Mennello Museum of American Art — Attraction in Orlando

The Mennello Museum of Art is owned and operated by the City of Orlando in Loch Haven Cultural Park. Although a small museum with two galleries, it presents temporary exhibitions featuring American art. A photo exhibition on the Underground Railroad opened recently.

We learned about self-taught folk artist, Earl Cunningham, whose exhibition is a permanent collection. He has an interesting history: leaving his native Maine and eventually settling in St. Augustine. Cunningham's work uses brilliant colors and interesting perspectives. He painted for over 40 years and was fond of nature, ships and had a fascination with the Seminole Indians.

The grounds of the Mennello are a sculpture garden featuring 23 sculptures and adjacent to the Lake Formosa Neighborhood. A self-guided walking map is available in the museum. With the exception of a few pieces gifted to the museum by the artist, the sculptures are owned by the City of Orlando Public Art Collection. Every Sunday, yoga is offered lakeside. Tickets include a pass to enjoy complimentary admission to the museum. Every second Sunday of the month is Free Family Funday - free museum admission all day. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10:30-4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 12-4:30. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Museum admission: Adults $5; Seniors (60+) $4; Students with valid ID and Children 6-17 - $1; Children under 6 and active, retired military and veterans with ID - Free.

The museum has plans to add an additional 40K square feet of exhibition to the existing building. Parking is pretty limited; we were fortunate to find a space. I hope parking is expanded with the addition. We spent a couple of tranquil hours on the property; a beautiful place to stroll and be at peace. It is also a great place for kids to run around and burn off energy. We did not know about this lovely spot until we did a TripAdvisor search for things to do...

The Mennello Museum, housed in the late home of Dr. Phillips’ son… yes, the Dr. Phillips, is home to a beautiful collection of works by the late artist, Earl Cunningham. We recommend stopping by to see this exhibit as it is quite stunning. The use of rich colors and nautical themes are fun to explore. We love being able to dive into pieces like his. From his use of precision brush strokes to the layered paints, his pieces are dazzling when viewed up close. The Earl Cunningham collection was assembled by Michael and Marilyn of Winter Park, Florida another amazing area with cool art museums. The City of Orlando opened the museum with this collection over 19 years ago. Since his passing, his paintings have been acquired by museums and collectors all over the world. It’s amazing that we have so many here in Central Florida. In the sculpture garden, you can explore sculptures galore! These diverse pieces are speckled around the museum’s grounds and shady oak trees. Be sure to take time to fully explore this collection as some of the pieces are also along the Orlando Urban Trail which runs along the museum’s grounds. We visited on the second Sunday of the month when they host their Free Family Funday. This allows for families to visit the museum for free and gain the cultural appreciation for the works that are housed here. The museum, owned by the City of Orlando, is a beautiful member of the local area’s art museums. There are plans in the future to expand the museum. We can’t wait to see the new facility when it’s done so we can check out all the...

We have never had a worse experience in visiting a museum. Here is the reason: Three of us in the family entered with our support dog, that weighed 11 pounds, on a leash, accompanied by government issued support animal documentation. The security person at the desk did not greet us, did not welcome us, and ordered us to leave. We presented the documentation and the person rejected even to look at the card, and became aggressive and started to make strong gestures with her arms. This event occurred at precisely 2pm on June 30th, 2024.

A museum is not a guard house, it is community resource to learn and educate about art, culture, and education. However, this museum obviously does not have a mission statement for the benefit of its community. We will send these comments to the tax department. In conclusion, this has...