Winter Park is one of those places that we intended to visit every time we were in Orlando but it never quite made it to the top of the list – until this year. Having visited a nearby store for furniture for our villa, we decided to drive on to Winter Park to see if we could find some lunch.
The town is situated north east of Orlando easily reached and clearly signposted from Interstate 4. As we drove through the suburbs in the direction of Park Avenue we thought it looked an average place. However once we had parked and walked along Park Avenue, we realised that this was potentially another Florida shopping experience! But slotted in amongst the shops are art galleries and antique stores – OK, way out of our price range but nice to have a look if not to make a purchase!
There are a number of individually branded stores instead of the usual high street chains and no malls or large shopping centres.
The streets were busy as, when we visited it was the day before graduation ceremonies at nearby and well respected Rollins College. Parents were in town to attend their sons and daughters graduation but it appeared that the graduates were using it as an opportunity to take mum and dad shopping!
Anyway – the reason we were there was lunch. A quick scan of the restaurants and cafes along Park Avenue and the choice of food seemed endless but we only really wanted a snack not a meal. Around the corner from GAP and on East Lyman Street, we came across Power House Café. The décor was not extravagant but it looked squeaky clean and the menu outstripped expectations. The focus seemed to be towards healthy eating and the choice was outstanding including a lot of vegetarian options. We grabbed a pavement table so we could people watch and ordered lunch. I have to say the sandwiches were fantastic and we can definitely recommend the café. As well the usual coffees, soft drinks there was a great choice of smoothies and yoghurt drinks with great names (and ingredients) such as Lavender Mist. Everything is freshly made and service is great. What a find!
Now we needed to walk off lunch! A stroll down the opposite side of Park Avenue and we came across the Morse Museum which houses a vast collection of Tiffany glass. Inside it is a series of small rooms with some quite beautiful items on display. Louis Comfort Tiffany is probably best known for intricate lampshades but in this museum were vases, jewellery and stunning stained glass windows - some removed from houses due to be demolished and if they had not been removed would have been lost forever. Also on display are pieces from various craftsmen and women which are just as special Truly worth a visit, it was a great way to spend the rest of the afternoon.
The town is situated north east of Orlando easily reached and clearly signposted from Interstate 4. As we drove through the suburbs in the direction of Park Avenue we thought it looked an average place. However once we had parked and walked along Park Avenue, we realised that this was potentially another Florida shopping experience! But slotted in amongst the shops are art galleries and antique stores – OK, way out of our price range but nice to have a look if not to make a purchase!
There are a number of individually branded stores instead of the usual high street chains and no malls or large shopping centres.
The streets were busy as, when we visited it was the day before graduation ceremonies at nearby and well respected Rollins College. Parents were in town to attend their sons and daughters graduation but it appeared that the graduates were using it as an opportunity to take mum and dad shopping!
Anyway – the reason we were there was lunch. A quick scan of the restaurants and cafes along Park Avenue and the choice of food seemed endless but we only really wanted a snack not a meal. Around the corner from GAP and on East Lyman Street, we came across Power House Café. The décor was not extravagant but it looked squeaky clean and the menu outstripped expectations. The focus seemed to be towards healthy eating and the choice was outstanding including a lot of vegetarian options. We grabbed a pavement table so we could people watch and ordered lunch. I have to say the sandwiches were fantastic and we can definitely recommend the café. As well the usual coffees, soft drinks there was a great choice of smoothies and yoghurt drinks with great names (and ingredients) such as Lavender Mist. Everything is freshly made and service is great. What a find!
Now we needed to walk off lunch! A stroll down the opposite side of Park Avenue and we came across the Morse Museum which houses a vast collection of Tiffany glass. Inside it is a series of small rooms with some quite beautiful items on display. Louis Comfort Tiffany is probably best known for intricate lampshades but in this museum were vases, jewellery and stunning stained glass windows - some removed from houses due to be demolished and if they had not been removed would have been lost forever. Also on display are pieces from various craftsmen and women which are just as special Truly worth a visit, it was a great way to spend the rest of the afternoon.