Kraft Azalea Garden

Written By: Gail Clifford | Published By: Weekend Notes | October 06, 2022

https://www.weekendnotes.com/kraft-azalea-garden/

While traversing the Winter Park Chain of Lakes on the Scenic Boat Tours, Skipper Don Brown reported that he thinks one of Winter Park’s best attractions that most tourists don’t know about is Kraft Azalea Garden. Popular for weddings and birthdays, we had to check it out … and witnessed a marriage proposal. It’s a magical place.

Located on Lake Maitland’s shores, this 5-acre public garden is free to enter and open year-round from 8 am to sunset. With a boat dock, benches, and eight more acres of park to explore outside the garden, you can visit for an hour or a day.

Enter to the view of cypress trees standing sentinel over the paths and explore The Exedra Monument, the location of the proposal and its resultant engagement photo shoot. This architectural marvel is a free-standing semicircular platform with stone benches. Framed by a colonnade, with a view of the lake and the park, it’s a memorable place for a special occasion.

If you’ve visited Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, you may recognize the Spreckels Temple of Music as another Exedra or free-standing band shell.