The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
Swap Mickey Mouse for Matisse: How to have a culture-filled family trip to Orlando beyond the theme parks
While most families only think of the bright lights of Disney when booking an Orlando holiday, Eddi Fiegel and her young daughter dive deeper into the city and discover a type of magic that most tourists don’t get to see
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.On a balmy October afternoon in Orlando, while Harry Potter fans in hooded robes were braving hair-raising rides at the Universal Studios theme park, a few miles across town, my eleven-year-old daughter Georgie was admiring an Art Nouveau vase.
I should explain, in case you’re wondering, that Georgie doesn’t normally have a particular yen for vases. She’s generally keener on all things K-Pop, manga and Harry Potter-related, and if there are rollercoasters or water parks involved, you’ll be hard pushed to drag her away. My partner Henry and I had decided however, that although we were visiting the theme park capital of the world, we would split our trip in two, visiting not only Universal Studios but also exploring another, lesser-known side to Orlando.
I had heard that the city’s leafy Winter Park area, just fifteen minutes’ drive north of the city centre, was home to world class art collections, including the gorgeous Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (admission $6/£5), so this was our first stop.
The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of works by the Art Nouveau genius Louis Comfort Tiffany – son of the legendary Tiffany jewellery store’s founder and best known for having created the famous, leaded glass, Tiffany lampshades, as copied the world over in American steakhouse chains.
As well as lampshades, Tiffany also designed vases, including the smooth, iridescent creation in peacock blue and magenta which had captivated Georgie, as well as jewellery and luminous panels of ornate stained glass, featuring trees and flowers in vivid greens, yellows and reds.
Read more: Taking the Brightline to Disney: Why I switched road for rail
Leaving the museum, we wandered Park Avenue, past chi-chi boutiques, smart restaurants and pavement cafes touting smashed avocado on toast, hand-made pasta and oatmeal lattes.
We were on our way to the area’s other main art collection – the Rollins Museum of Art which includes works by the likes of Picasso, Matisse and Salvador Dalí. Only a small percentage of the collection is permanently on display but when we visited, an excellent portraiture exhibition included an oil by Thomas Gainsborough and another by Flemish master portraitist Anthony Van Dyck.
Winter Park isn’t just about art however. Tucked away behind grand churches and Hispanic style villas with neatly manicured lawns lie no fewer than seven grand lakes, linked by a series of narrow canals.
The best way to see them is by boat and on our guided pontoon tour ($20/£16), we were soon edging past long-haired oak trees and 500 year old cypresses before the canals suddenly opened up onto the lakes, each one lined with lavish Arts and Crafts and Modernist-style millionaires’ mansions.
The next day, after a delicious dinner at Hamilton’s restaurant in our Winter Park hotel – the Alfond Inn, where my smoked salmon carpaccio and sea bass with asparagus risotto were particularly memorable – we set off to discover more of Orlando.
The city’s art scene isn’t just confined to Winter Park, however, and we had arranged to meet walking tour guide Tracy Kuch (tours $55/£43) in the skyscraper-filled Downtown area.
Huge sculptures dotted the lawn outside the Orange County Administration Centre’s HQ building as part of the city’s annual “Sculpture on the Lawn” public art programme, with works by international artists including the Henry Moore-esque Seed Formation by American sculptor Hugh Lassen.
Georgie meanwhile was particularly taken with a giant pink bunny made of concrete and mesh by Danish sculptor Gleb Dusavitskiy. “The artist wanted to make people smile,” Tracy explained, and it looked like he’d succeeded.
The tour also included a stop at the fascinating Orange County Regional History Centre ($10/£8), where interactive displays detail the history of Orlando from its original Native American population and the planting of Florida’s famous orange groves to the civil rights movement and the present day.
We could easily have spent several hours at the museum but we were enticed away by the lure of ice cream at the quirky The Greenery Creamery nearby.
Read more: Miami’s makeover from party town to cultural haven
As with much of the city we had already seen, the independently run parlour is about as far as you could get from a McFlurry or indeed anything mass market. Recent art-inspired specials have included the “Damien Hirst” – a blue ice cream with gummy sharks, the “Jackson Pollock” – vanilla with marshmallow “splatters” – and the “Edvard Munch Scream” – a coconut, guava and passion fruit sorbet with a raspberry swirl.
“Most tourists don’t see this side to Orlando,” the Greenery Creamery’s Liam Gill told me. “I think a lot of them are very surprised to learn that we have our own culture and art outside of the theme parks.”
We had been surprised too, and while Georgie had loved our days in the city, her excitement at visiting Universal Studios had reached fever pitch, so the next day we drove half an hour south of Winter Park to Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort – a vast hotel complex, complete with water slides and a lazy river.
The Studios more than lived up to Georgie’s expectations. From the crooked house-filled Diagon Alley at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with its huge, fire-breathing dragon to her favourite ride – the Flight of the Hippogriff rollercoaster, she couldn’t have been happier.
The theme park and the Beach Resort were unquestionably the highlights of her trip but alongside Harry Potter rides and water slides, she now also remembers Florida’s history and a rather gorgeous Tiffany vase.
Travel essentials
How to get there
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Norse Atlantic Airways all fly direct from the UK to Orlando. Flight time is around nine hours.
Where to stay
The smart Alfond Inn in Winter Park has a pool and spa as well as major contemporary artworks on display throughout the hotel, thanks to its partnership with the Rollins Collection. Universal’s retro-themed Cabana Bay Beach Resort is another good choice for families.
Eddi Fiegel and her family travelled as guests of Visit Orlando and Visit The USA.
Read more: The best hotels in Orlando
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments