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Many people believe that Florida’s history only goes back a hundred years.
Orlando’s history probably dates to the first aboriginals and their arrival more than 4,000 years ago.
Going back further, present-day Florida began rising out of the ocean circa 25 million years ago. In Orange (Orlando) County’s Rock Spring Park, they have found million-year-old fossils of birds and mammals.
There is not an endless supply of information on them, but artifacts point to their presence.
The Timucua tribes, the largest indigenous group in central and northern Florida, had around 35 chiefdoms. However, they would never form as one cohesive group. It is known they had a village near Lake George, now in S.E. Orlando. By the time of the first Europeans, there were more than 50,000 of them in villages from Orlando to Southern Georgia and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Tocobago tribes were in the area that would become Tampa. It is not known how far east they reached.
When Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer from Cuba, arrives circa 1513, it means nothing. The Spanish don’t venture from the coast. They plant their flag, claim it for themselves, and move on.
The central Florida tribes live, mostly peacefully, with each other for another two hundred years.
But eventually, the European settlers expand into the region, bringing disease and guns.
Less Ancient Orlando.
By the late 1600s, the native tribes throughout the Southeast were under major oppression by white settlers.
The settlers would take their land, destroy their home, and force many into slavery. To escape, many would flee south to less inhabited Central Florida.
With the blending of these tribes, they became a new tribe known as Seminoles. “Seminole” is from the Spanish word “cimarron,” meaning runaway.
Escaped slaves from Africa would follow the native slaves to Florida, where they would join tribes. Many of these Black Seminoles would stay permanently.
This did not go down well with the white leaders of the United States. The Seminoles needed to know who was boss.
Circa 1817, Andrew Jackson launches the first of three Seminole Wars.
The First Seminole War (1816–1819)
General Andrew Jackson, coming off his victory in the War of 1812, sends troops into east and west Florida.
Great Britain and Spain, who both claim Florida, do not have the troops to defend it.
Spain cedes Florida to the United States in the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty. The 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek of 1823 confines the Seminoles to a large reservation in the Florida peninsula.
The Second Seminole War (1835–1842)
The 1830 Indian Removal Act by the United States government states the Seminoles must leave Florida. All native tribes must move to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River.
The Seminoles are not going without a fight. The 1835 Dade battle in S.E. Florida begins the second Seminole War.
For the first year, the Seminoles, using guerrilla warfare, score several victories. So Andrew Jackson, now president, sends in more troops.
Circa 1836, General Thomas Sidney Jesup goes to Florida, where he begins setting up fortifications.
It is during this time that Fort Gatlin, in present-day Orlando, goes up.
The post is at a strategic position on a hill overlooking three lakes. It is near one of the cattle trails crossing from the Atlantic to the Gulf. Many of these on former native trails.
Instead of chasing the Seminoles through the swamps, Jessup begins destroying their villages and crops. Jesup also captures the Seminole leaders Osceola and Micanopy while under signs of a truce. With the leaders gone and the tribes decimated by starvation and disease, many of the remaining relocate. Circa 1839, the war is winding down. The garrison at Fort Gatlin deserts the fort. The U.S. Government does allow several hundred Seminoles to remain unofficially in southwest Florida.
Fort Gatlin becomes Jernigan.
The first permanent European settlers were brothers Issac and Aaron Jernigan, cattlemen from the state of Georgia. Circa 1843, they acquire land northwest of Fort Gatlin along the west end of Lake Holden. Other settlers begin claiming land in the area, and they call the settlement Jernigan.
By January of 1845, they form Orange County, and Aaron Jernigan becomes the county’s first state representative.
Two months later, the territory of Florida becomes a state.
Jernigan pleas to the new government for additional military protection, but the request goes unanswered.
Finally, circa 1849, a military troop occupies Fort Gatlin with the idea of protecting the area. They stay for two months. When they depart, Aaron builds a stockade on his property on the north shore of Lake Conway. He organizes a local volunteer militia with himself in command. By this time, over 80 families are living in Jernigan.
Jernigan gets a post office by 1850 and appears on Florida maps by 1855. The following year, it becomes the county seat of Orange County.
That same year, Aaron Jernigan loses his militia command due to his, and his men’s, notorious behavior.
A year later (1857), Jernigan loses its post office, possibly as punishment for its behavior.
The new location for the post office is an 1835 settlement to the north they call Orlando.
Mosy historians agree the name comes from someone called Orlando. No one has proof if he is a fallen soldier, a herder, landowner, or Shakespearian character.
The Third Seminole War (1855–1858)
The third war is to remove the last remaining group of Seminoles from southwest Florida. They destroy the food supply, and within three years, the remaining Seminoles agree to be sent to Oklahoma. Those refusing retreat deep into the Big Cypress Swamp, where they live on land the white settlers don’t want.
The third war does not include Fort Gatlin or Orlando.
Circa 1859, Jernigan and his sons kill a man. They manage to escape and flee the area.
Post Civil War Orlando.
From April of 1861 until April of 1865, the country is at war. Fighting will not reach Orange county, but it will send troops and support for the south. The Union blockade cuts off supplies to the south. The majority of those that do make it through go to the war effort, not central Florida.
The Reconstruction Era 1865 to 1877 brings a population explosion, with many people looking to escape the war-torn south. By 1873, the South is in a depression.
By 1875, the settlement of Orlando incorporates. At the time, there are just over 80 residents. Of those, only 22 were eligible to vote. Circa 1879, the town revokes its charter. It reincorporates six years later.
At the same time, Orlando becomes the center of Florida’s citrus industry. This will last ten years until the Great Freeze of 1894–95. The cold snap puts many independent growers out of business as they lose their entire crop. The large growers can afford to buy up their lands while moving their orchards further south. Lake Wales, an hour south in Polk County, becomes the new hub.
By 1887, the population in Orange County is growing at such a rate that the Florida legislature creates several smaller counties. Lake, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties are born from this split.
Henry and his Train.
While Henry Flagler is building his East Coast Railroad along the east coast, another railroad crosses Central Florida.
As soon as the Civil War is over, Henry Plant begins reinvesting in Central Florida transportation. At first, he has steamships running from Jacksonville to Sanford, just north of Orlando. With many local railroads going bankrupt in the depression, Plant buys them up and switches all of their gauges to a standard one. Meeting his steamboats in Sanford, the new rail lines stretch across the central state to the Gulf.
Tourists can easily access Orlando and Tampa. Florida Orange growers can get their produce to Northern markets faster. As the network grows, Plant will put in through lines to the North providing growers even quicker and cheaper transportation.
Following Flagler’s lead, Plant begins an empire of hotels along his railroad.
By 1887, he builds a hotel in Sanford for the overflow of his steamship and railroad passengers.
The following year he adds the Hotel Punta Gorda Inn next to his pier in Tampa. From here, guests can sail to Havana, Cuba, on one of Plant’s steamers.
As the network grows, he adds the Hotel Kissimmee and the Seminole Hotel in Winter Garden. Later he adds the Ocala House and the Fort Myers Hotel.
His premier property is the Tampa Bay Hotel, which opens in Tampa in the 1890s. Rivaling Flagler’s opulent palaces, it is the first hotel in Florida with an elevator, electric lights, and room phones. He will also build the Belleview Biltmore in Clearwater. This wooden wonder may be the model for Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel. Unfortunately, only one wing of this hotel remains and is now a private boutique property.
Orlando in the 1900s.
By the turn of the century, Orlando is becoming a popular resort. The land boom along Florida’s east coast spills over into Orange County.
During this period, several neighborhoods in and around downtown Orlando spring up. They feature cobblestone streets and charming architecture, including the popular bungalow.
The boom comes to an abrupt end in the late 1920s. Several hurricanes hit South Florida. The 1929 Wall Street Crash decimate anything remaining of the real estate market. The 1930 Mediterranean fruit fly infestation puts an end to the citrus and tourist industries. Florida will not recover until after World War II.
Orlando and Civil Rights.
All is not sunshine in the sunshine state. Florida, like much of the south, is not a good loser after the Civil War.
Part of their success is due to the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist hate group. Their goal is to overthrow Republican state governments in the south. They use voter intimidation and violence to achieve this.
Their primary targets are African Americans, Jews, immigrants, homosexuals, and Catholics.
For more than sixty years, Democrats control a majority of the state’s seats in Congress. They base the number of positions on the total population, including the African Americans and women who cannot vote.
A World War.
The U.S.A. comes home from WWI as victors in 1918. Over the next ten years, the American economy grows 42%. Mass production and mass consumption spread across the land.
In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution became law allowing white women to vote.
But not everything is sunny in Florida.
After World War I, Florida sees a rise in racial violence against blacks in the state. Florida is not the only place, but it leads the nation in lynchings per capita from 1900–1930.
Black veterans are returning from a war where people have been treating them more like equals. All of a sudden, there are two classes. There is competition for jobs with so many service members looking all at once. And things are changing for everyone. Socially and economically, there is change, and most people do not adapt quickly. And there is lingering resentment resulting from the Reconstruction period, which is not too distant in the past.
The modern Klan flares up again after the First World War, beginning in Georgia, but spreading to Florida quickly. Estimates are there are three million members nationwide by 1925. As the Depression deepens, the Klan begins to fade, except in Florida, where they expand their list of targets.
To escape lynchings, segregation, and civil rights suppression, more than 40,000 African Americans left Florida for northern cities.
WWII and Orlando.
Then there is another World War, and attention turn elsewhere. Once again, African Americans are equals on the battlefield.
Orlando is home to the Orlando Army Air Base and Pincastle Army Air Base.
After the war, the Orlando Air Base reverts to civilian use. The Orlando Municipal (Herndon) Airport.
With the arrival of jet airplanes in the late 1950s, the Herndon airport is too small and cannot expand.
Pincastle became McCoy Air Force Base (MCO) in 1958.
In the early 1960s, the airport becomes a mixed commercial and military airport.
Circa 1968, with Herndon vacant, the government transfers it to the United States Navy, and it becomes Naval Training Center Orlando. It also houses a Navy Nuclear Power School and the Naval Air Warfare Systems Training Center. Later, it houses the Strategic Air Command’s 306th Bombardment Wing.
With the 1976 closing of McCoy, it becomes the Orlando International Airport.
By 1999, NTC Orlando closes. The base is cleared away for the Baldwin Park Neighborhood. The airport becomes the executive airport.
Space Connection.
Circa 1956, Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin), an aerospace and defense company opens a plant in Orlando near MCO.
In addition to missiles for the army and air force, they work closely with NASA. Cape Canaveral is less than one hour’s drive east of MCO. As the space program grows, so do Martin Marietta and Orlando.
It’s A Small World.
In the 1960s, Walt Disney announces his company is looking to build a second amusement park on the east coast in Florida. Orlando is in the running with Miami and Tampa.
Although Miami has the draw and population to support the park, they do not have vast amounts of space left. Tampa has room to grow, but both cities are on the coast and more susceptible to hurricanes. Orlando wins as its inland location should mean fewer hurricane hits.
Under various companies, Disney quietly begins buying up land approximately 20 miles southwest of Orlando.
In October of 1971, The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World opens its doors to the public. Over the next 27 years, they will add Epcot, The MGM (now Disney) Movie Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
In 1973, Sea World opened its east coast location in Orlando. Over the years, it will become part amusement park in addition to a sea life park.
Universal Studios opens its first of two amusement parks in 1990.
Today, there are ten amusement parks within an hour’s drive from Disney, including Legoland and Busch Gardens in nearby Tampa. This does not include water parks or International Drive. Park visitors and conventions make tourism Orlando’s major employer.
But the majority of the theme parks are not in Orlando proper.
Orlando Today.
Orlando is a growing Florida city with history, art, architecture, and great cuisine.
You can spend days here and never see an amusement park.
The flip, saying you have seen Orlando when you spent your whole vacation at Disney, is wrong. You ain’t seen nothing yet.
The University of Central Florida has more than 68,000 students. With all the amusement and hospitality jobs in the area, Orlando has a vibrant young population.
Year-round sunshine lends itself to golf, biking, jogging, and other outdoor activities.
Downtown Orlando features modern urban development while many of the surrounding neighborhoods have historic status.
Numerous neighborhoods dating back to the early 1900s offer brick streets with century-old oaks lining them.
Winter, College, and Thornton Parks are just some of the neighborhoods north of the 408 worth seeing. South you have Lake Cherokee, Delany Park, and Lake Lancaster, just to name a few. Historic Lake Eola Heights is right downtown.
What is in Orlando for me?
See & Hear.
You can walk around Lake Eola or rent a swan boat and pedal your way across. Or sit and watch the real swans do all the work.
Taste & Smell.
It would be unusual to visit Orlando and not try the cuisine. There’s plenty of down south comfort food, BBQ, and fried food. But Orlando also has an Asian neighborhood, great Italian, Greek, Turkish, and other cuisines. With the Atlantic, one hour east, and the Gulf less than two hours west, expect fresh seafood as well.
Although not on the coast, Orlando has more than 100 lakes. Therefore, a table with a water view is not uncommon.
Feel.
There is an energy about Orlando. Is it the eclectic mix of old and new? The young and old that act young? Come find out for yourself.
Try a tropical drink at a pool or lakeside tiki bar. Explore historic neighborhoods, shop at one of several premium shopping centers, or taste numerous cuisines.
There may be better ways to take a theme park break, but this one doesn’t suck.
Should See in Orlando.
Downtown.
Lake Eola and Park.
This lake and surrounding green area is the emblem of Orlando. A walk (or jog) around the lake is just under one mile. Pedal a swan boat, enjoy the real swans, or just relax. Entertainment takes place year-round at the Walt Disney Amphitheater. On Sundays, a Farmers Market takes place.
John Mott House.
Inside Lake Eola Park is a historical marker for Nobel Peace Prize-winner John R Mott. It is near where his house was until 2013.
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Presenting Broadway, opera, ballet, concerts, and more, the center is an anchor for the southern part of downtown.
Church Street.
A few blocks north of the Dr. Phillips Center, this has been a nightlife location for decades. The Old Orlando Railroad Depot and several surrounding buildings house retail and entertainment venues.
Cathedral Church of St Luke.
The 1924 church is still home to the St. Luke’s Mission of the Episcopal church. Francis Eppes, Thomas Jefferson’s grandson, began the church in his home. It grew with the help of leading first families, including the Greetham, Shine, Summerlin, and the Westcotts. If you can, catch a service using its impressive organ. This is also home to the Orlando Deanery Boychoir and Girls Choir.
Orange County Regional History Center.
The historic courthouse building is worth seeing by itself. Inside, the museum houses exhibits on local and regional history dating back more than 12,000 years.
Atlantic Coastline Station.
This Spanish-Mission style building has been greeting train travelers to Orlando since the 1920s. It won the 2014 City of Orlando’s Historic Preservation Award and is the current Amtrak station.
Fort Gatlin Memorial Marker.
Just north of Gatlin Lake, off Gatlin Road, is the Fort Gatlin Administrative Center. At the corner of the parking lot is this marker. Nothing of the fort remains, but you can see it was on a hill, offering high ground.
Aaron Jernigan Marker.
Supposedly, on the northwest side of Lake Holden, a historical marker indicates the location of first-European settler Aaron Jernigan’s property. Along Alamo Drive near 29th Street, I have never been able to spot it. But, this is the area of the Jernigan property.
Tinker Field.
Just west of downtown is this listing on the United States National Register of Historic Places. During the reconstruction of the adjacent Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium, they tore down the grandstand and buildings. As of 2021, nothing remains except a historical marker and gate. Its history includes being spring training home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, and Washington Senators. Martin Luther King Jr. made his only public speech in Orlando here during March of 1964.
Black Bottom House of Prayer.
This historic 1925 church, in the current Parramore neighborhood, is a key player in Orlando’s history. At the time of the building, the area went by the name Black Bottom. This was due to the low ground turning to mud during rainstorms. Since 2017, the church has been undergoing restoration. Access may be limited.
Wells’ Built Museum of African American History & Culture.
This small museum offers an in-depth look into the local African American history in the Parramore neighborhood. The exhibits look at Orlando through the last 100+ years through photographs, artwork, books, and more. The building from circa 1926 began as a hotel. It is now on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The museum is open Monday through Friday.
Thornton Park.
Just east of Lake Eola is this bohemian residential area with popular boutiques, cafes, and classic bungalow homes. Large Oak trees shade traditional brick streets. It has a very calming effect.
H.H. Dickson Azalea Park and Washington Street Bridge.
This park and bridge, near Thornton Park, date from circa 1924 and 1926. Both are Orlando Historic Landmarks. The blooming season for Azaleas is late February to early April, but the park is lovely year-round. The bridge is the only concrete structure of its type in Orlando.
North of Downtown Orlando.
Ivanhoe Village.
Just north of downtown on North Orange Avenue is this funky neighborhood with art galleries, design centers, restaurants, and antique and retail shops. Ivanhoe Park is on the shores of Ivanhoe Lake.
Loch Haven Park.
On the east side of the Ivanhoe Village area, between two lakes, is Loch Haven Park. Some refer to this area as the Museum Area due to the abundance of museums and cultural offerings.
Orlando Museum of Art.
Celebrating 100 years in 2024, the collection includes ancient and contemporary works from the Americas. There is also an impressive collection of African art as well as temporary exhibits.
The Mennello Museum of American Art.
The Howard Phillips* home in Loch Haven Park is the setting of the museum. The collection includes paintings and sculptures of American art. The prize permanent collection is paintings by American Folk artist Earl Cunningham.
*Who are the Phillips that keep appearing? Dr. Philip Phillips would earn a medical degree from Columbia University. But it turns out his passion is citrus fruit. During the early 1900s, he will build an empire that includes 28 groves spread over 9 Florida counties. In addition, he owns citrus packing houses and a cannery. He creates the Dr. P. Phillips Foundation to give back to the Orlando community. His son, Howard Phillips, will carry on his father’s philanthropic legacy. Dr. Phillips’s house is now an event space in downtown Orlando.
Orlando Science Center.
This science museum provides experience-based opportunities for learning about science and technology. There is something for all age groups.
Orlando Fire Museum.
This museum in a 1926 fire station covers local fire department history somewhat tricky to find behind the Science Center. It is only open on weekends.
Orlando Shakespeare Theater
Orlando Shakes is a theater company producing classic, contemporary, and children’s plays for more than 30 years. The theater is next door to the Science Center. In May, it is home to the Orlando Fringe Theater Festival. This is the longest-running Fringe theatre festival in the United States.
Audubon Park Garden District.
Due east of Lock Haven Park is this Orlando Main Street neighborhood. Corrine Drive is the “main street” of this hip neighborhood of shopping and eating outlets. You can find boutiques next to artisan cheese shops. The surrounding neighborhood includes houses from the 1920s through the mid-century period.
East End Market.
This two-story indoor market includes bakeries, cheese, meat, and other artesian crafts. There is some outdoor seating, but it goes fast.
Harry P Leu Gardens.
The gardens began circa 1936 when Mr. and Mrs. Harry P. Leu purchase the Leu House and 40 acres. During their travels worldwide, they bring back many exotic plants and more than 200 varieties of camellias. Circa 1961, the Leus gift the house, which is on the historic register, and the gardens to Orlando.
College Park
This neighborhood, northwest of downtown, has streets with college names such as Princeton, Yale, and others. It also has many 20th-century cottages, green spaces, and lakes. The neighborhood is home to the Dubsdread Golf Course, dating from the 1920s.
Writer Jack Kerouac’s House.
The beat generation writer lived on Clouser Avenue when his masterpiece ‘On the Road’ was published. He would write the follow-up, ‘The Dharma Bums,’ here as well. Today, the house serves as a non-profit center for up-and-coming writers.
Astronaut John Watts Young’s Boyhood Home.
John Young is one of the few astronauts to fly on four different classes of spacecraft. They ranged from the Gemini to the Space Shuttle. He would attend grades 1 through 12 while living here.
Winter Park.
Dating from 1881, Winter Park was a planned city from the beginning. Starting with a grid of streets, a town hall, a store, and landscaping including orange trees, following stylistic standards. With the addition of a post office and a railroad station, its popularity increases. A 200 room grand hotel, the Seminole, opened in 1886. It is the largest hotel south of Jacksonville and includes gas lights, steam heating, a formal ding room, and more. People begin wintering in Winter Park.
Park Avenue.
Winter Park History Museum.
Rollins College.
Cornell Fine Arts Museum.
On the grounds of Rollins College, this teaching museum features a permanent collection from alumni and residents. It is home to the only Grand Masterpieces in Orlando. It also hosts numerous visiting exhibits.
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.
Anchoring the north end of Park Avenue, this museum houses an art nouveau collection and American Decorative Art and Sculpture. Its pride and joy is its collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany items. It is the world’s most comprehensive collection of his works. The collection includes Tiffany furniture, mosaic work, and architectural elements in addition to stained glass.
Mead Botanical Garden.
Just south of downtown Winter Park is this lovely garden and park. An outdoor stage hosts performances throughout the year. You can walk the paths or just sit and relax.
Kraft Azalea Garden.
Dating from 1938, several residents, including George Kraft (not of caramel fame), hired a nurseryman to design the garden. Most beautiful in the early Spring with the blooming azalea, it is a tranquil spot year-round.
Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens.
The house of this acclaimed Czech sculptor is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Stroll the house, galleries, and gardens admiring his work and of other artists. It is a short drive from the Kraft garden.
Winter Park Scenic Boat Rides.
See Orlando, or in this case Winter Park, from the water one time. Several lakes offer sightseeing tours. This one includes Rollins College and many of Winter Park’s historical mansions.
Maitland.
Also featuring historic homes, gardens, and lakes, Maitland, just north of Winter Park, compliments its neighbor.
Art & History Museums Maitland.
The grounds are home to four different, unique museums.
The Waterhouse Residence Museum.
This 1884 home of pioneer settler William H. Waterhouse will take you back to early Florida. Guides lead tours through this original home.
The Maitland Historical Museum.
Run by the historical society, this museum will give you an additional view of the town’s history.
The Maitland Art Center.
The center began as an art colony circa 1937. Today it is home to contemporary art exhibitions, residency programs for professional artists, and art instruction. The building itself is one of the few surviving examples of “Mayan Revival” architecture in the American Southeast. This earned the building National Historic Landmark status.
The Telephone Museum.
This quirky museum is fun. Not only are there hands-on displays, but the history is entertaining. Come, learn about the Winter Park Telephone Co.
South.
Gatorland.
Although it bills itself as an amusement park, I view it more as a wildlife preserve. Dating from 1949, it is one of the oldest attractions in the Orlando area. In addition to alligators, you can see other animals and reptiles, many native to the area.
Orlando Watersports Complex.
With more than 30,000 lakes, one Gulf, and one ocean, water sports are a part of life in Florida. This sports center offers wakeboarding, water skiing, and other activities for the beginner and advanced.
West.
International Drive.
I-Drive is Orlando’s “strip. This area of individually-owned activities, stores, bars, and restaurants resembles something between a mall and an amusement park.
ICON Park.
The closest thing to an amusement park in this area, the highlight is the 400-foot “Wheel.”
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.
A permanent exhibition featuring 500 personal artifacts from the actual ship, recreations of the ship’s main rooms, and guided tours. Flash photography is not allowed. Check the website for First Class Dinner events.
Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe.
Dating from 1979, this is the local Roman Catholic Diocese’s response to Disney World. With seating for approximately 2000, it is an impressive church regardless of your religion or beliefs. It is near Disney Springs along Interstate 4.
Orlando Main Streets.
This program highlights several local establishments, including restaurants and bars, in nine specific (and hip) Orlando neighborhoods.
Further Afield of Orlando.
North
Wekiva Springs State Park.
Approximately 20 minutes north of Orlando, this is a popular place for canoeing and kayaking on the Wekiva River. Close to Kelly Park.
Kelly Park and Rock Springs Run State Reserve.
Approximately 40 minutes drive north of Orlando is this state park. The highlight is the natural spring that remains at 68 degrees year-round. Intertubes are available for rent. A natural water park.
Blue Spring State Park.
Further north (approximately 50 minutes) is Blue Spring. Activities include SCUBA diving, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and more.
Deland.
This historical town offers several glimpses into Old Florida. The historic 1921 Athens Theater is an anchor of the downtown area. The theater once again hosts live performances. The Stetson (like the hat) Mansion is also a popular attraction. This gilded age estate dates from 1886.
East
Kennedy Space Center.
This is a must-visit for every boy and girl (regardless of age) who dreams of going into space. Tour the center, complete with the shuttle Atlantis, or choose other activities.
Canaveral National Seashore.
Just north of Cape Canaveral is this National Seashore Park. This is not a full-service beach. There are facilities but no restaurants. This is a chance to enjoy the beach and a pristine barrier island—Florida before the Europeans.
South of Orlando.
Kissimmee.
This charming historic town sits in the shadow of Walt Disney’s creation. Although it has things to see and do, it is most famous for less expensive accommodations and dining near Disney.
West
Winter Garden.
This charming (and growing) community 15 miles west of Orlando was once on the Central Florida Railroad. Several pieces of memorabilia remain. The trackbed is now part of the West Orange Trail. This 22-mile paved path is for biking, walking, or running. Don’t miss the farmer’s market on Saturdays.
Mt Dora.
This charming town northwest of Orlando is known for its antique shops and festivals. These include seafood, arts, and bicycle festivals. Christmas is also a special time with more than one million lights in the downtown area. Nearby Tavares and Eustis are also charming and accessible via the chain of lakes.
Orlando Summary.
And there are the amusement parks. There are hundreds (literally) of blogs and websites that go into great detail about theme parks.
This, I hope, will show you there is a lot more to Orlando than the nearby theme parks.
Set aside at least a day to see the sights outside of the parks.