If you're visiting Orlando, I highly recommend this as one of your stops. A historical landmark of…read morethe city. I found out the Leu family donated their family land hoping to share its beauty. Unique gardens with plenty of shade. Great for all ages, including toddlers. It is fenced in with lots of areas to picnic, if that's your thing! There's a small cafe for coffee, ice cream and a few snacks. On certain days they have infant and toddler reading time (20minutes long). The first Monday of each month is free entry however there are no guided tours. Check their website for more info!

This garden is huge with wide paths through all the gardens with optional dirt paths. Most paths…read moreare naturally shaded by the tall mature live oak, cypress, crepe myrtle and banyan trees. If you love nature, you are in for a special treat as this garden has hundreds of plants and flowers all very clearly labeled. Sprinkled throughout the paths are funky bird houses and information on the birds there which sing non-stop in the background which is mesmerizing to sit on a bench by the brook and listen to birds and water, like I said, a special treat. I located a new bird to me, the gila woodpecker! The house museum tour is full of local Florida history and the house is beautiful with many interesting details like the children's back stairs and the bathrooms have original tiles and fixtures! The bathrooms are accessible, clean and well stocked with supplies. The map gives a clear idea of where you want to wander to and where you might want to stop to take in nature. One of my favorite places with sculpture added to the gardens along with specialized gardens for cocktail ingredients, salsa garden, chutney garden and tea garden! Fun! Many fruits and herbs as well. A must see if you love the outdoors, birds, plants, flowers, gardening or the peace that nature brings. A must see!!!!

Nehrling Gardens is like a lovely stroll through old Florida. It is not a huge space, but provides…read morea chance to see Caladiums, Gloriosa Lilies and Bromeliads and offers shaded pathways.

Nehrling Gardens is the best place to buy quality plants in the Gotha/Windermere area. Their prices…read moreare fantastic, and they provide substantial education about the plants you buy. Also, they sell plants whenever they're open....not just during special events. Such beautiful people in a historical, peaceful place.

This park is one of my favorites! it can get a bit busy but early morning and late nights are…read morealways so peaceful at the park! There's sometimes food trucks as well.

Crane's Roost Park is such a beautiful space not just for attending fireworks, festivals, concerts…read moreor other events. It's a great place to go for a walk. There were families taking a walk while others were fishing or having a picnic. A pair of photographers were out taking pictures of the wildlife in and around the park. The park grounds are kept and well maintained. There are plenty of parking spaces available with multiple access points to the park. On our walk, we came across a food truck that was stationed near the park. Culinary Concepts by Chef Pierre offers a variety of food options from burgers, fish sandwiches to shrimp and ribs. Chef Pierre can be found on Thursdays and Fridays at different locations/apartment complexes. We ordered the Fried Fish, French Fries and Coleslaw combo. We did, however, opted out of the French Fries. The Fish was fried golden brown and was crispy. The Coleslaw was fresh and delicious. Chef Pierre and his staff were friendly and welcoming. We have been searching for new parks to frequent since we recently moved to the area. Crane's Roost Park is definitely at the top of our list and now our go to park. We will also keep a look out for Culinary Concepts by Chef Pierre next time we visit Crane's Roost Park.

I have walked the mile path surrounding Lake Eola many times and I always stop for a moment at this…read morepeaceful garden with its distinctive red bridge. The Japanese Rock Garden along Lake Eola contains a 12.5 ton and 19,5 foot long piece of black marble donated by Su-Nan Chong, Mayor of Tainan, Taiwan. The rock was given in 1983 as a gift of friendship between the sister cities of Tainan and Orlando. The marble is said to have been discovered in the mountains in Hua-Lien at an altitude of 1,600 meters and was sculpted by wind over 10,000 years. The Mayor requested the following to be inscribed on the stone. "Loyal To Country Filial To Parents." When the rock was delivered Orlando it was requested to be placed "in your great Walt Disney World". Disney World however is not in Orlando and Disney declined the gift leaving Orlando to figure out what to do with it. While waiting for permanent placement it was called the Mayor's pet rock. When Lake Eola Park was renovated in 1988, the Japanese Rock Garden was created and the rock finally had a home. Today you can see the famous rock and take pictures on the pretty bridge. The story of the marble has become a quirky part of Lake Eola history.

We came to visit this little historic village and it's very scenic. The trees are so pretty too…read more There is parking and public restrooms available. We made a bad choice for dinner but I will return.

The Clermont Historic Village is a collection of historic buildings in Clermont, Florida. The City…read moreof Clermont purchased the land for the village in 1996 and it included the Train Depot and the Quonset Hut. Through the years various other historic buildings were moved to the village. The non profit South Lake Historical Society, formed in 1997 operates the village in conjunction with the City of Clermont. The mission of the historical society is to preserve, maintain, and share the history of South Lake County's pioneer families. The village opened in 2005. The historical society gives tours which covers the period of history from the 1800's to WWII. There are seven buildings that make up the village. These include the Herring Hooks Schoolhouse which was the last building added to the property. It is a replica of an 1881 one room schoolhouse that used to exist near Jack's Lake and served as Clermont's first school. It was recreated using old photographs. The Cooper Memorial Library was built in 1914 and nicknamed The Little Cooper. It was moved to the village from West DeSoto Street in 2009. The outhouse is a replica of one and was built as an Eagle Scout project. The Train Depot stands in its original location. It received refurbishment in 2011. The Quonset Hut was built by the US military and it is original to the WWII era. It has been turned into a museum. The Kern House was built in 1895 on Montrose Street in a traditional New England style by Alexander Kern. He was one of the original signers on the incorporation of Clermont. The house was moved to the village in 2008. The Townsend House was built in 1895 on SR 50 by the first Black family to move to Clermont, James and Sallie Townsend. It was the first building to be moved to the village in 2002 and it opened for tours in 2005. The Historic Village is free but asks for a suggested $5 per person donation. It is open for tours Saturday and Sunday between 1 and 4. You can contact them for private tours and rentals. Every year the Historical Society hosts a Heritage Day Festival. During my visit there was a very nice Christmas village on display. I love how the city of Clermont has preserved their history in these buildings. This is a great place to get a glimpse of what life was like at the turn of the century through WWII.

Great farm tour and we were able to feed some animals too! Great tour guide who was very…read moreinformative!

We went to Green Acres Farm or Oviedo a couple of months ago. It is a small farm where you can pet…read moresome of the animals. My 2 year old loved it and recently saw some pics of the experience and told me she wants to go again. I also enjoyed it a lot as I got to pick up some chickens and pet them. Fed a cow, chickens and goats. Saw bunnies, chicks, turkeys and pigs. While the experience was about an hour for us, they do let you know that it might be a bit more or less depending on engagement with the animals. Visit requires a donation, but they don't ask for a specific amount. You have to contact them via facebook and schedule the visit. It was pretty easy for us to schedule it. Owner is very responsive and was so awesome with my little girl when we visited. Definitely want to visit again!

This is quite a fancy art show, one of the best around, really. With top artists from all over the…read morecountry, you'll find some truly amazing pieces from both established and up-and-coming creators. The entire park transforms into a massive outdoor gallery, filled with hundreds of works being judged and awarded throughout the weekend. I'll admit, some of the art is a little pricey for me, but if you've got some disposable income and consider yourself a true art connoisseur, it's definitely worth it. Even if you're not buying, it's an incredible way to spend an afternoon, walking the park, chatting with artists, and soaking in all the creativity. It's inspiring and gives you plenty of ideas for what you might want to collect or create in the future.

My daughter lives in Winter Park and during a visit with her we visited the Winter Park Autumn Art…read moreFestival. The festival is held in the beautiful 11 acre Central Park along Park Avenue in the heart of downtown Winter Park. The park has a stately oak canopy, fountains, and sculptures which makes it the perfect backdrop for an art festival. There is also a number of restaurants and shops only steps away. The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce hosts the ANNUAL festival on the second weekend in October each year. It is the only juried fine arts festival made up only of Florida artists. Art displayed and for sale includes paintings, ceramics, metal, prints, textiles, photography, and ceramics to name just a few mediums. This year 186 artists were chosen to display their works. The festival is quite large and you can easily spend a couple of hours checking everything out. I especially loved the nature photography featuring Florida's native flora and fauna. If there is one drawback to the festival it is the lack of parking. I ended up parking in a business lot and they charged me $20. Go early if you have any hope of finding street parking. Once you leave your car plan on spending a few hours enjoying all the delights downtown Winter Park has to offer.

It's hard to believe the Maitland Jazz and blues Festival has been going on for 20 years now, where…read moredoes the time go?! We stopped in to check this event out last Saturday and it was a blast. Two days and 12 bands. Unfortunately we were only able to catch the last two bands. There was also two stages which helped with breaking up the crowds. This is in a busy part of Maitland, although parking is available in several locations, it can be tricky finding it since many of the main entrances to the park are blocked. It's free entry to the event. If you plan on staying all day be sure to bring a chair or a blanket to sit on. Also know that pets were not allowed at the event and you could not bring your own drinks or coolers in. There are a lot of food trucks on site along with several other vendors selling goods, jewelry & such, plus several areas for sampling their food/product. If you're not in the mood for any of that you could always opt for Boku sushi, or Kelly's Homemade Ice cream which are also great options. If we planned better we could have spent an entire day here it looked like it was a great time for the community. If you're in the area when this event takes place next year, I recommend checking it out.

Jazz and blues at the park! What more do I need to say? Wonderful event with local and traveling…read morejazz and blues bands playing original tracks and obviously playing some classics. The afternoon was perfect. They had beer stands, food stands/trucks and even a small little artisan market to buy Florida made items. The park is beautiful and was able to host two stages to eliminate down time between bands, and it has plenty of trees to set up your chairs to enjoy the music in the shade. Was definitely kid friendly with a small playground area to keep them entertained. The bands were spectacular which made for such an entertaining and relaxing afternoon. Can't wait for next year's lineup.