Winter Park
Brick streets, oak shade and the city's most civilized afternoon: Park Avenue's shops and cafes, a museum full of Tiffany glass, and a boat tour gliding past lakefront mansions just ten minutes north of downtown Orlando.
Updated June 2026
If the theme parks are Orlando's big, bright voice, Winter Park is its quiet, well-read older sibling. This is the leafy, moneyed town just north of downtown, founded in the 1880s as a winter resort for Northerners and still wearing it well: brick-paved streets, cobbled sidewalks, towering live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, and a chain of glassy lakes threaded together by hand-dug canals. The pace here is a full gear slower than the resort corridor, and that is precisely the point.
It is the easy answer to "what is there to do in Orlando besides the parks?" Couples, art lovers, ladies who brunch and anyone craving a non-Disney afternoon will feel right at home. Spend a morning on Park Avenue, an hour on the water, and the rest of the day wandering between a Tiffany-glass museum and a college campus on the lake. For more in this vein, see our gardens & museums guide and the dining roundup on Park Avenue.
What to see & do
A handful of walkable blocks and a string of lakes with one of the best non-park lineups in greater Orlando.
Where to eat & brunch
Park Avenue does the slow, civilized meal as well as anywhere in Orlando.
A perfect Winter Park day
Coffee, glass, water and a slow dinner, all within a few oak-shaded blocks.
- Start with pastry and coffee at The Glass Knife, then browse the boutiques along Park Avenue and Central Park.
- Spend an hour with the Tiffany glass at the Morse Museum, ending at the reconstructed chapel.
- Head down Morse Boulevard for the Scenic Boat Tour and a lazy lap of the lakes.
- Walk the Rollins College lakefront, then wander west to Hannibal Square and the Heritage Center.
- Settle in for dinner at Prato or Bulla, or chase the sunset on a campus bench by the water.
Where to go next
More of Orlando's quieter, grown-up side, just beyond the parks.
Leu Gardens & Museums
Botanical gardens and the art museums that make up Orlando's quieter, culture-first afternoons.
Park Avenue Dining
The full table-by-table guide to brunch, dinner and sweets along Winter Park's main street.
Free Things to Do
Parks, markets, walks and museums around Orlando that cost nothing to enjoy.
Orlando Neighborhoods
From downtown to the lakes to the resort corridor, every corner of the City Beautiful.
Common questions
Where is Winter Park in relation to Orlando?
Winter Park is an independent city directly north of downtown Orlando, only about ten minutes away by car. It sits within greater Orlando and is easy to combine with a downtown visit, and a SunRail commuter-train station drops you a short walk from Park Avenue.
What is there to do in Winter Park?
Stroll the shops and cafes of Park Avenue along Central Park, see the world's largest Tiffany glass collection at the Morse Museum, take the hour-long Scenic Boat Tour across the lakes, walk the lakefront Rollins College campus and its art museum, and explore the historic Hannibal Square neighborhood on the West Side.
What is the Morse Museum known for?
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art on Park Avenue holds the most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the world, including leaded-glass windows, lamps and jewelry. Its centerpiece is the reconstructed Tiffany Chapel from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Check the museum's site for current hours and admission.
How does the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour work?
It is a narrated hour-long pontoon cruise that has run since 1938, leaving from a dock at the east end of Morse Boulevard on Lake Osceola. The route winds through three lakes and two hand-dug canals past mansions, cypress and palms. Tours generally run on the hour during the day, but check the official site for current times and prices.
Is Winter Park a good non-theme-park day in Orlando?
Yes. Winter Park is one of the best answers to wanting a slower, grown-up day away from the parks, with art, a boat tour, an old college campus and excellent brunch and dinner all packed into a few walkable, oak-shaded blocks. It pairs well with Leu Gardens and downtown Orlando.
Where should I park in Winter Park?
Aim for the city parking garage near Park Avenue or the metered side streets, then explore on foot since the core is very walkable. Parking fills quickly on Saturday mornings when the Farmers' Market is on, so arrive early or take SunRail in.