{"id":4146,"date":"2020-01-19T17:28:24","date_gmt":"2020-01-19T22:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/?p=4146"},"modified":"2020-01-19T17:28:37","modified_gmt":"2020-01-19T22:28:37","slug":"10-wheelchair-accessible-hidden-treasures-to-explore-near-orlando","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/2020\/01\/19\/10-wheelchair-accessible-hidden-treasures-to-explore-near-orlando\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Wheelchair Accessible Hidden Treasures to Explore Near Orlando"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I know it\u2019s a crazy concept, but there is actually more to Orlando<\/a>, Florida than just Walt Disney World. Technically, Disney isn\u2019t even located in Orlando proper, but in Kissimmee and Lake Buena Vista, which are at least a 30-minute drive away. Visiting Disney is also extremely expensive, especially for larger families. Orlando and its surrounding suburbs are filled with tons of wheelchair accessible (and budget-friendly) hidden treasures that all visitors should try to explore to get their vacation\u2019s fill of culture, art, and the outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.\u00a0<\/strong>Since opening the arts center in 2014, the stunning Dr. Phillips Center has been named one of\u00a0Travel + Leisure<\/em>\u00a0magazine\u2019s \u201c25 New Tourist Attractions Worth Adding to Your Bucket List\u201d and one of\u00a0Southern Living<\/em>\u00a0magazine\u2019s \u201c50 Best Places in the South Now.\u201d From ballet to Broadway, comedy acts to kids\u2019 shows and educational programs to outdoor festivals, you\u2019re always in for an amazing experience at the arts center. The Center provides a venue for touring shows, such as Broadway musicals, as well as popular headliners, comedy specials, lectures, musicians, local and emerging artists and much more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019ll often find Orlando Ballet, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Orlando and other favorites performing here. Wheelchair accessibility is fantastic, with ample wheelchair spaces in both theaters, electric lifts to reach them, and comfortable accessible bathroom stalls. Individual tickets may be purchased by calling the Dr. Phillips Center Box Office at\u00a0844.513.2014<\/a>\u00a0or by\u00a0visiting<\/a>the Box Office. Tickets are also available online at drphillipscenter.org.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Mennello Museum of American Art.<\/strong>\u00a0The Mennello Museum of American Art\u00a0endeavors to preserve, exhibit, and interpret their\u00a0outstanding permanent collection of paintings by Earl Cunningham. The Mennello Museum of American Art\u00a0also seeks to enrich the public through temporary exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and publications that celebrate other outstanding traditional and contemporary American art and artists across a broad range of disciplines to reflect the rich diversity of American art, while making it accessible to all. The Museum shares extraordinary works of American art donated by its founders, the Honorable Marilyn Logsdon Mennello and Michael A. Mennello. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Owned and operated by the City of Orlando, the museum is housed in what was once the private home of Howard Phillips, son of local philanthropist Dr. Philip Phillips. It uses its multiple gallery spaces and four intimate rooms to showcase changing exhibitions featuring American art of all genres and time periods, including original and traveling shows. The Marilyn L. Mennello Sculpture Garden is always open to the public and is most recognized for the 350-year-plus sprawling live oak tree draped with Spanish moss called \u201cThe Mayor.\u201d Numerous sculptures can be found in the surrounding Old Florida landscape along with walking paths, which merge into the larger\u00a0Orlando Urban Trail<\/a>\u00a0with over 4000 acres of art and nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A circular driveway in front of the museum allows for visitor drop-off at the covered front porch, which is equipped with a ramp and stairs. There is a concrete pathway through the Sculpture Garden for lakeside strolls. A wheelchair is available free of charge upon request. Please contact the front desk receptionist for any special needs assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Winter Park.<\/strong>\u00a0The Orange County city of\u00a0Winter Park<\/a>, situated north of Orlando, was once considered a winter resort. Today, the arts- and culture-filled city of Winter Park includes Rollins College and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of Natural Art. Winter Park also is a nature lover\u2019s destination. In Winter Park you will find more than 70 parks, all home to various events, festivals and celebrations throughout the year \u2013 and available to anyone looking for a place to sit in the shade and enjoy a beautiful Central Florida afternoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not only are there enough activities to keep you and your family content within the Winter Park city limits, but all the Orlando attractions are just minutes away. Winter Park is home to world-class museums, upscale boutiques and shopping, fine-dining restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and luxury accommodations, all with the feel of a European village, not the crush of a theme park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Harry P. Leu Gardens.<\/strong>\u00a0Explore an amazing 50-acre botanical oasis minutes from Downtown Orlando. Each garden is designed specifically to further their mission: inspire visitors to appreciate and understand plants. The garden and historical home were donated to the City of Orlando in 1961 by Mr. Harry P. Leu and his wife, Mary Jane.\u00a0The climate of Central Florida permits Leu Gardens to grow and enjoy a wide array of temperate and tropical plants. Leu Gardens teems with vigor and beauty, regardless of the season. Discover palms, cycads and flowering trees. Enjoy azaleas, vines, bromeliads and tropical philodendrons. Appreciate the sight of familiar annual flowers and the beauty of roses and camellias. Stroll under the awe-inspiring branches of camphor trees, elms and oaks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Guests with a camera phone and QR reader application may scan QR Code images on many of garden signs to display additional information about the collections of plants. Read the information as you stroll through Leu Gardens or \u201cbookmark\u201d the site for reading and\/or printing later. Harry P. Leu Gardens is handicap accessible. Complimentary wheelchairs are available in the Garden House Welcome Center on a first-come, first-serve basis. Wheelchairs cannot be reserved. Please note that due to storm damage by Hurricane Irma, the historic Leu House Museum\u00a0is closed for restoration and repairs. At this time, they do not have a reopen date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Historic Sanford.<\/strong>\u00a0Conveniently located about halfway between the attractions of Orlando and the beaches and other allures of Daytona Beach, my hometown of Sanford serves as the Florida home of the Auto Train and offers many treats of its own. Sanford, the seat of Seminole County, lies on the south shore of Lake Monroe at the head of navigation on the historic and beautiful St. Johns River. Experience the charm and ambience of Sanford\u2019s 19th-century buildings, pristine waterfront, unique shops and restaurants. Sanford\u2019s downtown (and very accessible) riverwalk features antique and collectible shops, all located within a two-block radius of Magnolia Square. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And, for entertainment, visit Sanford\u2019s restored Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, one of Florida\u2019s most historic facilities for the performing arts. The city completed multimillion-dollar streetscapes of 1st Street and Sanford Avenue in its historic downtown, using brick pavers, creating wider sidewalks, and adding trees, flowers, and benches. The\u00a0Orlando Sanford International Airport<\/a>, which is in the heart of the town, functions as the secondary commercial airport for international and domestic carriers in the Orlando metropolitan area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Loch Haven Park.<\/strong>\u00a0Loch Haven Cultural Park covers 45 acres and serves as the region\u2019s premier cultural park. Nestled between three lakes, Lake Estelle on the north, Lake Rowena on the east and Lake Formosa on the south, the park is located on North Mills Avenue and Princeton Street. It\u2019s also home to several of the city\u2019s most august cultural institutions: Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Orlando Museum of Art, the Mennello Museum of American Art and the Orlando Science Center. If that\u2019s not enough culture for you, the park is also home to the Orlando Garden Club, the small Orlando Fire Museum and the rehearsal studios for Orlando Ballet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The combination of museums and theaters means the park is abuzz with activity morning, noon and night \u2014 though the grounds technically close at sundown. With all the activity, you might be wondering if you\u2019ll ever find a parking space. There are three free lots: one between the Shakes and OMA, one at the Rep and one at the Mennello. In addition, the Science Center operates a parking garage, which charges a small fee. The Florida SunRail station is just a 10-minute walk away. There are plenty of wheelchair-friendly paved paths throughout the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Mount Dora.<\/strong>\u00a0The City of Mount Dora truly is \u2018Someplace Special,\u2019 a charming, one-hundred plus year old historic village in the heart of Central Florida on the shores of beautiful Lake Dora in the Harris Chain of Lakes. Join in for one of the city\u2019s nationally known annual festivals, go fishing in the \u201cBass Capital of the World,\u201d or simply relax and escape the hustle and bustle of every day life. Bring the entire family and enjoy and old-fashioned, small town celebration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n