ALL ABOUT TOWN

„ ORLANDO

DOWNTOWN ORLANDO By day, high-rises bustle with o ce workers. After dark, the streets fi ll with decked-out club-hoppers. Yet downtown Orlando is packed with intriguing sub-destinations worth exploring. Orlando’s creative community shows its talent in the Downtown Arts District where CityArts Factory boasts several galleries, arts venues rotate collections regularly and street sculptures abound. Lake Eola is where tourists ride paddle boats shaped like swans, shoppers stock up at a weekly farmers market and groups practice yoga on the lawn en masse. Hipsters live in Thornton Park’s restored historic homes, urban professionals in its contemporary condos; both frequent the neighborhood’s chic and casual restaurants. Big venues draw crowds: the sports and concert arena Amway Center, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and Camping World Stadium, along with the Exploria Stadium, home to the area’s professional soccer teams. Before and after downtown events, attendees gather around Church Street, where historic buildings with fanciful adornments mix with contemporary buildings to house dining and nightlife.

IVANHOE ROW/MILLS 50 This Orlando neighborhood is known for its o eat yet attractive businesses. Ivanhoe Row was long Orlando’s antiques center; now art galleries and trendy bars fi ll the vintage storefronts with hipster wares and fare. New restaurants like Russell’s on Lake Ivanhoe and The Pinery o er chic dining with great views of Lake Ivanhoe. It’s a short walk to Loch Haven Park’s museums and theaters. Nearby, Mills 50 is two neighborhoods in one. Artsy with an edge, it’s an LGBTQ-friendly enclave lined with inexpensive cafes serving fl avors that span the globe. It’s also Orlando’s Asian center, packed with Vietnamese restaurants, grocery stores and acupuncture practices. Local gra ti artists have transformed utility boxes, dumpsters and exterior business walls into works of art.

COLLEGE PARK The main drag, Edgewater Drive, is a pedestrian friendly thoroughfare with restaurants, boutiques and resale furniture emporiums. Surrounding that, 1920s-era bungalows along brick roads named for universities are home to an eclectic group of residents, most of whom shop and socialize at the now-retro 1950 Publix supermarket. Author Jack Kerouac once spent time in one of the bungalows; it’s now a writer’s retreat. Locals take fi ve at Infusion Tea or stop by College Park Cafe for authentic Cuban fare. Away from College Park’s center, expansive homes with lake views show Orlando living at its most graceful.

WINTER GARDEN Quaint, friendly and free of pretension, the welcoming enclave with brick-paved streets and faux gas lamps is timeless yet trend-forward. Children jump in splash pads and couples relax in oversized porch swings set in the center of town, where Americana is played out alfresco. Adults sup and sip wine and martinis in dining rooms, cafes and

watering holes. A brewery and indoor locavore market, plus a weekly farmers market, o er up artisan wares and groceries at Plant Street Market. Those looking to stay in shape will appreciate the West Orange Trail, which cuts a path directly through the downtown area.

DR. PHILLIPS/RESTAURANT ROW The main drag, Sand Lake Road, has become known as Restaurant Row, attracting an equal number of tourists and locals to its high-end and midscale eateries on the lakefront and tucked inside upscale strip malls. Boutiques, trendy grocers and polished retailers selling goods from cigars to liqueurs beckon those looking to stock their hotel rooms or suitcases. Quiet parks dot Dr. Phillips, which was named for a citrus magnate and philanthropist. Bay Hill, a residential golf community, is home to the annual Arnold Palmer Invitational, started by the late Orlando resident and “King of Golf.”

KISSIMMEE A quiet agricultural community before the theme parks came to town, modern-day Kissimmee invites visitors to experience Old Florida. Airboat, zipline and ropes-course operators add a bolt of thrill to the outdoor experience. New development, however, beckons visitors west on U.S. Route 192 for stellar shopping and dining at Sunset Walk, or splash down at the H2O Live! water park.

LAKE NONA On the opposite side of town, southeast of Orlando, just north of the Osceola County line and St. Cloud, is Lake Nona, a shining gem in the portfolio of Tavistock Development Company. A masterplanned community, Lake Nona is anchored by Medical City and an impressive town center where a creative urban vibe is evident in its architecture. Four- and five-story o ce buildings, hotels, restaurants, small businesses and sidewalks, plus public art and a color-themed design put it a notch above other planned communities. When completed at the end of 2021, its 18-story Lake Nona Wave Hotel, designed by Arquitectonica, will be the beginning of Lake Nona’s skyline.

HORIZON WEST Considered one of the largest master-planned developments in Central Florida’s history, this area in West Orange County was on the drawing board beginning in 1995. The project, inspired by the New Urbanism movement, encompasses a town center and five villages, each with several neighborhoods o ering a mix of housing styles, schools, parks and recreation. In January 1997, Horizon West received the green light from Orange County to begin work on its first village, Lakeside, and the building hasn’t stopped. Since then, the development has evolved to include Bridgewater, Seidel, Hickory Nut and Ovation. The construction of Hamlin Town Center, a commercial area designed to serve all the villages, continues today. It’s home to several small businesses as well as essentials such as Orlando Health Horizon West Hospital, a Publix supermarket and a 24-hour Walmart Supercenter. Today, Lakeside, Bridgewater and Seidel are basically complete while Hickory Nut, Ovation and Hamlin still o er homesites for prospective buyers.