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Thursday, December 8, 2005
Discovering Orlando's Historic Downtown
Neighbourhoods and Parks
Downtown Orlando offers a welcome reprieve from the purpose-built
areas to the south-west of the city that have been created solely
to accommodate tourists. In fact, many of the historic downtown
neighbourhoods are beautiful, offer a great variety of architecture,
and give you a feeling of community where regular people actually
live and work.
Right around the downtown core are a number of beautiful neighbourhoods
that lend themselves nicely to exploration on foot. Some of the
streets are cobble-stoned, making them the perfect destination for
a neighbourhood walk.
After visiting Loch Haven
Park, on this grey and drizzly day, we decided to drive south,
park our vehicle and explore some of the central neighbourhoods
on foot. We parked in Lake Cherokee Park, walked all the way around
the lake and delighted in admiring the upscale architecture and
the wildlife on the lake.
Just before the big catch.....
Bird lovers are able to see a great variety of water birds right
in the middle of town and we observed one waterbird, as it sat quietly
and then catapulted its head forward to catch its winged prey, all
within a split second...
Water birds perched on a grate on Lake Lucerne
On this misty day the atmosphere was even a bit mysterious, with
Spanish moss hanging down from ancient oak trees. You could almost
see mist drifting off the lake. One of the interesting features
of Orlando are its lakes, more than 300 of them, that can be found
throughout the entire city, and many of them are equipped with facilities
and public parks.
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| Architecture around Lake Lucerne |
We carried on from Lake Cherokee to Lake Lucerne, which is immediately
south of Orlando's downtown core. Several fountains adorn the middle
of the lake and you get a perfect view of downtown Orlando's architecture.
Lake Lucerne on a grey day
Orlando has a surprising number of public parks with special facilities
that provide recreational opportunities for local residents as well
as tourists. With the help of the City
of Orlando's website I have compiled a list of some of the special
outdoor public spaces that Orlando has to offer. These places include
a very reasonably priced golf course, Loch Haven Park - Orlando's
center of culture and science, the Dickson Azalea Park, a variety
of wetland areas, an ecology center, camping and more. In one word,
public spaces that offer free or inexpensive recreational and educational
opportunities:
Lake Cherokee is bordered by a 3.8 acre scenic
park and surrounded by the Lake Cherokee Historic district, a residential
neighborhood with architecture representing virtually every significant
period of Orlando’s history.
Lake Eola Park
is a popular destination in the downtown area, with many people
taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings to walk at lunch
or in the evenings. The sidewalk that circles the lake is .9 miles
in length, making it easy for visitors to keep track of their walking
or running distances. Other activities available to park visitors
include renting ($10 for ½ hour) swan-shaped paddle boats,
feeding the live swans and other birds inhabiting the park, being
paddled around the lake on a romantic gondola cruise (www.gondola.com),
seeing a concert or a play in the Walt Disney Amphitheater, watching
the children play in the playground, grabbing a bite to eat at The
Terrace on Lake Eola or relaxing amid beautiful flower beds and
a spectacular view of Orlando’s skyline.
Jogging by Lake Eola
Orlando Loch Haven
Park covers 45 acres and serves as the region’s
premier cultural park. Nestled between three lakes, Lake Estelle
on the north, Lake Rowena on the east, and Lake Formosa on the south,
the park is located on North Mills Avenue and Princeton Street.
The park was renovated in February 2001. With the many museums or
theatre groups located in the park, there is always something new
to see or do. The lawn areas in the center portion of the park are
wonderful places to sit and enjoy the lake views shaded by majestic
oak trees. One of Central Florida’s oldest and largest oak
trees, "The Mayor", grows in the park near Orlando’s
Mennello Museum of American Folk Art.
Located just minutes from downtown Orlando, Dubsdread
Golf Course features the oldest public layout in the area,
originally designed in 1923. This classic course has plenty of history
attached to it as the former site of the Orlando Open, when it hosted
such golf legends as Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, and Claude Harmon. Today,
golfers are treated to the same beautiful scenery and challenges
of the original course, including narrow fairways and heavily bunkered
greens. A full restaurant and bar complete the ultimate golfing
experience. Dubsdread is also the home of the Dubsdread Golf Learning
Center, a full service teaching facility. Visit "www.historicaldubsdread.com"
for more information.
The Mayor Carl T. Langford Neighborhood Center provides
a natural oasis in downtown Orlando. The center is located in a
shady oasis of mature oaks, wide sidewalks, green lawns, birds,
butterflies and plenty of room for the kids to play. Young children
will love the swinging bridge over the creek and the playground
. There are a great deal of educational and fun nature programs
offered in this beautiful neighorbood center.It offers a yearly
summer nature and art camp, as well as family and corporate picnics
at a reasonable rate. The Mayor Carl T. Langford Park is a beautiful
place to have a quaint wedding ceremony at an affordable rate. The
Central Florida Folk, Inc. performs the second Sunday of each month
through fall and spring.
The "Rocket Thrower" sculpture in Loch Haven Park
The Wetlands Park is a great place to come out,
relax and enjoy nature. The most popular activities are bird-watching,
nature photography, jogging and bicycling. Nature enthusiasts will
be greeted by 1,650 acres of hardwood hammocks, marshes and lakes.
There are over 20 miles of roads and woodland trails crisscrossing
the Park.
Experience a walk through time as you meander along Fern Creek
in historic Dickson Azalea Park located across
the street from the City of Orlando’s Mayor Carl T. Langford
Park. The Washington Street Bridge was constructed in 1926 and is
reflective of many bridges found in South Florida. The lush landscaping,
singing birds and flowing water are a treat to many visitors. This
park is an oasis for those needing a quiet place to eat lunch or
to reflect when this area was a watering hole years ago for cattle
ranchers to quench the thirst of their cattle in Ferncreek. The
dragonflies, shady trees and quietness of Dickson Azalea Park are
a must see for people of all ages to experience.
Enjoy a day of family fun and play in the City of Orlando's beautiful
300-acre Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake. Open
year-round, seven days a week this park has something for everyone.
A swimming pool is open for those hot summer days, large pavilions
for huge group picnics are available for rent and small sun shelters
for family gatherings are available on a first come first serve
basis. The well stocked lake for fishing is tempting to all anglers
from novice to experienced. A children's farm is on-site as a remnant
of the farm era of the property. The Ecology Center has an air conditioned
meeting room. The camping area is a reasonably priced destination
for people from all over the U.S. and the world who visit Orlando and area attractions. Another area has bunk houses and grills for
those nature based group retreats or chaperoned youth groups. Park
visitors are offered a wide variety of nature-oriented activities
including: hiking, baseball / softball, volleyball, biking, and
large playground for the kids. Feel free to take advantage of our
Youth Group rates, Family Pass and Individual Pass.
Orlando City Hall
As you can see, in addition to theme parks, Orlando offers a surprising
variety of inexpensive family fun and recreational opportunities
off the beaten path that offer interesting things to explore for
the whole family.
For more information about Orlando please contact the Orlando
Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Orlando and Central Florida travel stories:
Orlando Off the Beaten
Path
A visit to the Orange
County Regional History Center
Exploring Orlando's African
American Heritage at the Well's Built Museum
A lovely evening walk around downtown
Orlando's Lake Eola
Visual delights served
up on the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour
A walking tour through quaint
historic Winter Park
Our high-speed adrenaline adventure
at Boggy Creek Airboat Tours
Our picnic lunch by the Kissimmee
waterfront
Exploring picturesque Mount Dora
on the "Herbie Express"
Orlando's Loch Haven Park:
Center of culture and arts
Exploring downtown Orlando's
historic neighbourhoods and parks
Learning about citrus at
Florida's Natural Visitor Center
Architectural and natural
beauty at the Bok Historic Sanctuary
Central Florida: a haven
for naturalists and plant lovers
Central Florida's wildlife:
surprising ecological diversity..
Driving home through St. Augustine:
the oldest city in the US
Articles on Golf in Central Florida:
A first-hand
look at ChampionsGate
A first-hand look at the
Royal St. Cloud Links
A first-hand look at Timacuan
Golf and Country Club
Attending the Father
Son Challenge at ChampionsGate
An overview of golf in the Orlando area:
Orlando- Golf's Ultimate Theme Park
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