Happy New Year, Avalon Park!

Happy New Year Avalon Park! As we kick off a new year and you are contemplating whether or not you need to leave the bubble to find something to do. You don’t! Whether you live, learn work or play here, or all four, there is something for you in Downtown Avalon Park.

As you know, Avalon Park is located between Alafaya Trail and Colonial Drive in beautiful east Orlando, it is accessible by the 528 / Beachline Expressway toll road and is 15 mins away from the 408 / East-West Expressway toll road, which means your out-of-Avalon friends can get here easily from anywhere in Central Florida to join in the fun. Once you enter Avalon Park, the appeal is easy to see. It is a thriving community where we, the locals, love to live, love to work and love to play, and there are ample opportunities to do all three. Here are a few of the highlights:

The Avalon Park Arts & Culture Center (13013 Founder’s Square Drive): AvalonArtsCenter.com As you walk through the Arts Center, which is free to enter, you will find rotating presentations of local artists’ and schools’ work that range from pencil drawings to paintings, from photography to jewelry and a multitude of different things in between. There are specific events sometimes during the weekends and in the evenings so be sure to check out the website and check the calendar. The Arts Center is open Fridays 5-9 pm, Saturdays and Sundays between 12 and 5 pm to view the exhibits, and select other times for special events. There is a gorgeous painted mural of butterflies on the outside of a building close by should you want to take some family photos, definitely Instagram worthy!

The Fifth Floor (3801 Avalon Park East Blvd.): The Fifth Floor is an innovative co-work space in the center of Avalon Park where you can use office space or a conference room depending on your specific needs, for an hour, a week or anything in between. The options are vast and the technology available in the space is up-to-the-minute. Working from home and have a conference call that you do not take at home due to distractions? You can rent a nearby, professional location with the technology you need to accomplish your day-to-day work needs. Discounts are available for some rental fees, so be sure to ask. If you need to concentrate and make some calls, and be in a secluded, professional area, you can use the space while your family waits for you downstairs to join them for lunch at the Marketplace.

The Marketplace at Avalon Park (3801 Avalon Park East Blvd.): Food halls have taken the general concept of a food court and elevated it to a next level dining experience. The Marketplace at Avalon Park is a food hall in downtown Avalon that is a thriving example of this up-and-coming trend in the industry, and it showcases the versatility that will be sure to keep this amazing concept thriving for a long time. The Marketplace at Avalon Park offers 12 options for food and drink, including Bowigens, a craft brewery tap room, The 1 Cantina, a stand-alone restaurant offering full table service, Rosso’s coffee shop, The General Store, where you can peruse a multitude of locally crafted novelties as well as indulge in wine by the glass or by the bottle, and multiple food vendors with an array of menus sure to please every palette. You can choose from Korean BBQ, Poke bowls, Italian cuisine, Louisiana favorites, burgers and bar food, hot dogs, charcuterie boards and handmade ice cream.

In fact, Avalon Park has 28 dining options including some of these local ones with some new highlights that you might want to try:

• The New All You Can Eat BBQ at A-Aki Sushi and Steakhouse

• New Lunch Specials at Mejana Mediterranean Grille

• The Recently Opened Pico de Gallo and The Bakery

Other activities that Avalon offers are dedicated to your health and wellness. There are day spas, such as Spa Longevita, nail and hair salons to sit back and pamper your hands and feet, like InStyle Hair and Nails Salon, and if you need medical treatment, there are eye centers, physicians and dentists lbs.! Why? I wanted to get in shape, and it worked! When doing my annual executive physical the results were outstanding, on every level, all the blood values, fitness, blood pressure, heart rate et al. The Doctor said: whatever you do, just continue this way. 5 years ago, I was invited by APG’s Chief Human Resource officer Mari Robles, to attend a dinner given by AdventHealth with about 25 finalists in line to win a $150,000 grant. AdventHealth was looking for a company who could be made the healthiest company in Central Florida. I am proud to say that APG won the award and Advent started right away their program. It was great, from running or walking a 5K together to many lifestyle lessons and medical workshops.

Avalon Park hosts special events regularly in the community, for holidays or just to celebrate the local arts. Absolutely Avalon is the community’s multicultural celebration in April, where the community comes together to celebrate everything that makes Avalon Park Absolutely Amazing and features local arts, crafts and music. Oktoberfest is showcased with a large arts festival as well as having a beer garden and live music on the stage. Wine walks and the Craft Beer Festival hosted by the Avalon Park Rotary are also favorites in the community, as they allow mingling and walking along the sidewalks while visiting all of the local shops and establishments. The annual Chili Cook Off to Cure in January, kicks off a year of great events and is a fantastic way to sample amazing chili while raising funds for AdventHealth for Children. You will also want to stay tuned for other new events this year like the Vintage and Vines Market this March and Avalon Park Jazz Festival.

There are walking and bike trails throughout the community, as well as a dog park, and tennis and racquetball courts, and don’t forget about the kiddie play area with the splash pad and swings.

Avalon Park is a fully contained community that meets the needs of anyone who is living here or visiting temporarily. It has the ability to create an inclusive environment where there’s ample things to keep you entertained, with places to eat, shopping, health services and exercise areas. The community feeds your soul and your spirit while being functional for business, or pleasure. Everyone makes memories that they will take with them always, but they also leave a presence for the next person through the door, changing the experience just a little bit, from the very essence of the energy within.

Tanya Soto- Tanya.ProfSvcs4U@gmail.com - freelance writer, photographer and single Mum from the UK, currently living in Avalon Park, Orlando.