City of Winter Park - Canal to Lake Osceola

"My brother sent it to me -- this was not my parent's place exactly, but theirs was very much like it. We lived on one of those canals."

E-mail from Julie Baldwin Mason

From: JuliMason@aol.com [mailto:JuliMason@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 12:10 PM
Subject: Article from the Wall Street Journal April 1, 2010

The Wall Street Journal April 1, 2010
Winter Park, Fla.
Reporter Stephanie Raposo on what to do, where to eat and where to stay in this Orlando suburb.

Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour

City of Winter Park
A view from a boat: The canal to Lake Osceola is one of the sites on the Scenic Boat Tour.

What to do: Take a break from outlet shopping and theme parks 10 minutes away from downtown Orlando by having a seat on a pontoon boat for the Scenic Boat Tour in Winter Park. Experience an hour-long guided tour through three of the region's seven lakes and two man-made canals. As the boat sputters past luxurious architecture and sprawling sub-tropical flora the skipper will fill the time with quirky anecdotes and facts. Tickets for adults are $12 and $6 for children, and tours run every hour on the hour daily, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (312 East Morse Blvd., 407-644-4056). For those who prefer to explore on land, try a stroll through any of the city's 12 parks, including the 47.6-acre Mead Garden with a butterfly garden, boardwalk and bike trail (1300 South Denning Drive, 407-599-3334). Shoppers will appreciate any of the town's merchant districts—known as Designers Row, Hannibal Square, Park Avenue and Winter Park Village—where upscale boutiques on the palm-tree lined street house unique finds for the home and wardrobe. And for a pampering pit stop try YOLO, or You Only Live Once, a salon and spa that offers customized facials, massages (including ones for new moms or moms-to-be) and a glass of wine with your pedicure or manicure (327 Park Avenue South, 407-622-1611; yolosalonandspa.com).

Where to eat: For lunch, select a panino named after one of the restaurant's locals at Palmano's Trattoria and Wine Bar like the "Mr. P," filled with salami, pepperoni and other trimmings, for $8.59 (333 S. Park Ave., 407-647-7520). Under a roof strung with lights, the outside seating area provides breezy seating. Homemade family recipes for classic Italian dishes make Pannullo's the best place to eat on Park Avenue, Winter Park's main street (216 South Park Ave., 407-629-7270). Try anything dressed with the house tomato sauce like the chicken parmigiana for $16.95, served with salad, bread and a choice of fresh vegetables or pasta.

Where to stay: For a part vintage, part luxury feel, stay at the Park Plaza Hotel located in center of the town. Originally built in the late 1800s, the Old World furnishings of the lobby, the brick-lined walls in the bedrooms and the garden balcony create a picturesque scene. Rooms begin at $142 a night (307 Park Avenue South, 407-647-1072). The only other place to stay in town is the Best Western Mt. Vernon Inn with rates starting at $129 (110 S. Orlando Avenue, 800-992-3379 or 407-647-1166). Locals tout musical performances at the hotel's Red Fox Lounge (Mon. thru Sat., beginning at 8:30 p.m.), which are free of charge to guests.