Full Bloom Blog

A friend of mine lives in the Orlando area and she explained the “Winters” like this: Winter Garden is more hipster and Winter Park is more bougey. Clearly, I was immediately about Winter Park. For you Michiganders, Winter Park was like Birmingham but with palm trees. So… basically fantastic. Being the researcher and planner that I am, I did plenty of research leading up to the trip to ensure that our restaurant selections were on point. Everywhere I looked, The Briar Patch came HIGHLY recommended and specifically for brunch. Brunch is basically my love language so naturally all of my plans really revolved around that.

There were so many layers of this experience that I loved. Reason number one, eating outside under this enormous tree covered in Spanish moss. I am a believer that food tastes better outside, and then drop that dining experience in a beautiful downtown dripping with southern charm and I am here for it. It was a little overcast and slightly cooler than what I had hoped but we were still considerably better off than the weather that Michigan was experiencing at that time.

Three of my favorite breakfast elements came together in this phenomenal dish: avocado, bacon, hollandaise. This was the chipotle eggs benedict and the hollandaise contained some chipotle seasoning which added a little kick but it paired so well with the cool avocado. Ten out of ten recommend trying this dish if it is available if/when you visit. The potatoes were also very tasty! Who doesn’t love a well cooked breakfast potato?

Erik is a sucker for all things brisket, barbecue, etc. Piling slow cooked meat on top of potatoes and some hollandaise is his best life. The meat was tender and I’m pretty sure he was only one step away from licking his plate clean. Everyone sitting at tables near us oggled our plates too – so it was important to maintain some table manners. Haha. To say we enjoyed our meal there would be an understatement.

The view from our table: Even this planter and sign make me happy. It was charming and delicious. We absolutely recommend stopping here if you are in the Orlando area. Make time in your schedule to stop in for an amazing brunch.

Similar to Winter Garden, Winter Park was full of beautiful details and lovely pedestrian friendly walking zones. In terms of family activities and accessibilities, I would rank Winter Garden higher. If you’re looking for an afternoon of shopping and strolling though head to Winter Park.

The brick planter boxes full of colorful flowers and topiaries added so much beauty to the downtown area. I don’t think we set foot in a single boutique (partially due to COVID restrictions) but it was still so lovely to explore and enjoy.

One of the things that Erik and I enjoyed most about the town is that the Sun Rail which is a commuter train that runs throughout the Orlando area. I imagine that its a fantastic bonus for residents who don’t have to jump on crazy I-4 and deal with the bananas traffic – especially in rush hour. If you’re staying in Orlando and want to pop over to Winter Park for an afternoon, consider jumping on the Sun Rail and don’t worry about navigating, missing your exit, or parking.

True to form, we stopped at a little bakery in town for an afternoon beverage and pastry. We landed at Croissant Gourmet Bakery just off main street and were excited about their selections of beautiful pastries. Erik chose a peach danish and… I was still full from brunch. Ha, but who am I kidding. I never pass up an opportunity for sweet bakes so I chose this little bite size lemon meringue. Erik had his second double espresso of the day and we shared this French sparkling blood orange lemonade. It was beautiful and delicious, although, if I’m being honest, I prefer the blood orange San Pellegrino soda.

Rollins College also happens to be located right in/near Winter Park. Fun bit of FL trivia for you, this is where Mr. Rogers went to school! There is also a boat tour for the public that takes you right by his former home. Once you’ve seen this area and his home, you see why and how the phrase “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood” came around. Unfortunately, because of COVID we were unable to explore the campus at all, but from what we saw it certainly is a beautiful school.

Next to brunch, my favorite part of the day happened to be driving around and exploring the surrounding neighborhoods. After talking to my teenager dance students recently, I found out that driving around looking at beautiful homes is an “old person” thing. Ha. I will gladly accept that. The brick roads, spanish moss covered trees, and amazing mix of historic and contemporary gorgeous homes made for an unforgettable drive. We drove around Lake Virginia and made a couple pit stops at some of the local parks and beaches. While also beautiful, they were having a contamination problem so they were also not safe to swim in. Come on Florida, get it together! 😉

One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new area is to check out their local arboretum or botanical garden. I’m a total sucker for flowers so I was crazy excited to see that Winter Park is home to Mead Botanical Garden! Truthfully, it was significantly much less manicured than I was expecting. I am used to paved paths, pruned hedges, and lots of thoughtfully tended floral displays. Although they did have this beautiful amphitheater, the rest of it was fairly wild. I definitely recommend checking it out though, but just be prepared and wear better shoes than I did! Erik, who was a little unsure about the trip to the gardens actually loved it. He said he felt like we were exploring in the jungle. And seriously, at times, it totally felt like that. Just remember: shoes.

Everywhere in FL has these tiny lizards called anoles. I’m sure most people are not nearly as entertained by them as I am but my sister and I actually had a terrarium in our bedroom growing up and kept anoles as pets for years. They hold a special place in my heart – ha! I bet you didn’t see that one coming!

Really, I cannot say enough good things about Winter Park. The beauty and charm is overflowing and the community is lovely. Even if you just catch a meal in town it’s absolutely worth a trip out there. One of my favorite things about it is that it’s so much more than just the shops and restaurants (of which there are plenty and they are all beautiful) but the whole area has sights to take in and areas to explore. I highly recommend driving around the neighborhoods (if you’re old like me and enjoy that sort of thing) but also take a walk through Mead Botanical Gardens or check out Rollins College. We did not do the boat tour on this trip – but from what I have seen and heard, they are totally worth the experience! A great alternative to driving through the neighborhoods would be taking the boat tour through them!

If you are in the Orlando area, make it a point to pop over to Winter Park and check it out! Just be prepared because like Erik, you may never want to leave.