Written by John Baumeister, Museum Visitor
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It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started taking trips for vacation. If I was going out of town for a particular event, I would usually plan a couple of extra days to make it worth the drive or flight. To fill the extra time, I found that I liked to explore, check out museums, art galleries, etc. This year, it occurred to me that there isn’t a good reason why I couldn’t do the same thing right here in Jacksonville, so that’s what I decided to do for my annual October “staycation.”
One of the places in town that I’d never been to was the Cummer. I’ve driven by it plenty of times. I even lived in Riverside for a few years. But for whatever reason, I never made the time to stop in. After my most recent visit, I see that I’ve really been missing out. Sure, they have regular art just like any other art museum, but they also feature some unique collections (at least in my opinion). They have this entire collection of porcelain that is truly amazing. I was also touched by the One In Three exhibit, which features beautiful photographs of students and explains struggles they overcame to be where they are today.
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After checking out the galleries, I made my way to the Gardens, and I was astounded. I found it to be simple yet beautiful at the same time. I was really impressed with the Cummer Oak, and one of the staff members told me that she knew people that used to play on it when they were kids. Of course, there’s no climbing now, but it’s nice to imagine. I found the Gardens to be very peaceful. I could imagine that if I had a particular stressful day, this might be the place to go and find my center.
Of course, with the technology available on cell phones, it’s easy to be an amateur photographer, and I snapped a few shots, which you can see by following this link.
