If you’re not new here then you know I’ve spent plenty of time in Orlando. My husband, Mitch, is from the area and a lot of his family is still down there. We visit often, mostly for Christmas, and usually spend our time in Winter Garden – a quaint little suburb about 40 min from downtown – where Mitch’s parents, sister and brother-in-law live. We’re pseudo locals when we visit. 😉
After several trips, I finally figured I should write something about this cute town that I frequent. Shockingly, I don’t have as many photos as I thought…le sigh.
If you’re in the Orlando area and have some time to get out of Disney/tourist madness, venture out here. It’s cute and totally worth it, especially during the holidays.
What To Do in Downtown Winter Garden
Winter Garden’s main little downtown area resides on Plant Street and is about two miles long. The West Orange Trail biking and walking path goes directly through, making it an easy stop for bikers, runners and a convenient way to get to downtown from the surrounding subdivisions without driving.
There’s tons of adorable boutiques, restaurants with patio seating and liveliness to the area. It’s always a blast when Mitch and I come to visit. It’s really easy to instantly feel a part of the community.
Shopping
The Farmacy
One of our favorite stops is The Farmacy. An unconventional stop for most, but this tiny local grocery is must. They feature local produce and is a great stop with the friendliest staff, yummy treats or drinks and just a really cool concept.
Adjectives
Another fave is Adjectives. This shop is a mix of new and vintage/antique with booths throughout the store for different local vendors. Each area has a distinct vibe and there’s always something new we discover when we go in. It’s a great place to pick up a gift or memory trinket from your travels.
Driftwood Market
Driftwood Market is the perfect place to go for home decor, fun kitschy items and to get some good local paraphernalia. We always stop in here to get different soaps or trinkets for ourselves or gifts for others while we’re in town.
Other Shops
The town is full of fun little shops! Here are some other favorites of ours that we’ve been to a few times. All are worth checking out depending on your interests.
- Wildflower Beauty – local, handmade beauty and skincare products
- Kitlife Planners – locally made planners, journals and stationary
- Divine Wellness – new age/mystic store for alternative health and wellbeing needs
- The Sacred Olive – specialty store for olive oils and cooking essentials
- Doxology – younger women’s boutique with a neutral, flowy aesthetic
Eats and Drinks
There’s essentially a little bit of everything in Winter Garden to eat. Enough to give you some variety and check most of the “craving” boxes you may have. This is definitely not an exhaustive list, but these are all of the places we’ve been. I feel pretty confident we’ve checked nearly every restaurant off in town. 😉
- Egg and Oats – breakfast and brunch spot
- Savoree – sandwiches, soups and salads (perfect for lunch)
- The Deli Downtown – straightforward sandwich shop
- The Whole Enchilada – Mexican fare with spacious rooftop dining
- Chef’s Table – a “nicer” restaurant with simple, yet delish courses
- Urban Flats – sleek American dining with a wide menu
- Thai Blossom – Thai cuisine (very good!)
- The Attic Door – eclectic lounge with English tea service during the day, wine and live music at night
- Pilars – martini lounge with live jazz music
- Way Chocolates – local chocolates and sweets
- Sweet Dee’s Cupcakes – build your own cupcakes, nuff said
- Axum Coffee – full coffee shop donating profits to charities
- Piccolo Coffee – coffee bar inside Egg & Oats
Other Must Do Activities
Aside from shopping and eating, there’s still more to explore in Winter Garden.
Wander the Farmers Market
Every Saturday on the downtown pavilion you’ll see a flock of people and and a seemingly endless sea of tents. We absolutely love the Winter Garden Farmer Market. It’s nearly two blocks full of vendors from produce, hot food, pantry items, samples galore, crafters, artists, boutiques and anything else you can conjure up. There’s also usually some live music and tons of cute animals being walked by their humans and kids playing in the nearby fountain splash pad. It’s always such a treat to enjoy this outdoor market in the middle of December when we visit for Christmas.
Stroll Through Plant Street Market
Plant Street Market is just that – a market on Plant Street! It’s an indoor market, kind of like a long event hall, with permanent vendors down each side. The restaurants are just slimmed down versions of “stand alone” ones with maybe 2 or 3 tables or a couple bar stools. Then, there’s some different shop vendors with little stations that almost fold up in some fashion to close up. Finally, at the end anchoring the entire place, is Crooked Can Brewery with a full brewery and a large outdoor patio.
Some of our faves inside Plant St:
- AntiqueTEAs – loose leaf teas
- Press’d – juice shop with vegan eats
- Wild Florida Honey – local honey (obviously!)
- O2 Breathe – oxygen bar (it’s a thing!), but they also sell some fun, new age items like Himalayan salt lamps and crystals, which we like
Get Outdoors
With the weather being nice most of the time in Florida – sans very hot, muggy summers – it’s easy to enjoy so many outdoor activities. Two things I highly recommend:
- Bike the West Orange Trail – this is a 22-mile multi-use paved trail that passes through downtown Oakland, Winter Garden, and Apopka with most of its length built on old railroad alignments. It’s super shady and serene on your way out of downtown Winter Garden and into the neighborhoods.
- Enjoy Lake Apopka from Newton Park – a standard lakefront park, but sits on Lake Apopka. Go here to soak up the sun, wind and water views. Lake Apopka is the fourth largest lake in the state!
Enjoy the Arts
Now, if arts is more your thing than outdoor recreation, then there are two things I recommend:
- See a performance at the Garden Theatre – the local theatre is a refurbished, historic theatre with different shows from music, dance, film and theatre. We go here each Christmas to see whatever local performance is on for the season.
- Contemplate art at SOBO Gallery – this is the local art gallery. I’m actually kinda cheating because I (shockingly) haven’t been here yet. However, my father-in-law volunteers here (so I know it’s good) and it’s where you’re going to find local art outside of the farmers market and boutiques.
- BONUS Be dazzled by the holiday light show – if you’re here during the holiday season then you have to stop by City Hall and watch their annual light show/presentation that get’s projected onto the building. It’s really cool and fun. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s one of our funnest memories each Christmas.
