The red Chinese Ting is structure located in Lake Eola Park. It was given to the city of Orlando in…read more1987 by philanthropist, scientist, and businessman Dr. Nelson Ying. The ting was built in Shanghai, disassembled, shipped to Orlando, and reassembled in the park. Mr. Ying said he donated the ting "to create a place for this mayor and future mayors to entertain dignitaries,'" and "'to make downtown more attractive to citizens.'" In 1985 Mr. Ying worked with mayor Bill Frederick to secure a sister-city relationship between Orlando and the Chinese city of Guilin and the ting celebrates the friendship between the two cities. People like to picnic around the ting and as you walk around the lake it is nice to take pictures and sit here and watch the swans.

I love learning about architecture and history so I was immediately drawn to this historic marker…read moreon Sligh Street in Orlando. I am particularly fond of historic train stations, many of which were built during Florida's land boom hey days of the 1920's. Orlando was named in 1857 and incorporated in 1875. In 1880 the first railroad was built to Orlando which at that time was a pioneer cattle and citrus outpost that sprung up from the area around Fort Gatlin, built during the Seminole Wars. Atlantic Coastline Railroad acquired the railroad in 1902 and in an effort to bring more tourism to Orlando, in 1927 they hired architect M.A. Griffith to build on new train station on Sligh street. During the 1920's, Mediterranean Revival was the most popular architectural design choice but Griffith was inspired by his travels along the Pacific Coast where he admired the Spanish architecture and colonial parish churches. The W.T. Hadlow Construction Company of Jacksonville was hired to build the Spanish Mission style building with twin bell towers, arches, parapet, and tile roof at a cost of $300,000. The station was dedicated on January 11, 1927 in front of a crowd of 6,0000 people. On February 27, 1978, the train station was designated an Orlando Historic Landmark. In 2014 the station's original wood doors and windows were restored along with the original building colors. Repairs were also made to the stucco walls, roof, ceilings, paving, and upgrades were made to the restrooms. In 2015, the restoration project won the City of Orlando's Historic Preservation award for Outstanding Commercial Rehabilitation. In 2016 historic marker number F-904 was installed in front of the train station by The City of Orlando and the Florida Department of State. Today the station is considered the largest and finest example of Mission Revival architecture in Central Florida and is the only train station of this style in the state. The station serves Amtrak's Silver Meteor and Silver Star Lines and the SunRail commuter train. I have been to many train stations from the 1920's throughout Florida. Some have been torn down, some are now abandoned, others have been restored and turned into something else like a museum, but it is very rare to see one still being used today. I love that people are still arriving and departing through this historic building. I think M.A. Griffith would be proud to know that the Atlantic Coastline Station is still servicing Orlando's travelers today.

This very well preserved marker is in front of the Orlando Amtrak station and recalls the time when…read morerailroads first started into Florida as well as a certain time in American history and race relations. Certainly well before "Amtrak" was a thing. The marker has text on both sides and it reads: "In 1880, the South Florida Railroad built a railway through Orlando. The small community boomed with land speculators, citrus and cattle investors, and tourists. In 1902, the larger Atlantic Coastline Railroad acquired the South Florida Railroad. Although three earlier Orlando stations were located on Church Street, Atlantic Coastline hired architect M.A. Griffith to design a new station on Sligh Boulevard in 1926. Griffith traveled the Pacific Coast and drew inspiration from Spanish architecture and colonial parish churches. The W.T. Hadlow Construction Company of Jacksonville received a $300,000 construction contract for the Spanish Mission style building. Twin bell towers, arches, parapet, and tile roof reflect this influence. Griffith designed the letters of "ORLANDO" over the west entrance arch. When the station was dedicated in January 1927, it attracted a crowd of more than 6,000 and became an immediate icon. The racially segregated station included a separate waiting room with ticket windows and restrooms for African American passengers on the south side of the building. Built-in curved wooden settees, once featured in both waiting rooms, remain only in the current waiting room." "Known historically as the Atlantic Coastline Railroad Station, this building represented the city's efforts to encourage tourism in Orlando during the 1920s Florida Land Boom. Since its opening, the station has served as a passenger terminal for residents, visitors, and workers. The words "Seaboard Coast Line" on the east arched parapet replaced "Atlantic Coast Line" after the two rail companies merged in 1967. The station was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey with six drawing sheets archived in the Library of Congress. On February 27, 1978, it was designated as an Orlando Historic Landmark. An extensive renovation began in 2014 to restore the station including the original wood doors and windows. Careful research revealed original colors of the building, window sills, and domes. In 2015, the project won the City of Orlando's Historic Preservation award for Outstanding Commercial Rehabilitation. The station is considered the largest and finest example of Mission Revival architecture in Central Florida and is the only train station of this style in the state. The station serves Amtrak's Silver Meteor and Silver Star Lines and the SunRail commuter train."

Went here for Panda Fest. It was our first time attending an event at Festival Park. Traffic was…read morepretty snarled up near the venue and parking is difficult, but several places were offering parking for $20 cash. We were able to get parking nearby and walk easily to the event. The park itself is setup well for events. Plenty of open area for booths. They had clear entry and exit areas and security staff to handle entry. The general line was very long, but the security was professional and did their best to move things along. They had porta-potties and mobile real bathrooms in VIP at this particular event. They also had plenty of trash cans. They did need more accessible water for purchase. It was mostly at just the bar huts and those lines were very long. Not good on a hot day when you aren't allowed to bring in your water bottle. The ground is also pretty uneven in spots, so just need to be mindful of that for people with mobility issues. I would go here again for another festival.

I attended the annual Panda Festival at Orlando Festival Park. There was than 80+ vendors from the…read moreregion, locally and across the country including favorites you can't normally try in Orlando! The venue was packed with people in long lines trying all types of Asian food and drinks. The longer the line the more popular the food. I tried several different types of food dumplings, kabobs, fries and tempura shrimp. The dumplings and tempura shrimp were good. The fries were too salty and the kabobs (chicken, beef and lamb) were tuff grizzly and hard to get off the stick. The food tasting range in price from $10-25 which was a bit expensive but a good time was had. Some of the foods I wanted to try had too long of a line for me to wait and pay the high price. Since public transportation nor ride share was an option I drove and parked about five blocks away. No complaint because it was free. The event last three days not sure if I would pick Saturday next time.

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.

What better way to start a Saturday than with a volunteer event to help clean up Lake Fran with the…read moreCity of Orlando. Me and my fellow Yelp friend: Shalay, Donna, Sonita and Virginie decided to get together and do something outside of Yelp to give back to our community. We signed up on the city website and met up with other volunteers and corporate sponsors like Cintas and Coca Cola . Some walked, some used kayaks and canoes and we cleaned around and inside of the lake to make it beautiful again. The city took care of supplies such as safety vest, pickers , nets, bottles of water and gave away free baseball caps! This was a great way to give back and I look Forward to many more events with my girls and the City of Orlando!

Traffic, art, Disney, Universal, restaurants, beach proximity, stores, amusements, adventures,…read moreentertainment, sunshine, heat, and more. One of the most popular cities in Florida, Orlando quite literally has something for everyone. This progressive city is often jam-packed with tourists as it's a major tourist destination for folks from all over the globe. Lots of history in this perfect weather town.

A darling venue. I attended a beautiful wedding at the Dr. Phillips House and this was the perfect…read morebackdrop for my friend's wedding. It fit her aesthetic completely, there's parking in the area, multiple areas for different set-ups (music, dining, dancing, bar, overnight stays, kids room, etc).

Dr. Phillips House offers a historical home, from the famous Citrus Pioneer, Dr Phillips…read more This home is used for rental or venue space and is located just seconds from Downtown Orlando. There is ample room, beautiful decor, but very poor parking options, For events at this space, give yourself at least 15-20 minutes to find street parking. We went to the FEVER "Bad Santa Cocktail Experience" and had a great time, and would be interested to visit again for a historical tour or wine tasting.

This is located within Greenwood Cemetery and remembers a respected family that resided here in…read moreOrange County, Florida and can trace their lineage to Thomas Jefferson. I have said it before, but it bears repeating, we need to remember and acknowledge the footsteps from our past that brought us to where we stand today. This was a nice find in the historic cemetery known as Greenwood.

I was exploring the history of Orlando in the historic Greenwood Cemetery when I discovered this…read moremarker dedicated to the Eppes and Shine families buried here. I learned from the sign that they were descendants of Thomas Jefferson who made their mark on early Orlando. Francis Wayles Eppes VII, was 8 years old in 1809 when he spent Christmas in Virginia with his grandfather Thomas Jefferson who had just completed two terms as president. Francis's mother was Jefferson's beloved daughter Maria who died during child birth in 1804 when he was three. His father John Epps was a congressman who remarried and was often away in Washington, DC. so Francis grew up in the care of his grandfather. Francis was the only one of Maria's three children to live to adulthood. Jefferson had set aside the family outpost called Poplar Forest, a 300 acre estate near Lynchburg, Va. for Francis as his inheritance. When Francis turned 15, Jefferson sent him a letter with this advice "Above all things, and at all times, practice yourself in good humor. This, of all human qualities, is the most amiable and endearing to society." Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, when Francis Eppes was 25 and married to Elizabeth with two children. The Jefferson family ended up selling Monticello and Poplar Forest due to debts and legal problems. Francis Eppes landed in Tallahassee with his young family but his wife Elizabeth would pass here during child birth like his mother and two of his seven children died in infancy. Francis Eppes remarried Susan Margaret Ware (1815-1887), the daughter of a governor of Georgia. They lived at Pine Hill, a 1,900-acre plantation, and had six more children, four girls and two boys. Francis Eppes founded St John's Episcopal Church and went on to serve two terms as mayor of Tallahassee in the 1840s and 1850s. He was one of the founders of Florida State University when in the 1850s he helped establish the West Florida Seminary that would become the university where he would serve 11 years on the school's board, eight of them as president. The Civil War hit the Francis Eppes family hard. Eppes sold his land but it was purchased with worthless Confederate money. The family was broke and they moved further south into what would become Orlando, a frontier outpost that sprung up from Fort Gatlin, an outpost during the Seminole Wars. In Orlando Francis Eppes became a citrus farmer. Three of the Eppes daughters married three Shine brothers in 1866. Martha Virginia married Capt. Thomas Jabez Shine, called T.J., Capt. Tom Shine, a Confederate veteran, was the director of the First National Bank, a board of trade officer, an alderman, and commander of the Orlando Guards, later named Shine Guards. In 1879, Thomas built a home on Orange Avenue with the first indoor bathroom in Orlando. The first sidewalk in the city ran past the house and it had a tennis court. He named the cross street Jefferson Street in honor of his wife's family Caroline Matilda married David Shepard Shine who became deputy clerk of Orange County and was appointed postmaster. Caroline and her sister Martha served their communities as members of the Rosalind Club, Sorosis, and with other charities. The third Shine brother Dr. William F. Shine was married to Martha Eppes. Unlike the previous two couples, they did not live in Orlando. Dr. William F. Shine, served as a Civil War surgeon and practiced medicine in St. Augustine after the war. Maria Jefferson Eppes founded the St. Augustine Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution which bears her name. Francis Eppes died on May 30, 1881 a few months before his 80th birthday. Francis Eppes and Susan Ware Eppes are buried in Orlando's Greenwood Cemetery in a family plot with members of the Shine family, including T.J. Shine, and their descendants. The Shines are noted for being among Orlando's earliest civic minded families. Marker F-838 was erected in 2014 by The City of Orlando and the Florida Department of State.

I always stop to read a historical marker if I happen upon one. I have learned so many interesting…read morethings about Florida and its people this way. For some reason I always thought this marker was associated with the historic Eola House which it is near but when you actually stop to read you learn that it was put in place of a home that is no longer here. The John R. Mott House was the former 1920 Mediterranean-style bungalow home of past Nobel Peace Prize-winner John Raleigh Mott. Mott retired to Orlando in 1938 and purchased the home. It was torn down along with three other historic homes in 2013 to expand Lake Eola Park. The homes were known as the The Lake Eola Five. Lake Eola House located near this historic sign was the only one left standing to serve as the Lake Eola Park offices. John Raleigh Mott was a very influential humanitarian figure. He was a leader in the YMCA and the World Student Christian Federation. He helped to found the World Council of Churches in 1948. He held honorary degrees from six universities, including Yale, Edinburgh, Princeton, and Brown. In 1946 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his humanitarian work with international Protestant Christian student organizations that promoted peace. Mott authored The Evangelization of the World in this Generation and he became a popular recruiter of college students to foreign mission work. When he was offered free passage on the Titanic he had the good sense to decline in favor of a less luxurious ship more aligned with his austere taste. It was very sad to learn that Orlando tore down four historical homes to basically have a field where they can hold events in the downtown area. The bungalow was especially cute and attached to a historical figure. It could have served as museum. To ensure that Mott would not be forgotten, in 2017, the city of Orlando placed a two sided Florida Historical Marker F-932, at the site of where Mr. Mott's home once stood, in recognition of his life's work. The marker was paid for by Commissioner Patty Sheehan along with private donations from he Van Dusen and the Nollet families. One star for Orlando tearing down Mr. Mott's home and five stars for all of John R. Mott's great work.

The John R. Mott House Site is a piece of Orlando, Florida history located by a plaque on the edge…read moreof Lake Eola Park. It commemorates the house site of John Raleigh Mott, who was a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. In addition, Mott was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his relief work for prisoners of war. Whenever I see a local historic plaque, if possible, I pull over and check it out. We individually and as a society need to remember our history, the steps that brought us to where we stand today. Our society would not be what it is today had it not been for pioneers like this gentleman who strived to make the world a better place. I am grateful that I discovered this cool piece of history and I give it five stars.

Located outside of the Orange County Government building sits this interesting statue. I have seen…read moreit countless times and appreciate it as a bit of art that gives Orlando its personality.