Kraft Azalea Garden — A Hidden Winter Park Treasure (and FREE!)

Winter Park and Maitland Florida have lots of parks. However, one of my personal favorites is a slightly hidden park, nestled into the residential neighborhoods of Winter Park.It’s called Kraft Azalea Garden.

Orlando Neighborhoods—Where To Live & Avoid

So you’re moving to Orlando, and you’re trying to pick the best neighborhood. Okay, big topic. But it was requested by readers…so here goes!

I love local culture, history, locally-owned stuff, parks, nature, NOT being stuck in traffic, and great coffee shops. Here’s a rundown, through my eyes, of the best places to live in Orlando.

East End Market — A Sunday Chill Spot

The East End Market is charming. It’s reminiscent of these little stalls under a common roof you see in Seattle, Paris and other states. It’s a nice little place to grab a beer, nibble on some delicious breads, try adventurous cheese, a juice bar, and browse a local book store. The owner of the book store upstairs on the second floor will tell you about all her selections.

I love the picnic tables outside that let you just lounge. You drink a beer, enjoy the shade of the oak trees, and just chill.

Best Brunch Spots in Orlando

I’m a lover of brunch. It’s the epitome of chilling. Lazily eating succulent foods for breakfast, and drinking cocktails. Delish.

I googled “best brunch in Orlando” on my anniversary last month—for kicks—and decided to try all the top picks. Most I’d been to already. Some suggestions were so misleading! Don’t waste time tragically eating at a lame place.

Where to Get Married in Orlando — A Hipster’s Guide, Part #1

So, you’re gonna tie the knot! ….and Orlando is the chosen location. Where’s a great place to have the wedding and wedding reception?

A Disney wedding is a psychotic expense, with an oh-so-plastic vibe. Here are some other options for where to get married in Orlando:

Pricey:

#1 – Leu Gardens

An expensive & beautiful Southern classic for weddings in Orlando. Sure, it’s pricy, and they’ll make you pay for all catering here. But if you’ve got the money and want a stunning Florida venue, enjoy this place. It’s a huge park, so guests can wander about. The building is lovely and classic, so you’ve got backup space if it rains. It gets blazing hot in summer though, so stick with late Autumn to Spring for a timeframe here.

Leu Gardens – Orlando Location for a Southern Classic Wedding

Grabbing a Drink in Orlando — 5 Places Not to Miss

Where are cool, authentic spots to grab a beer in Orlando?

#1 – Imperial Bar (inside Washborn Imports)

Washborn Imports / Imperial Bar is a foreign furniture store with a great outside beer garden area. The twinkle lights glimmer at night and there are many intimate corners you can sit in with friends. We love the cool furniture that you can enjoy (but never afford to actually purchase.) It’s about 6 minutes from downtown Orlando.

Mead Botanical Garden — Free Nature Walk in Orlando / Winter Park

It’s free, it’s wild feeling, it’s got a nice abandoned vibe — what’s not to love?

Mead Gardens boardwalk is usually empty and a beautiful place for an evening run. It feels like you’re away from the city and exploring nature. You run over little creeks and around the brush. Jog along a little creek and through the woods and wild flowers. Running the jogging trail only takes about 20 minutes, but if you do it twice, it’s quite a bit of a run.

Coffee House Rundown – Where to Get a Caffeine Fix in Orlando

So, you’re in Orlando and you want some delicious (non-Starbucks) coffee. Here’s the rundown of your hotspots. I’ll share my winner at the end. 🙂

1. Credo

(College Park Area)

Credo Coffee — Delicious coffee. Open until early evening.

You really feel like you’re in some hipster section of Seattle when you enter this coffee shop. You pay “what you’d like” for your drinks. They take whatever you feel the coffee is “worth” here. Gazing at pictures of Free Trade beans & Central American farm children, however, I always seem to pay more than if they’d just charged me.

There’s a delightful array of indoor plants and tables of various heights. The local iOS devs gravitate towards this place, I’ve found. It’s a bit of a local techie mecca—in a nice way. Always enough seating.

No food, except for delicious (quite sugary) raspberry bars or one or two random cakes. Around the street is a cool vintage clothing store called D’Echoes. Worth a look!

Rainbow Springs ~ True Florida Beauty

Where in the world is Dunnellon Florida?! It’s not that far. It’s actually only one hour from Orlando, and it’s got a STUNNING spring called Rainbow Springs. It’s the 4th largest spring in Florida. And good news! There’s usually not many people there at all. Because it is a full one hour car ride away, this dissuades pretty much ALL tourists. (A good thing, dear readers.) There are 2 options for Rainbow springs.

Option #1 – Canoe / Kayak / Tubing

You can take a tube ride down the river for about 2 hours. Tubing starts with a check-in at the counter, then a ride from a park ranger in a mini-bus. You park near the tubing entrance for Rainbow Springs.

There ARE alligator along the way sometimes, so don’t float too close to the edges. Of course, the park rangers tell you they haven’t bitten anyone in 40 years. But I had the experience of having my friend (a terrible swimmer) leap off her tube in fear and nearly drown when she bumped into a nice 8 foot gator on a log. This is a great little float trip for STRONG SWIMMERS. I’m sure the gators won’t bite (well, mostly sure), but I just don’t recommend it for any group with weak swimmers. If you are iffy on swim skills, get a kayak or a canoe.

Kayaking in Rainbow Springs River

Options #2 – The Swimming Area for the Spring

This is SO beautiful. It’s like the glassy clear blue water you see in the picture of Aruba advertisements. I highly recommend. it. There are also picnic areas, nice bathrooms, and waterfalls you can hike to. (I was recently told the waterfalls are man-made, but they’re still lovely.) This section of Rainbow Springs attracts more people, but doesn’t feel overwhelmingly full.

Visit a Speakeasy Tonight – Hanson’s Shoe Repair

When was the last time you went to a Speakeasy? It’s been too long. Thankfully, Orlando actually has a cool prohibition inspired hangout. Oh ya. It’s time for the fun drinks.

Beautiful prohibition era cocktails

Head to NV Art Bar on Pine Avenue downtown, and go upstairs to the door that looks foreboding with the tiny window on it. You’ll need to give a call to Hanson’s Shoe Repair at the following number: (407) 476-9446. You usually have to leave a message, then you’ll get a text back with the password. We like to call as soon as we leave our house and drive over, as it can take about 5 minutes to hear back.