Orlando more than meets the Eye
A cool new observation wheel is just the beginning if you’re looking beyond the city’s many theme parks
ORLANDO, FLA.- Hovering over what look like tiny Lego figures below, I get a glimpse of skyline, lakes and lush landscapes from one of the city’s newest attraction.
The 120-metre tall Orlando Eye is a fully enclosed, air-conditioned, wheelchair-accessible observation wheel.
It’s my first time on such a wheel. The views are magnificent. Palm trees morph together to form a sweeping mosaic of green. I can see the beaches of Cape Canaveral, a city on the east coast of Florida.
This is different from riding a ferris wheel. It feels like I’m free floating, standing inside an enclosed, glass-tinted capsule. Looking down makes my heart drop. A soothing voice-over points out sights and shares Orlando fun facts.
The city is home to more than 100 lakes. You’d never think that about a place known for its theme parks.
Disney, Universal and SeaWorld make Orlando one of the most popular destinations for families, but humans can only handle so much faux in a land of mouse, luxury hotels and cheesy souvenir shops.
Once you’ve had your fill of theme parks, Orlando has so much more to offer, both in town and nearby. Here are five great places to explore:
Cocktail class at the Woods
Talking prohibition at the Woods — a boutique bar on the second floor of a historic downtown building — you get to make house-invented cocktails during a private session with a bartender. Rum cocktails might come rimmed with dehydrated peanut butter. You learn all about tools, syrups and what alcohols go well with others.
There’s the option of making non-alcoholic concoctions, too. We learned about the evolution of drinking in America and whisky around the globe. The bar also supports small-batch distilleries and breweries, so expect a wonderful cocktail and craft beer list. The Woods is nicknamed the “craft bar.”
East End Market
A thriving community is in the Audubon Park Garden District, just north of downtown, where you’ll find the East End Market filled with 12 local, independent food enterprises. The incubator brings together farmers, artisans and the brewers. While you wait to get your craft beer samples at the Local Roots Farm Store, you can smell the old books and antiques from around the corner. The beers, all brewed in Florida, go from light to dark. The Sin Pear Cider tickles your tongue, but the Swamp Head Wild Night, with its dark coffee colour, isn’t as forgiving. The two-storey structure, which opened in 2013, is home to merchants, pasta makers and coffee rosters with an event space, demonstration kitchen and incubator kitchen. It’s definitely a cultural and local food hub.
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
This city boasts a flourishing arts and theatre scene. This new 330,000-square-foot centre, which had its grand opening last year, is an architectural haven. With its open concept and elegant asymmetrical staircase, the centre hosts local and international artists. Sipping on a cocktail while hearing jazz, you feel the constant flow of creativity. Tickets are $20 to $150. The building itself is worth a visit when passing through downtown.
Winter Park
This quaint city with brick-paved streets is 20 minutes north of Orlando. Park Avenue boasts boutiques and cafés that often source local foods and crafts. On Saturdays, you can smell the grilled corn coming from the farmers market at the old train depot. Try alligator jerky and fresh mango and pineapple juice. A stroll through the fountain-filled Central Park will get you the Morse Museum of American Art, where you can see stained glass, lamps and vivid mosaics by Louis Tiffany, the son of the Tiffany & Co. founder. The Scenic Boat Tour, for about $15 on Lake Osceola, brings you through three lakes and two narrow canals on the tranquil Winter Park chain. Airboat ride at Boggy Creek Thirty minutes south of Orlando in Kissimmee, you can glide through central Florida’s everglades on a flatbottomed vessel equipped with an aircraft propeller and a Corvette engine.
Airboats are loud, powerful and fast (they can go up to 70 km/h). Passing by spooky cypress trees covered in Spanish moss, baby alligators rest on spatterdocks beside yellow water lilies. Turtles dip themselves into the dark, muggy waters. You may not run into Mickey Mouse, but you’ll definitely run into an alligator wallowing in the water. Emanuela Campanella is a Toronto freelance multimedia journalist. Visit Orlando sponsored her trip.