ROBIN + ROSE: Florida Day Trips: Florida Southern College

I love Florida Southern College in Lakeland for sentimental reasons... it's my (awesome) alma mater! Aside from being an academic institution though, it also makes a great day trip for architecture and photography buffs. An architectural treasure right here in central Florida, The Florida Southern campus is the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. It was even named the nation's "Most Beautiful Campus" by the Princeton Review!

Annie Pheiffer Chapel

"Child of the Sun," as the collection of buildings is called, was constructed from 1941- 1958. At times, particularly during the war, the workers were mostly students!

Esplanades

FLW's use of geometry is stunning and one of the most defining features of his work. Despite its age, the style is still totally relevant. I've seen a lot of the triangular design motifs in particular in current trends.

Danforth Chapel

In addition to the amazing works of FLW, there are other beautiful buildings on campus to enjoy. The central core of the college is made up of the original brick buildings dating from the 1920s, when the college first moved to Lakeland.

Edge Hall

JR dormitory

In the past few years, there have been a lot of changes on campus, one of them being tons and tons of new landscaping. There's a huge new rose garden, as well as a second small one, with lots of beautiful varieties blooming away.

There are plenty of other things to see and do on the Florida Southern campus. One of my favorites is the quirky Hindu Garden. The Hindu Shrine was rededicated to Christendom and gifted to a Methodist missionary. It was brought back to the United States and eventually reassembled in its own little garden on campus.

Of course, there are normal college activities as well that are open to the public, including sporting events, plays, musicals, choral concerts, traveling shows, art exhibits, and the library.

Hindu Garden

If you'd like to visit, the campus is always open to walk around for a self guided tour. For guided tours and visitor center information, visit the Florida Southern website.

And, of course, since this is primarily a wedding website, I just wanted to point out that with two chapels and lots of gardens, this could be an awesome place for a wedding. I leave you with a picture from Sunglow Photography from a Florida Southern wedding!