Winter Garden

Winter Garden is a city located in Orange Country, Florida.  The city is located 14 miles to the West of Orlando and is considered part of the Orlando-Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.  The city of Winter Garden estimated the population to be 29,385 in July of 2008 and the number is expected to grow.  Winter Garden has everything a resident can look for in a home in Central Florida.  There are many parks, lakes, universities and festivals to keep you entertained all year.   

The history of Winter Garden began when it was settle in the 1850’s and the town grew exponentially when the railroad arrived the 1880’s.  Citrus farming near Lake Apopka was the way of life until commercial businesses opened up shop on Plant Street, which is now the heart of the Historic Winter Garden District.  Today this historic district contains an array of shops, restaurants, cafes, a hotel and much more.  You can easily spend a day going though all the boutiques and gift shops looking at all the merchandise but there is more to Winter Garden than just the historic part.  The Winter Garden Village at Fowler Groves is an over one million square feet open air shopping mall provides more shopping than most can handle.

The festivals in Winter Garden occur frequently throughout the year and there are many that reoccur weekly.  Some of the festivals are:

• Evening at the Pops with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra – Late March
• Garden Encore – March
• Annual Spring Fever in the Garden – April
• Party in the Park – July 4^th
• MusicFest – beginning of October
• Halloweenfest – October 31^st
• Winter Garden Art Festival – Late November
• Winter Garden Fun Run – Late November
• Light Up Winter Garden – Early December
• Winter Garden Christmas parade – Early December
• Fridays on the Plaza Concert series – Every Friday
• Farmers Market – Every Saturday
• Cruz-n Car Show – Every third Saturday of the Month

With so many festivals going on it is no surprise that residents in Winter Garden can always find something to do on the weekends.  The Spring Fever in the Garden Festival looks forward to its 10^th year in 2010 and sells every sort of flower and plant that your garden can need.  Musicfest brings over 30 live bands performing on two stages over 3 days that any music lover will enjoy and the best part is it is free.  Halloweenfest provides a safe place to trick or treat in downtown Winter Garden.  This is a family oriented event with costume contests, street vendors, and live entertainment. 

Besides the plethora of festivals there are some tourist attractions that people come to visit.  The Luther F. Tilden House, the Central Florida Railway Museum, the Winter Garden Heritage Museum, and Stoneybrook West Golf Club are just some of the many attractions that Winter garden offers.

The only university in Winter Garden is West Side Tech but many other colleges are nearby including Rollins College, University of Central Florida, Stetson College, and Seminole Community College. 

Winter Garden is home to many great lakes and parks that residents enjoy year round.  On any given day you will find many people playing in the parks or at a lake admiring the beauty from the shoreline or out a boat.  The hardest part sometimes is deciding which park or lake to go to for the day.  The options to choose from are:

• Irrgain Park
• Lakeview Park
• Newton Park
• Oakland Nature Preserve
• Braddock Park
• Chaplin Station Neighborhood Park
• Dr. Bradford Memorial Park
• Maple Street Park
• Old Fire Station Recreation Center
• Recreation Office and Farnsworth Pool
• Veteran’s Memorial Park
• Walker Football Field & Sam Williams Little League Complex
• Zander’s Park and Bouler Pool
• Lake Apopka

Besides the vast amount of parks for residents to enjoy the West Orange Trail runs right through the Winter Garden Historic District.  Besides making this trail easily assessable by having it right in the heart of the city it makes getting a snack or drinks at a café or shop really convenient.  Having access to the many biking, walking, hiking, and horse trails is something people in other areas can only dream of but in Winter Garden residents have it all.

Winter Garden is a city with a great past and a great future.  The city provides its residents with many festivals and green spaces to get out of the house and be proud to live in such a great place called Winter Garden.