Downtown Kissimmee's Public Art & Mural Scene: Broadway, Sculptures & Street Art
How ARTisNOW, the Monument of States, and a free sculpture tour are turning Kissimmee's historic core into an outdoor gallery
Downtown Kissimmee's ARTisNOW public murals program, run by Osceola Arts, has placed nearly 30 large-scale murals along Broadway Avenue and surrounding streets in the historic downtown core. The program earned the city the 2025 Downtown Beautification and Innovation Award, and several murals include QR codes that activate free self-guided walking tours with augmented reality features. The Monument of States, a 50-foot step-pyramid sculpture at 300 E. Monument Avenue built in 1943 from over 1,500 donated stones, sits at the northern edge of Kissimmee Lakefront Park and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Downtown Kissimmee also offers a free Kissimmee Sculpture Tour featuring dozens of original artworks donated by artists each year throughout the historic street grid.
Here's something most people moving to the Orlando area don't realize: Kissimmee has quietly built one of the most impressive outdoor art scenes in all of Central Florida. While visitors zoom past on their way to Walt Disney World, the residents of Kissimmee's historic downtown are surrounded by nearly 30 bold, story-driven murals, a genuinely remarkable WWII-era sculpture, and a free walking tour that reveals new details every time you take it.
These are floor-to-rooftop works covering full Broadway building facades — endangered Florida panthers, Afro-Caribbean percussion traditions, cosmic owls, and Lake Toho sunsets rendered in colors that stop you mid-stride. If you're considering making Kissimmee your home, this is a side of the city that deserves a closer look.
The ARTisNOW Mural Project: How Broadway Became a Canvas
The engine behind downtown Kissimmee's mural renaissance is the ARTisNOW Public Murals Project, a program run by Osceola Arts in partnership with the City of Kissimmee, Experience Kissimmee, and Sherwin-Williams. The concept is direct but the impact has been transformative: connect local and regional artists with building owners, hand them a wall, and let them celebrate Osceola County's culture, ecology, and identity in paint.
What started as a handful of murals along Broadway has grown to nearly 30 completed works through the downtown core as of 2025. In July 2025, the city was awarded the 2025 Downtown Beautification and Innovation Award specifically because of ARTisNOW's impact on community revitalization.
The murals are concentrated along Broadway Avenue through the heart of historic downtown, with additional works on E. Monument Avenue, E. Dakin Avenue, and MLK Jr. Boulevard. Many feature QR codes linked to a free self-guided walking tour, and several have an augmented reality component where you hold up your phone and watch the art move. It's free and genuinely impressive.
The Murals Worth Slowing Down For
Every ARTisNOW mural tells a specific story rooted in Kissimmee's identity — and that intentionality is what separates this program from generic street art. Here are a few standouts worth finding on your walk:
"United in Rhythm" (114 Broadway) — Artist Edwin "Don Rhyme-x" Sepúlveda celebrates Bomba, an Afro-Caribbean musical tradition central to Kissimmee's Puerto Rican community, with figures and geometric patterns that give the wall an almost kinetic energy.
"Toho Sunset" (421 Broadway) — Willie Soto captured Lake Tohopekaliga at dusk in oranges, purples, and deep blues. If you've ever sat on the Kissimmee Lakefront at golden hour, this mural bottles that exact feeling.
"Florida Panther" (403 Broadway) — Orlando-based Ryan Semple rendered the endangered Florida panther in sharp lines and earthy tones — a conservation statement you can't ignore at that scale.
"The Garden Within" (219-231 Broadway) — One of the newest additions (2025), this sprawling piece by Tampa artist Taylor Smith (Dreamweaver) features wings, luminous flowers, and a riot of purples, pinks, blues, and greens across a wide southwest-facing wall.
"Snowy Egret" (108 Broadway) — A stylized egret glides across swirling clouds and dreamlike sky tones. Given that egrets are a daily fixture near Lake Toho, this one lands with natural resonance.
The Monument of States: Kissimmee's Original Public Art Landmark
Before there were murals on Broadway, there was the Monument of States — and its origin story is one of the more remarkable in Central Florida history.
In the weeks after Pearl Harbor in December 1941, a retired physician named Dr. Charles Bressler-Pettis decided Kissimmee needed a monument to American unity. He wrote to every state governor, to foreign leaders, and to President Roosevelt — who sent a rock from his Hyde Park estate. Governors, a Canadian prime minister, and representatives from more than 20 countries followed.
Local senior volunteers mortared thousands of donated stones, fossils, a meteorite, buffalo horns from Montana, and a cannonball from Michigan into an irregular 50-foot step-pyramid on the shore of Kissimmee Lakefront Park. The top is crowned with a concrete globe, a bald eagle with a six-foot wingspan, and the words "Tourist Paradise." The whole thing weighs an estimated 100,000 pounds.
When Bressler-Pettis died in 1954, Kissimmee changed its burial regulations to allow a portion of his remains to be sealed inside the monument he built. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 and stands today at 300 E. Monument Avenue — free to visit and genuinely one of Central Florida's most unusual landmarks.
The Free Kissimmee Sculpture Tour
Beyond the murals and the Monument of States, downtown Kissimmee offers a free Kissimmee Sculpture Tour featuring dozens of original artworks donated by artists each year throughout the historic street grid. Works rotate annually, so regular visitors keep finding new pieces.
The route also passes Florida's oldest operating courthouse and several war memorials honoring Kissimmee veterans. Pick up a tour map at the Kissimmee Main Street Welcome Center, or scan the QR codes on ARTisNOW murals to access a digital version with augmented reality content. The full circuit runs about 60-90 minutes at a relaxed pace, with more than 30 independently owned restaurants on Broadway when you need a break. Find dining options in our Kissimmee restaurants and dining guide.
Why This Matters for People Moving to Kissimmee
Here's the honest take: a vibrant public art scene is a signal, not just a perk. Cities that invest seriously in public art are cities investing in their downtown identity — and downtown Kissimmee has been doing exactly that. The ARTisNOW program and the sculpture tour are part of a broader Broadway corridor revitalization that has made this one of the most distinctive Main Streets in Osceola County.
This is neighborhood character that can't be manufactured in a new master-planned community. Tapestry and Kindred are excellent — but they don't have a 50-foot WWII monument or a two-story mural of an Afro-Caribbean drummer within walking distance of the waterfront. For families with kids interested in creative fields, the proximity to Osceola Arts programs and the OCSA performing arts school adds real depth. Explore educational options in our Kissimmee schools and education guide.
Planning Your Visit: Practical Details
The murals and sculpture tour are free any day during daylight hours. Broadway runs through historic downtown Kissimmee parallel to Lake Tohopekaliga, with street parking available on Broadway and side streets. A few practical notes:
- Mural QR codes on select ARTisNOW murals unlock augmented reality walking tour content — no app download required
- Monument of States is at 300 E. Monument Avenue next to Kissimmee Lakefront Park, free and open daily
- Sculpture tour maps are available at the Kissimmee Main Street Welcome Center on Broadway
- Combine with the Saturday Kissimmee Valley Farmers Market at the lakefront for a full morning out
The Kissimmee Lakefront Park is steps away with trails, a marina, and stunning Lake Toho views. Find more outdoor options in our Kissimmee parks and recreation guide.
What the Locals Know
Downtown Kissimmee's public art scene has become one of the city's most genuine differentiators — and it's growing. ARTisNOW adds new murals every year, the sculpture tour rotates in fresh works annually, and award recognition is driving continued civic investment. For residents, this is a downtown that rewards regular visits with new discoveries.
The Broadway mural corridor, the Monument of States, and the free sculpture tour together create a walkable cultural experience unlike anything else in Osceola County. It's the kind of neighborhood texture that makes a city feel like home — and one of the better-kept secrets about why people who discover downtown Kissimmee tend to fall for it.
Nearby Celebration and St. Cloud each have their own appeal, but neither has anything quite like this. Explore the full picture in our Kissimmee arts and culture guide. 🎨
For current mural locations, QR walking tour information, and details on upcoming ARTisNOW additions, visit the official Osceola Arts murals page.
Curious about life in Kissimmee or the surrounding Osceola County communities? Browse our Kissimmee homes for sale or Osceola County homes for sale, or contact David Myers for personalized relocation guidance.
