The Florida Carriage Museum was an equestrian-themed museum established by carriage collector Gloria Austin and located in Weirsdale, Florida.[2] It contained more than 160 antique horse-drawn carriages from Europe and America, as well as equine-related artifacts and artwork.[3] In 2011, Austin sold the 400-acre equestrian resort property, of which the museum was part, to her ex-husband, Tom Golisano; it was renamed Grand Oaks and the carriage museum became known as the Grand Oaks Museum.[4][5] Formerly known to be a destination for carriage driving, the property has since hosted different equestrian athletes in a variety of disciplines and is a United States Equestrian Federation accredited training facility.[6] In 2017, Grand Oaks sold and dispersed the majority of the carriage collection, thereby closing the museum.[2] A portion of Austin's collection remains at Austin's Equine Heritage Institute, adjacent to Grand Oaks.[7]
 | |
  Location within Florida | |
| Established | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Location | Weirsdale, Florida |
| Coordinates | 28°57′13″N 81°54′18″W / 28.95369°N 81.90488°W |
| Type | Carriage museum[1] |
| Website | The Grand Oaks Resort |
References
edit- ^ MuseumsUSA. "Florida Carriage Museum & Resort", MuseumsUSA website, 2008. Accessed September 7, 2008 Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Jacobson, Susan (September 2, 2017). "'Exquisite' carriages up for sale as Lake County museum transitions to car theme". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ The Grand Oaks Resort, 2008. Accessed September 7, 2008.
- ^ "About the team". The Grand Oaks Resort Official Website. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015.
- ^ Schumer, Tracy (June 17, 2011). "Florida Carriage Museum and Resort Sold". High Minded Horseman. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ "USEF Elite Training Center Program". USEF. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "Tour The Austin Carriage Collection". Equine Heritage Institute. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
Further reading
edit- Austin, Gloria; Beaulieu, Linda; Batchelder, Jeffrey (2015). The Gloria Austin Carriage Collection: From a European full state carriage to an American road cart : a comprehensive collection (First, updated ed.). Weirsdale, FL: Equine Heritage Institute. ISBN 978-1-5143-0589-8.
External links
edit- The Grand Oaks Resort - former home of the Florida Carriage Museum
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