Just minutes north of Orlando, discover seven reasons to fall in love with Winter Park, once an historic winter resort community and now a charming destination with enchanting museums, pristine parks, lakes and a walkable downtown.
Winter Park was originally developed for wealthy Northerners seeking a tranquil place to live and escape from the harsh winters. Winter Park was actually called Lakeview until 1881 when two businessmen, Loring Chase and Oliver Chapman, decided they wanted the name to be more representative of a park in the winter … thus the city was renamed Winter Park. To this day, the city still attracts a lot of winter visitors because of its wonderful weather, relaxing lifestyle and plethora of unique places to visit.
There are so many reasons to fall in love with this quaint city and it has been featured in numerous articles, movies and TV shows. National Geographic Traveler magazine recognized the city as one of the world’s top historic destinations, noting “this gracious town manages to retain its reputation as an oasis within the helter-skelter growth of Central Florida. Winter Park’s small downtown has a commercial district with some interesting historic buildings and small businesses. It also has a nice historic residential area. There is a clear sense that this is very much a place where people live, work, go to school – not just a showpiece for tourists.”
