Tag: Winter Garden

Orlando Explorer

Our most recent visit to Orlando had us visiting Epcot for the Festival of the Arts. I tasted the mushroom risotto at the Masterpiece Kitchen around World Showcase but held off eating more until we went to the Morocco café for a vegetarian platter with hummus and more.

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At Disney Springs another day, I indulged in a root beer float at Ghiradelli. We enjoyed the ambiance as we strolled through the marketplaces and past numerous restaurants. Our adventures continued at historic Winter Garden as we strolled downtown. The main street still has its old-time charm, while a brewery hall attracts a young crowd with several fast-food eating choices. Here’s a peek at the lobby of an earlier era Edgewater Hotel and an adjacent ice cream shop.

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We took walks at Disney’s Riverside and Boardwalk resorts, and gained a couple of extra pounds from dining out the entire weekend. Now we’re home, and we brought a cold along with us as a souvenir.

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Winter Garden, FL

While researching book two for my proposed new mystery series, I came across the delightful town of Winter Garden, FL.  This town, located west of Orlando, may be considered part of the greater metropolitan area, but its quaint historical buildings and small-town atmosphere remain intact. While W. Plant Street, the main avenue, doesn’t last for long, you can visit the historic Edgewater Hotel originally opened in 1927 (and now a viable B&B), the Garden Theater dating from 1935, the Central Florida Railroad Museum, the Winter Garden Heritage Museum, and the West Orange Trail. If dining interests you, stop in at the French bakery on W. Plant Street for crepes and croissants, or stay for dinner at Thai Blossom or the elegant The Chef’s Table in the Edgewater Hotel.

 

Edgewater Hotel
Edgewater Hotel

The Garden Theater itself is worth a visit. Designed inside in Mediterranean Revival style like a scene out of Romeo and Juliet, it boasts a dark ceiling full of “stars” and plush seats with cup holders like a movie theater. We saw the hilarious play, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Need I say that my second mystery takes place in an old theater? It’s a murder mystery involving the cast and crew of a community theater production and this restored theater serves as a model for my fictional creation. So if you get tired of the theme parks, take a drive to this historic small town for a taste of old Florida.

Edgewater Hotel
Love the old typewriter!
Railroad museum
Railroad Museum
Garden Theatre
Theatre Interior
Mediterranean Revival style