DOWNTOWN ORLANDO

To reiterate my sentiments about Orlando not just being a place for families with children- I’ve got some priceless nuggets of information about downtown Orlando! After spending the first part of the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios we headed the beautiful and nearly fully upgraded Downtown area.First, let me say that Orlando is unique from many other cities (including my hometown, Jacksonville Fl) in that the downtown area is “walkable”. What I mean is, you can park your car at a parking garage in one area and walk the rest of the evening, even if you want to visit several different locations.

A vacation in Orlando has everything a visitor can ask for regardless of your personality type, your family size, and in these “tough economic times” let’s not forget- your budget. Speaking of your budget, we’ve had a chance to walk around downtown Orlando and take a look at all the cultural aspects of this great city and guess what?! All of it is budget friendly and some of it is FREE!! Come take a walk with us and learn a little bit about Orlando-on the culture side.

First stop is the Orange County Regional History Center located at 65 East Central Blvd. Admission is $9.00 for adults and the wealth of knowledge you learn there is price less! It’s a 4 story building that breaks up the history of Orlando chronologically. So, start from the top and work your way down. Even for the short while we were there we picked up some very interesting facts about Orlando and its unique history. Here are just a few…

Tupperware’s first headquarters was in Orlando in 1944
Popular supermarket “Publix” opened in Orlando in 1940
Important insecticide DDT was developed in Orlando
Dr. Phillips of Orlando, made played a pivotal roll in marketing/developing Orange juice and making it a major economic source in Florida
Eatonville is the oldest incorporated black town in the U.S., located in Orange county, 6 miles north of Orlando

The History Center also has a “Retro Game Night” and a “Family Date Night”. See their website for dates and times.

After our history lesson we walked a few short blocks to City Arts Factory. This is a free art gallery that features artwork from local artists. They even have a workspace with lockers for artist to paint or sculpt at no cost and is available most days out of the week. You may see our good friend Shannon Larimer, who was kind enough to give us a personal tour of the beautiful building.

On the same street, but 2 blocks away is the Gallery at Avalon Island, which is another local galley with monthly exhibits, an 80 seat theater and a café. For those of you who love a good show, the Mad Cow Theater is a 1 minute walk away. The next major production is “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” which will be running from September 11th –October 18th.












If you are more of a cigar lounge kinda person, Orlando’s still got you covered! There is a very distinguished cigar lounge called Corona Cigar Co. It’s also with 5-7 minute walk from the other locations. This lounge boast a variety of over a 1000 types of cigars, has a great variety of wines and host monthly events. In fact, if you are in the area Friday, July 31st or Saturday, August 1st, you can meet Nick Perdomo, Nicaragua’s largest makers of premium cigars. Check out their website to see future events.



Directly next door downtown Orlando is pleased to offer the Plaza Cinema Café. It’s a 12 screen theater that shows the newest movies on 10 screens and oldie-but-goodie movies on two screens. They serve food, have plush comfy seats (eat your heart out AMC!), and has a full bar! Directly across the street is a premier down town salon-Ego Lab and a few quaint stores for shopping.












Now that we’ve got you educated, cultured, entertained, and smelling like smoke, let’s get you a drink! A few short blocks away is the well known Church Street of Orlando where you can find great pizza, wonderful drink specials, and a dance floor to shake it!!….Did I mention great drink specials?! As a helpful hint- Thursday night is typically college night. Although you get the most bang for your buck on admission and great drink specials, it may be packed with college age kids- just a heads up. The most popular bars/clubs on that strip are Dragon Room, Antigua, and Chillers. Check out their website for drink specials and “free before” info. Lastly, whenever you visit one of these fine establishments, ask if they validate parking. You may get more bang for your buck.