Winter Park, Florida

A college town brimming with culture, Winter Park thrives on creativity, with a year-round whirlwind of festivals showcasing all facets of the arts — from Bach symphonies to Zora Neale Hurston. Plein air painters and photographers find beauty around every corner, where grand old live oaks shade narrow lanes and thousands of azalea bushes burst into bloom each January. Founded in 1885, Rollins College is the cornerstone of this city, its Spanish Mediterranean-style architecture as appealing as the day it opened. Winter Park is a city of lakes, where the Scenic Boat Tour slips through the narrow channels joining broad expanses of water ...

A college town brimming with culture, Winter Park thrives on creativity, with a year-round whirlwind of festivals showcasing all facets of the arts — from Bach symphonies to Zora Neale Hurston. Plein air painters and photographers find beauty around every corner, where grand old live oaks shade narrow lanes and thousands of azalea bushes burst into bloom each January. Founded in 1885, Rollins College is the cornerstone of this city, its Spanish Mediterranean-style architecture as appealing as the day it opened. Winter Park is a city of lakes, where the Scenic Boat Tour slips through the narrow channels joining broad expanses of water where swans glide and tall cypresses loom next to multi-million dollar homes. Downtown is a vibrant place, where residents and visitors walk everywhere. On Saturdays, the community gathers around a traditional downtown Farmer’s Market with fresh produce from outlying farms. Park Avenue is the jewel of the city, a shaded avenue paralleled by parks and well-established restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Two world-class art museums flank Park Avenue: The Morse Museum of American Art, with the world’s largest collection of Tiffany glass, including the original Glass Chapel that Tiffany installed at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago; and the Cornell Fine Arts Museum on the Rollins College Campus, home to more than 6,000 pieces of fine art, dating back to 1380.

About the Expert

Sandra Friend has written 12 books about Florida, including the Explorer's Guide (Countryman Press) series to Florida.