Park Ave, Winter Park

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Orlando, FL
Park Ave, Winter Park
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Winter Park has an absolutely gorgeous main street, Park Ave (with stores for seven blocks from Fairbanks Ave to Canton Ave), that is like being in Europe! Flower baskets hang from the storefront windows, and little cute French patisseries and ice cream shops in historic buildings line the street. Across from the shops is a large European-style city park called Central Park where young people sit on the grass by the fountain. At the south end of Park Ave is beautiful Rollins College. How amazing to be able to walk from your college campus to such a lovely destination!

There is a rose garden at the southern end of the park. My daughter was so enchanted by the whole area that she spent over an hour making up an imaginative game on the terraced steps of the rose garden.
There is an enchanting indoor alley with koi ponds and a fake lit-up tree at Le Macaron. Further north is a cute alley with a koi pond and blue staircase, near Simmons Jewelers. An adorable back alley garden with the building painted in bright lime green is located at The Ancient Olive, a food shop with olive oil tastings. There is a small and interesting bookstore called Writer's Block Bookstore at 316 N. Park Ave.
On the south end of Park Ave, near the university, is a BurgerFi, with shakes and burgers and lime green seating, and a Rocket Fizz candy store that is a delight to stroll through. 
Briarpatch has cute indoor and outdoor (no dinner) seating, and serves yummy ice cream. There are so many attractive, and yummy-looking places to eat in Winter Park it's incredible! Croissant Gourmet has good chicken salad sandwiches on crispy fresh croissants. Prato has amazing Florentina pizza and a chic interior with orchids covering the wall, plus great outdoor seating with heat lamps. Bosphorous has the best food of all, turkish cuisine with delicious mild spices and a plate piled high with fresh vegetables. Try the Chicken Adana. Winter Park has a nice mix of happy students, interesting business people, and wealthy older people. There are intelligent conversations going on everywhere!
Other streets in Winter Park such as Fairbanks Ave are industrial and not so charming (there is a ton of traffic too), but once you're on Park Avenue, you're in heaven! 
For a pretty walk down to the lake, take Morse Blvd to the east where it dead ends (there are parking spots here). There is a one hour scenic boat tour there that leaves on the hour. It didn't have a shade covering so we didn't go- come early or late in the day to avoid getting sunburned. The lake is charming with a gazebo on its banks, stately mansions, and plenty of oaks with Spanish moss lining its shores.
There is not a single storefront on Park Avenue that is not leased, a sign of this area's economic vitality.
From mid-Nov to the beginning of Jan there is real ice skating in Central Park in a big tent on the corner of New York Ave and Morse Blvd (see times and prices below). Christmas in the Park is a sumptuous free one-night event with backlit Tiffany glass windows that make a walkway, enriched by the Bach Festival Choir and various other music groups. It will be held on Dec 5, 2019 from 6-8pm.
If you want to change things up and have dinner somewhere different, walk west two large blocks on New England St and you will come to Hannibal Square where there is a block of restaurants among delightful architecture- this area is kind of dead in the afternoon but livens up at night. 
At the northern end of the shops on Park Ave is the Morse Museum, a warm and engaging museum that describes and displays incredible interior design and objects made by Louis Comfort Tiffany, plus Art Deco glassware, ceramics based on nature, and Tiffany's paintings. The presentation is beautiful and not sterile-feeling like other art museums. Do not miss it!
If you continue driving north up Park Ave you have a treat of mansions to feast your eyes on! You come to a slightly hilly area with tall trees and peeks of the lake, around Green Cove Rd and Summerland Ave.
From the north end of Park Ave, walk six minutes and you come to Casa Feliz, a historic mansion made of brick with sky blue window trim and shutters. I don't recommend the indoor live music on Sunday afternoons because it's very musty inside, but it's lovely to go for a walk around the mansion, through its garden, under the pointed archway, past the blue agave, ending up at the flower-filled archways in Charles H. Morse Park.  
A better choice is a stroll through Rollins College, while enjoying the marvelous architecture. Walk to the Lake Virginia side of campus and you can take a long path that hugs the water- what a joy!
If your kids need a playground, drive to adorable Azalea Lane Playground where many families gather in the early evening after work. Or you can walk west along New England Ave to Castle Playground at Martin Luther King Jr Park, a large wooden playground and exercise station on a pond.
For a romantic stroll amongst a tropical nature area, check out Mead Botanical Garden. For another super place to hang out and enjoy lovely views, have a hot dog on the lake at Lakeside Shopping Plaza.

Continue to directions...

Emily Fountain by Albin Polasek in the center of the park along Park Ave.

Hanging baskets from the lampposts.

College girls chatting by another fountain.

Beautiful tree with Spanish moss along Park Ave.

Rose garden.

Rose garden area on Park Ave.

Rose garden in winter.

College guys jog in the park.

Koi pond in an alley.

Sidewalk cafes like in Europe!

College guys walking along Park Ave.

Historical building on Park Ave.

Shop on Park Ave.

Flower beds and trees in the park.

Light playing on the trees in the park.

All kinds of trees in the park.

Park Ave is adorable!

Bellinis and mimosas for sale!

Lazing at a cafe.

A Cuban cafe.

Indoor tree, at Le Macaron.

Winter in the Park ice skating in a tent!

Charming architecture.

Flower beds along Park Ave.

Oak with moss, on a side street called Morse Blvd leading to the lake.

Apartment building and hanging flower baskets.

Residential fountain on Morse Blvd with lake in the distance.

Scenic boat tour at the lake.

Playing guitar at the park.

Christmas decoration lights up the Spanish moss on Park Ave.

Courtyard with Spanish fountain on Park Ave near Canton Ave.

Cute side courtyard at The Ancient Olive, at night.

Boutique shopping.

Orchids on the wall in Prato Restaurant.

Group of students having dinner at Prato.

Sunny December day at the rose garden. A student reads a book on the bench in the background.

Brick pathway through the rose garden.

Yellow roses!

Pink rose.

Brick building with white trim on Canton Ave.

Venetian building on Canton Ave.

Relax at a bakery and watch the people go by.

Hanging flower basket on Park Ave.

The scenic boat tour takes you past mansions on Lake Virginia and Lake Osceola.

The scenic boat tour is a lot of fun!

Attractive buildings on Park Ave.

Pottery Barn, in an old theater.

Seating along the sidewalk.

Teas and gifts, in a shaded part of Park Ave.

Yellow umbrellas at a sidewalk cafe.

Green hanging baskets galore, and striped awning.

Ocean Blue Galleries has a colorful window display.

Cute candlestick lantern.

St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church.

Fountain outside The Ancient Olive.

Alley leading to The Ancient Olive.

Koi fish in indoor alley by Simmons Jewelers.

Blue and yellow staircase near Simmons Jewelers.

Lululemon store.

Greeneda Court, where there is a coffee shop called Barnie's Coffee.

Fountain in a courtyard behind Barnie's Coffee.

Barnie's Coffee.

Flower box bounty, on Park Ave.

Flower box colors!

Overflowing flower pot.

Stripey plant and lovely flowers.

Flower baskets on lamppost, in front of Synergy.

Flower planter with rock, on Park Ave.

Lovely view of the park across the street from the shops.

Pottery Barn exterior.

Be On Park Fine Jewelry storefront.

Bright plants along the park.

Peacock fountain in the rose garden.

Forest Idyl by Albin Polasek, along Park Ave.

Sculpture along Park Ave.

Healthy Italian Gelato.

Rocket Fizz, at night.

Umi Japanese Restaurant, at night.

Inside Rocket Fizz candy store.

Art Deco building.

Directions

Winter Park's main street is Park Ave, north of where it intersects with W. Fairbanks Ave. It lasts for seven blocks all the way to Canton Ave. There is free parking at the city lot and along Park Ave and the side streets. The city lot is on the corner of Canton Ave and Park Ave. 
Exit Highway 4 at Fairbanks Ave and head east for almost two miles. Turn left on Park Ave. There is a lot of traffic on Fairbanks Ave so plan accordingly.
Bosphorous, 108 S. Park Ave, Winter Park FL 32789, call (407) 644-8609.
Briarpatch, 252 North Park Avenue, Winter Park FL, call (407) 628-8651.
Prato, 124 N. Park Ave, Winter Park FL 32789, call (407) 262-0050.
Scenic Boat Tour, 312 E. Morse Blvd, Winter Park FL 32789, call (407) 644-4056. $12 (cash only) per adult. $6 for kids aged 2-11, and kids under 2 ride free. Open daily 10-4 (last tour leaves at 4). Closed Dec 25.
Winter in the Park ice skating, corner of New York Ave and Morse Blvd. Mid-Nov to early Jan. Open M-Tr 3-9, F 3-10, S 10-10, Sn noon-8. Longer hours on school holidays. Cost is $13 to skate (includes skate rental).

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Last Updated: Sat, 24 Jul 2021 20:35:56 GMT

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