About

A Rich History & A Community of Artists

The name for Rain Barrel Village was inspired in part by the fact that the property, previously called the Cypress Barn Building, included a 5,000-gallon cypress cistern in what is now the garden. The Rain Barrel’s commitment to offering a positive experience to both guests and artists is as unchanged as the name.

Since 1978, Rain Barrel Village has proudly supported local art as a vital aspect of life in the Florida Keys. We have been fortunate to work with several resident artists as well as crafts men/women. More than 500 artists are represented through our galleries.

A Lobster Tale

Betsy has been busy attracting tourists and photographers for the better part of thirty years. Below, Islamorada Times tells her story…

“One of the most celebrated species of wildlife in the Florida Keys is the spiny lobster. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to the Keys on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July for Lobster Mini Season. Unlike their northern relatives, the Maine Lobster, Florida’s Spiny Lobster has no claws, but are caught for their delicious tail meat. We call them ‘bugs’.

To commemorate this popular crustacean, Sculptor Richard Blaze, hired by a local restaurateur, created Betsy. Made from fiberglass, Betsy is a 30 foot high and 40 foot long biologically correct model of a Florida Spiny Lobster. The sculptor began to work on the piece in 1980 in Marathon Florida and it took five years to complete. By this time the restaurant was no longer in business. The late Tom Vellanti acquired the artwork to put on display at his Treasure Village. When the Village was turned into a school, Betsy was no longer available for viewing and was retired and put into storage.

In 2009, Betsy was moved to her new home at the Rain Barrel Village (MM 86.7) and sits right out front on the Overseas Highway for all to see. Believed to be the world’s largest lobster sculptor, she is one of America’s most famous roadside attractions.”