WHAT A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD WE LIVE IN!
Summertime in the City A
WILL CAMPBELL PRESIDENT BALDWIN PARK JOINT COMMITTEE
12
nd just like that, we’re moving into another season — or at least, as much as seasons change here in Florida. As the school year comes to a close, kids will be roaming the neighborhood more frequently, and their teachers are getting a much-needed break. Families are planning and preparing for their summer vacations. While some people in the neighborhood will be out of town, we usually get an influx of out-of-towners visiting our little corner of the City Beautiful by way of visiting family and even tourists. We often pride ourselves on our neighborhood not being what a lot of people consider Orlando as a whole to be: a tourist trap. With that said, we have a lot to offer — especially for the more discerning of travelers. We’ve even got some new blood in Downtown Baldwin Park that you should definitely show off to your visiting friends and family. Provision & Buzz got a face-lift and soon, a new name. Paper Goat Post left its original home in College Park and moved into the former home of Farris & Fosters and has succeeded in making it a little bubble of happiness — complete with a confetti faucet (seriously, so cute in there, be sure to check it out). Pedego bikes has joined the neighborhood, offering not only sales of their electric bikes but also day-rental packages that include a little piece of Baldwin Park by way of a gift card to one of our other amazing businesses when your rental concludes. Each of these new neighbors offers something special to do on these long, hot summer days. If you’re looking to be a tourist yourself in the area, there’s so much to do that a theme park doesn’t even need to be on your list. If you’re looking to beat the
BALDWIN PARK LIVING | JUNE 2022
heat and take advantage of the A/C, there’s the Orange County Regional History Center in the heart of Downtown Orlando, where you can learn about the area from over the past 12,000 years. Yes, I said 12,000, and yes, that’s a lot! There’s also the Orlando Museum of Art, which hosts a rotation of 10 to 12 unique exhibits throughout the year, so it’s never the same thing twice. Another super fun option is the Orlando Science Center, which is especially great for the little ones. If you’re looking to be outside but still aren’t feeling like a butter beer at Hogsmeade, just a short ride past the attractions and off Interstate 4, you can find Bok Tower Gardens. This beautiful 250-acre garden and bird sanctuary offers walking paths that you could get lost one with plenty of shady spots for you to take a break a clear your head. In the same vein, and much closer, is Harry P. Leu Gardens at the corner of Corrine Drive and Forest Avenue. Leu Gardens showcases all of the beauty central Florida has to offer by way of plants, gardens, and the beautiful lake it sits along with so many different paths to take that you could spend an entire day and still not see everything. If you’re looking for something completely different and don’t mind venturing a little further out of the bubble, head up to Daytona and take yourself and five friends on a cruising tiki boat tour of the intracoastal. We did this for my birthday once, and I assure you, it will not disappoint. You are literally cruising the intracoastal waterways on a floating tiki bar, what can go wrong?! Another out-of-the-box option is the Limo Cycle. Yes, equally as ridiculous as the tiki bar boat but equally as fun. Plus, you get to learn something
about the town as you pedal along the brick paver streets of Historic Downtown Sanford. With so many amazing options in and around Baldwin Park, the summer possibilities are endless. You likely will find the husband and I sitting along New Broad Street at one of the restaurants or grabbing a glass of wine at Golden Hour along Lake Baldwin Lane, relaxing after our long days of work, and planning our own summer days. We’re already counting down the days until a seven-day cruise we have booked with a group of friends in mid-July, but there are always those random days off that we have together when we’re looking for something new to see or do. Oh yeah, before I forget, speaking of July (you like that segue?): Don’t forget about the Baldwin Park Independence Bash on Sunday, July 3, in Downtown Baldwin Park. This is our premier event for the neighborhood, and it’s going to be one of the best we’ve ever done. Tons of work has been going on behind the scenes since the end of last year to really put on an event of which Baldwin Park can be proud. Be on the lookout for more details in the weekly e-blasts, here in Baldwin Park Living and on BaldwinParkNetwork.com. We can’t wait to see you all out there. No matter what your summer plans, I hope you take advantage of all that we have within our reach, or drive, within Central Florida. I know we don’t like to leave the bubble too much, but sometimes it’s OK! Until next time, stay safe, stay well and remember, We Are Baldwin Park!
