Winter Park FloridaThe most direct way to get to Winter Park is from I-4 just north of downtown Orlando. Take the Fairbanks Avenue exit and go east for about 2 miles. You will come to Park Avenue. Beautiful Rollins College will be to your right. Turn left on Park Avenue and enjoy yourself in downtown Winter Park. There are many other ways to enter Winter Park from the adjacent roads and streets in Orlando and Maitland. Just poke around and discover some of these fun routes for yourself. For example, you can take Orange Avenue north from downtown Orlando and arrive in Winter Park, avoiding that I-4 traffic. View Larger Map HISTORY OF WINTER PARK FLORIDA David Mizelle bought 8 acres of land in 1858 between the present Lakes Mizelle, Berry and Virginia. He founded the little town of Lake View on his land. In 1879 the name was changed to Osceola. In 1881 Loring A. Chase of Chicago visited the place, loved the area and bought 600 acres along Lake Maitland and Lake Osceola. He and a partner, O.E. Chapman, platted the town and named it Winter Park. Winter Park began to develop in the 1880s as a citrus-growing center. It became a wintering retreat for wealthy Northerners, including Colonel Franklin Fairbanks and his partner, Charles Hosmer Morse. They visited the area on one of their Florida vacations and fell in love with the place. They were partners in various business including what is now the Fairbanks Morse Company, manufacturers of engines and pumps. Fairbanks Avenue and Morse Boulevard in Winter Park are named for these gentlemen who contributed much to the development of Winter Park in the early days.
Rollins is considered by most folks to be one of the best Florida colleges. Anthony Perkins was a student at Rollins before hitting it big as Norman Bates in Hitchcock's 1960 classic, "Psycho". Another Rollins graduate, Donald Cram, won a 1987 Nobel Prize for chemistry. The architecture of Rollins College inspires visions of Florida'sSpanish heritage. The campus is a pleasant place to take a walk.
The town is often overlooked as a central Florida tourism attraction, but is definitely worth a visit or an extended stay. It's Park Avenue shopping district is a wonderful place to spend a day or a week. I lived in Winter Park on two separate occasions. It is a relaxing place to live. If you live close to downtown, everything you need is within walking distance.
Flowers and ferns are cultivated and hanging from balconies all along the avenue. Many of the restaurants have sidewalk dining, and the whole Park Avenue stretch is a people watcher's paradise. Even the Amtrak station is right downtown across the park on Park Avenue. My son used to take the train down from Georgia and walk to my house to visit me. Several museums are within walking distance of Park Avenue.
The tour highlights nature and local birds, but another outstanding feature of the tours are the opulent mansions, old and new, that line the lakes. WINTER PARK FLORIDA MOTELS The category of motels in Winter Park may also include hotels, bed and breakfast inns, or other forms of lodging including Florida state parks or private campgrounds.
WINTER PARK FLORIDA RESTAURANTS Winter Park has so many good places to eat it is tough to decide where to start. When I lived there in a condo two blocks from Park Avenue, there were 17 good restaurants within a short walk. The restaurant mix changes with the years. Here are a couple of the good ones I know something about that are worth visiting.
WINTER PARK, FLORIDA ATTRACTIONS
OTHER THINGS TO DO AND PLACES TO SEE IN WINTER PARK An excellent guide to historic Winter Park buildings and other features is availble at Amazon.com by clicking the image below. More information about the Winter Park and Orlando area is available at UpTake.com Return From Winter Park Florida To Florida Towns
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