DESTINATION – WINTER PARK, FLORIDA!
Winter Park is situated on a chain of lakes just north of downtown Orlando. It is a quaint community recognized as the first centrally planned community in Florida. It has small town charm and ambiance, but still enjoys the advantages of a big city.
Park Avenue boasts deluxe shopping and fine restaurants, and cultural and educational activities revolve around Rollins College.
Winter Park is celebrated for its sense of place and history with many structures over 100 years old. Olde Winter Park is picturesque with small, winding brick streets and a canopy of Southern Live Oak and Camphor trees draped with Spanish Moss.
Winter Park is home to Rollins College – Florida’s oldest recognized college, Full Sail University - a school geared toward the entertainment industry, and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art - housing the most comprehensive collection of Tiffany glass on Earth.
Many commuters traverse Winter Park to access downtown Orlando. The municipal government has combated speeding and aggressive driving in the downtown area by lowering speed limits to 20 MPH in some areas and using other traffic-calming measures. This has helped preserve the quality of life for residents.
Many special events are planned for the winter holiday season. Please refer to our Event Calendar for specific information.
History
In 1858, David Mizell, Jr., a European, bought an 8 acre homestead between Lakes Virginia, Miell and Berry. A settlement called Lake View grew up around Mizell’s plot. 1870 brought a post office and a new name, Osceola.
Rapid development began in 1880 when South Florida Railroad laid track connecting Orlando and Sanford a few miles west of Osceola. Loring Chase arrived in Orange County from Chicago to recuperate from a lung disease and in his travels discovered the group of pretty lakes. He and a wealthy New Englander, Oliver E. Chapman, planned the town of Winter Park on a very large tract of land. They took four years plotting and opening streets, requiring all buildings to meet stylistic and architectural standards.
Chase and Chapman sold the town in 1885 to the Winter Park Company, started by a group of businessmen and incorporated with the Florida Legislature. Land prices soared from less than $2 per acre to over $200 with at least one sale recorded at $300 per acre.
The Congregational Assembly of Florida started Rollins College, the state’s first four-year college, in 1885. 1886 saw the opening of a grand luxury resort on Lake Osceola, The Seminole Hotel. The largest hotel in Florida, it had gas lights, steam heating, a string orchestra, a formal dining room, a bowling alley and long covered porches. The 21st President of the United States, Chester A. Arthur, called it “the prettiest place I have seen in Florida”. The hotel and town earned a reputation as a fashionable winter resort as Presidents Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison visited in the following four years.
In May of 1981, a massive sinkhole opened up near the corner of Denning Drive and Fairbanks Avenue. The hole widened to 320 feet and a depth of 90 feet in a single day. It destroyed an import car dealership, a public pool, and large portions of Denning Drive. It also “ate” an entire two-story home. The area was over a limestone cavern that collapsed during a period of record-low water levels. The city repaired the damage and turned the sinkhole into Lake Rose, a man-made lake.
Things to Do
The Morse Museum is open 6 days a week (closed on Mondays) and offers free admission on Fridays 4PM – 8PM November through April. The centerpiece of the Morse Museum is the collection of work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. It is located at 445 North Park Avenue.
http://www.morsemuseum.org/home.html
Scenic Boat Tour – a relaxing, narrated, an hour cruise through the canals and lakes of Winter Park. See historic sites and beautiful areas including Kraft Azalea Gardens, Isle of Sicily, Rollins College, tropical birds, plants, flowers, and mansions.
http://www.scenicboattours.com/
Thousands of visitors come to Winter Park each year for festivals including:
The Winter Park Bach Festival – founded in 1935 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of J. S. Bach’s birth. The Bach Festival Society enjoys a long tradition of bringing world-class talent to Central Florida. It’s offerings include the annual Winter Park Bach Festival, Visiting Artist Concert Series, Choral Masterworks concert Series, Fred Rogers Family Series and a variety of outreach programs encouraging youth participation in music at all levels. Events are held October – April. Call 407-646-2182 for tickets.
http://www.bachfestivalflorida.org/
The prestigious Winter Park Concours d’Elegance is an invitational, judged event celebrating the art of automotive design. Over 200 rare and exotic automobiles and motorcycles are placed for display and judging on Park Avenue. The Honor Marques include Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Austin Healey. Events begin with a gourmet breakfast on Saturday and end with award winning cars being driven into Central Park to accept awards.
http://www.winterparkconcours.com/
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival - one of the nation’s most prestigious outdoor art festivals. It is held annually for 3 days in March along Park Avenue in Central Park. More than 350,000 visitors view the art of 225 national and international artists chosen from 1,100 artist’s applications. The artists compete for 62 awards totaling $67,500.
There is plenty of entertainment and Friday evenings are famous for the blanket-filled north lawn ready for a jazzy night under the stars. Official Festival posters and t-shirts are made available.
The Children’s Workshop Village is open from 10:00am to 4:00pm all three days of the festival allowing kids to participate in hand-on art activities.
Various committees work with the concessions vendors to bring just the right blend of availability, selection and fun.
Visit http://www.wpsaf.org/default.htm for more information.
Shopping
Park Avenue – 10 blocks of stylish stores and unique drinking and dining establishments. Shops in this area cover everything from kitchen goods to hand-made stationery. Art galleries, antique shops, beauty salons and any other upscale item you desire will probably be found in the area. Lots of national retailers such as Talbot’s, Banana Republic, the Gap, Mimi’s Maternity, Williams-Sonoma, Crabtree & Evelyn, as well as quaint specialty shops lend an air of sophistication. Guys can hang out all day at Golf Allmighty or Cigarz on the Avenue. Check out the new doggie fashions at Doggie Door and the island-style décor at Island Collection. No food court, but look for sidewalk cafes, bistros and gourmet merchants.
Parking along Park Avenue is free and sparse. More free municipal lots are one block west.
Hannibal Square - two blocks west of Park Avenue, this historic neighborhood is a growing collection of shops and restaurants. Clothes, shoes, children’s clothing and furnishings, and gourmet baskets can all be found in this area.
Winter Park Farmers’ Market takes place every Saturday morning 7 AM – 1 PM and is held at the restored historical landmark, the old train depot, located at 200 West New England Avenue. This is the Number One produce and plant market in Central Florida providing fine produce, plants, baked goods and much more.