Florida Guide > Places to Visit
Winter Park (10)
For a totally different experience of Orlando which takes you away from the hustle and bustle of the main tourist attractions, head north and visit the utterly delightful town of Winter Park.
It is an easy drive along the I4 and only takes approximately 30 minutes to get there. There is ample parking both on the streets and on car parks but if you park on the street make sure that you park in the designated areas or you could face a fine!
Winter Park is such a picturesque town – it is full of long, tree lined, leafy avenues which feature some beautiful designer shops (not big designer outlets but small exclusive boutiques) and other quaint shops full of items which are something a little bit different from your normal souveniers.
There are also plenty of galleries to visit, all of which carry different types of art work.
Winter Park also has any number of lovely places to eat at – you can take your pick from the various priced bistros along the avenues or in the little courtyard areas which are found just off the main street.
If you want to take a picnic with you there are some lovely parks to choose from where you can spread your blanket and settle down for a peaceful meal. These parks very often have some sort of event happening which you can enjoy
The are also several museums in Winter Park all of which are worth a visit if you have the time (you might want to come back for a second day to fit everything in). To name a few there are “The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art”, “The Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens”, “The Cornell Fine Arts Museum” and “The Winter Park Historical Museum” which was our favourite.
The best part of our day at Winter Park was when we went on one of the narrated, scenic boat tours on Lake Osceola. The tour last for an hour and takes you through the canals and lakes of Winter Park showing you the beautiful scenery, plentiful wildlife and also the wonderful homes of the rich which are set on the shores of the lake.
We sailed past Rollins College which is the oldest private college in Florida and is a lovely old building. We even saw some of their students out rowing.
Our guide was most informative and made it such a pleasurable trip. He even kept our very lively 10 year old boy interested which for us said just how good it is!
The cost of the boat trip is extremely reasonable at just $10 per adult and $5 for children up to the age of eleven.
We really enjoyed our day at Winter Park and shall definitely visit again.
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