Books are available to check out free of charge at the Museum while supplies last.
coming soon!!
summer fun days
presented by the Lake Wales History Museum
Saturdays – June 4 – August 6, 2022
The Lake Wales History Museum will present themed activity days throughout the summer that highlight local history with hands-on activities, art projects, food activities, demonstrations, special guest presentations, artifact discovery, with special objects on display from the museum’s collection of over 20,000 historic items, a selfie station with dress up props and hats, and, an old postcard mailing station where you can write postcards, and the museum will send them.
Sponsored in part by Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation and Advent Health, families and people of all ages are welcome to participate in mostly indoor activities away from the heat and rain from 10 AM – 5 PM on Saturdays.
Pioneer Days Festival
presented by the Lake Wales History Museum
October 29 & 30, 2022
The Lake Wales History Museum will present the 45th Annual Pioneer Days Festival, which is a celebration of Lake Wales’ history and heritage. Located along the shores of Lake Wailes Park, the free community festival features a heritage village that includes dozens of historical demonstrations of pioneer camps and early American trades.