SunChaser

No Disney. No theme parks. No condos. I stay with friends and cover Orlando from the local’s perspective. Yes singing. Yes citrus picking. Yes Vietnamese food. Bonus! I ask a New York transplant why she moved to Orlando and what has been her biggest surprise.

Planning a trip to Orlando

Since I’m snowbirding, I drove here. But as you know, there are consistently great flights to Orlando, Florida. So, hi! if you’re here to simply scan for an upcoming “escape from winter” trip. Or perhaps, like most of my readers, you work remotely or are about to retire so you are checking out the places you want to snowbird. Let’s see what Orlando has to offer.

Drove from Atlanta to Orlando. Watched the thermometer hit 80 degrees. Rolled down my windows, felt the balmy air rush through my Toyota Corolla and snapped this pic of the January sky. Kinda reminds me of a Rothko Painting.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not here for Disney, I’m in Orlando for the weather. I also came to support and attend the first annual Central Florida All-day Sacred Harp Singing. While attending this singing, I met a woman who had recently relocated to Orlando from New York City. (The big apple got too wormy for her after Covid.) She told me what surprised her the most about Orlando and dun dun dun! of course I have to reveal it at the end of this post.

Things to do that are not Disney

Coco Beach: An hour drive but a pleasant one. The quickest way to get to the beach vibes from Orlando. Lots of fun beachside restaurants of all price points. They have Kite Days on Sundays.

Watch the Sky: The old space program is local and you can see rocket launches from Orlando or near by if you’re in Coco Beach.

Singing/Dancing: Check out the Sacred Harp singing scene in January or February. There is also the Florida Folk Festival in April. For dancing, lots of fun salsa and Latina dancing in Orlando. Be sure to also check out clogging, ballroom dancing, or other dance lessons in the area. I’ve personally been into Contra Dancing and they have a chapter here in Orlando!

Boating/Kayaking: Considered a winter sport in the Orlando area. Very funny to my northerner ears.

Citrus Picking: Grapefruits, oranges, tangerines, palmettos, Japanese persimmons. Find an local U-Pick park or area and leave the crowds at Disney. (I link to our citrus guy below)

Neighborhood Exploring: If you’re considering being a snowbird in Orlando, the best thing to do is to stay away from the hotels and vacation resorts and stay at Airbnbs or Vrbos in the neighborhoods. Our Airbnb stay at Vista Cay Resort was a great hub while in Orlando and a lot of snowbirds had their second place here.

Local Sports: I hop on socials or head over to Meetup.com to check out the local Pickleball or Tennis scene. Orlando’s weather allows its outdoor leagues to play all year round! Check out Orlando Sport’s Teams

My Bests of Orlando

I’m well aware the more I snowbird in Florida, my bloggy list best-ofs will grow. But here’s what I have after spending 2 weeks exploring Orlando with my local friends.

Best Overall Neighborhood in Orlando: Colonialtown North Cobblestone streets. Bungalows with garden houses, twinkly lights, amazing shops, and a very walkable scene. Oh and I’d love to mention there was not a tourist in sight.

I also stayed in Oviedo, and down in the Sand Lake area (which was super touristy.) My hosts in Colonialtown North were from Minnesota and (no surprise here) had relocated to Florida. My hosts in Oviedo, relocated from New Jersey. The Oviedo area was quiet, super suburban, but closer to nature and away from the Orlando commotion.

Best Eats in Colonialtown North: Anh Hong (Vietnamese) Having lived in Viet Nam from 2017-2020, I only ate here during my stay in Colonialtown North. While you’re here, you’ll just have to eat Vietnamese everyday for every meal.

Best Drinks near Colonialtown North: Haan Coffee (Korean Coffee) I ordered the black sesame espresso | Krave Tea (Bubble Tea) I only came here for one thing Cafe Dua (pronounced yoo-wa) which is Coconut Coffee a la Vietnam.

Best Pick your own citrus in Orlando: Keep it local style. Fresh air, shop small. This secret spot is not the overly commercial picking experience. Maddie the dog and Jim the citrus keeper (traveled the world as a Rice Engineer with World Vision) tells all about his visits to North Korea and The 1985 Freeze that killed off his grove originally purchased with the land in the 1970s. Reach out to Jim before you go.

Best dancing in Orlando: Movement is good for everything. So go find the salsa bars! But for me, I went contra dancing with my friends. I discovered there is a huge Snow Ball in Florida ever year that is definitely worth checking out.

The best kept secret in Orlando

Well, here it is; the reveal. My magazine-esque writing style (what’s a magazine? inquire zoomer bloggers everywhere) has reached a new level—a reveal level.

While attending an All-Day Sacred Harp Singing, I met a recent Orlando transplant who recounted why she left New York and why she moved to Orlando. Mainly 1) because NYC had changed so much after Covid, 2) the weather, and 3) because her friend lived there and she’d been trying to get her to move for years!

“The local Springs are the best kept secret in Orlando.”

-Christine
New York City transplant circa 2021

If you’re snowbirding, you won’t have to escape the summer heat and plunge into these fresh water springs like the locals do to cool down. But if you’re visiting Orlando in January, February, March or April, there are several springs in Florida to enjoy. I saw someone swimming in the springs in January with a wetsuit!

All the springs are connected to the State Park system so admission is the same.

Springs State Park Admission

$6 per vehicle (two to eight people).
$4 single-occupant vehicle.
$2 pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass.

Photos sourced generic google image query “orlando springs”. Used here for education and reference.

Here are a few of the Springs to check out on your next Orlando adventure:

Blue Springs: Probably the most touristy of the springs. 30min north of Orlando. Manatee viewing during the winter months.

Rock Springs: This Spring was Christine’s favorite. We couldn’t kayak here in January due to manatee season.

Wekiwa Springs State Park: Here we rented a single kayak for $35 and a double kayak for $40 for 2 hours, plus the $6 vehicle fee.

• Tip: You can put-in at Wekiva Island instead. Kayak rental of a similar price will get you an all-day excursion instead of watching the clock for 2 hours.

I’ll leave you with my personal Wekiwa Springs Moment! Can’t you just feel the warmth, peace and relaxation in that shot?

---

#KodakMoment

From the Archive: Best Travel Moments

Wekiwa Springs State Park, Florida, USA
Photographed by Gina Vick, 2022;
Visit Gina’s Photo Studio