ray charles plaza

The plaza has a great sculpture of Ray with music playing. Ray at the piano rotates periodically for a changing view. Bridge construction in the background is a little distracting and should be gone soon. If you like Ray's music and in the area, the stop is worth it.

Set in a lovely park setting a great tribute to Ray Charles it has him sitting at his piano surrounded by a waterfall, lights and it even plays his music.

Albany is a small town, so the statue of Ray Charles at his piano is the major attraction. It rotates.

Stopped here to take family pics after niece graduated from ASU. Scenery was ok but wished I could see it with blooming trees. There was also construction going on close by on a bridge being built that we had to avoid getting in the background of our pics. The statue rotates which was cool, but you don't immediately notice it. The designer of the statue came by and talked to my father and uncle and even took pics with them. Would love to cone back on the spring.

The city has really done well to preserve the memory of one of music's legends. As the river area rebuilds and cleans up, this is really worth seeing. It's more than just a statue. It's beautiful by the Flint River.

One I got a wild hair and decided that I would like to venture across town to observe the effigy of blues musician Ray Charles with which the citizens of my town were encouraged to be fascinated with. I ventured into the downtown area and was frightened for my safety to say the least. It's a very 'urban' environment. I would not feel safe bringing children/women into this particular area of town. I arrived at the location and parked, fearing for the safety of my vehicle and the contents therein. I took a quick stroll around the plaza inwhich there were currently hip-hop dancer demonstrating their 'skills'. i'm not sure if this is a common occurrence or ]not down here, but I was almost embarrassed to be in the general vicinity of some of this vulgar 'dancing'. The effigy of 'Ray Charles' was centered at the nexus of this park which was blaring Ray Charles hits (rather annoyingly). The effigy was produced by my favourite sculper, the prolific Mr. Andy Davis. But I was dissapointed in this piece. It portrayed musician Ray Charles in a very unusual tenor I thought. It didn't look a bit like him to be quite honest. The brow line, the cheeks, they were all a bit off. Not to mention the fact that this man being poorly portrayed didn't live in Albany far past his birth. It seems the flames of racial tension flamed as warmly then as the do now. "Urban" type people seemed to be frequenting this park, and I felt as if I was in the middle of a gang meeting the entire time I was there. I did not feel safe around the many unsavory characters mulling around probably soliciting drugs, prostitution or somthing of that manner.I will not be going back.

First off, it's free. What better way to spend a free Friday than getting lunch to go and listening to Ray's hits while munching. Entertaining and great place to people watch also.

The Best relaxing and breathtaking vibe to walk and think and give Jesus Christ some of your time AMEN

It was a nice place to visit. The Monument of Ray Charles was beautiful. The area was very pleasant and peaceful. It was the best thing about my trip.

It is a nice place to relax, especially if you have just come off the river trail.There is music via hidden speakers. It is a little bit more seclded and intimate than the nearby turtle park. There are plenty of trees and places to sit.

The park is well maintained and love the layed back quaintness of it. We always enjoy ourselves. Great walk after the Riverquarium

This place blew my mind. There is a statue of Ray Charles sitting at a piano, on top of a fountain, that continuously plays (but of course) Ray Charles Hits. There are swings and endless amounts of benches all throughout the park. This park also sits on the river and provides excellent views. Very peaceful place.

The Ray Charles Plaza is absolutely beautiful. So much attention to detail. The monument/waterfall is a bronzed masterpiece. It rotates! The brickwork and seating areas are musical notes. The area around the waterfall resembles piano keys. There is Ray Charles music amplified throughout the park. It faces the river. Just beautiful! Loved it!

My daughter & I geocached our way around town and stopped here. A very pretty place, sculpture & fountains are well done for a small town. Worth a stop for sure, explore & take pictures. BTW we did not find the geocache located here, later when we stopped at the welcome center and staff told us it had been stolen. Still we enjoyed this stop

A statue of Brother Ray, right on Front Street. Having seen Ray perform live on several occasions, the artist absolutely captured his presence and style. Couple that with good recordings of his music being played through a good sound system makes this a must see in Albany!