111 Must-See Places in Orlando

We were thrilled this month to see a new book about Orlando that comes directly from well-established Florida authors Simon and Susan Veness, who are long-time friends of Debbie’s Villas and authors of the renowned Brit Guide to Orlando & Walt Disney World.

Their new publication is called 111 Places in Orlando That You Must Not Miss, and some of the places listed will not come as a surprise to readers of our blog, as they are very much the kind of off-the-beaten-track gems we love to highlight for our visitors.

In fact, 34 of them are either places we have already featured in our weekly blog or are already on our radar to tell you about at some stage this year. Now that we have a copy of the book in our hands, you can be sure of a lot more recommendations for the offbeat, historic and downright fascinating parts of Orlando!

The amazing thing about these 111 Places is that not even one of them is in any of the theme parks that are Central Florida’s crown jewels. That’s right, there are literally dozens of other places and sights that are well worth seeing in addition to the main reason for most people visiting.

About the 111 Places

As the book blurb says: “You were probably first drawn to Orlando by the enchanting lure of the theme parks – they are indeed magical places. And now, this guidebook will take you to find the real-life magic and wonder that exists in The City Beautiful itself.”

“Discover unexpected gems, such as Freddie Mercury’s hairy armpit (!), a nightlife hot-spot made entirely from repurposed shipping containers and the wildlife drive where alligator sightings are practically guaranteed. Get behind the controls of a real-life Abbott tank on a mock battlefield, tinkle amid the alien hordes and be moved to tears by the bloody history of the Ocoee Massacre.”

The book also highlights places such as Wild Florida, Mount Dora, Winter Garden and the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, all of which have been featured here on the Debbie’s Villas blog, while our Top 10 Offbeat Gems blog absolutely nailed all 10 as essential places to see of the Veness’s 111.

Other places that are showcased in the book include Wekiva Island, the city suburb of Winter Park, the Disney-created town of Celebration and restaurants like Yellow Dog Eats and Maxine’s On Shine that we have also highlighted for our visitors in recent years.

And there’s more!

In truth, the examples mentioned above only really scratch the surface of the compelling list of exciting, unusual and downright quirky hot-spots waiting to be discovered in the 240 full-colour pages of this new publication.

The format is fairly simple and offers a full page of text about each ‘Place’ and a full-page photo to illustrate it (photos are all by renowned local photographer Kayla L Smith and they really make the book come alive). Each entry includes the essential location and contact details for the place in question, along with a tip for another location that has something similar or related that is also worth seeing.

There are also a series of maps at the back of the book that provide the location for all 111 places, including the many that can be found in the various downtown districts that are now an essential part of the city scene.

Of the full 111, 48 are in the general downtown area, 10 are in the Kissimme/Osceola County area, nine in Winter Park, seven in Clermont/Lake County and six each in the International Drive corridor and Winter Garden/north-west Orlando. The other 25 are scattered around the greater Orlando area, from Deland and Sanford to the north, Oviedo and Fort Christmas (and, yes, that’s a real place!) to the east, and Lake Nona and the south-east.

Telling the story of Orlando

Perhaps the one other thing that the book does especially well is to tell the historical story of Orlando as a whole. Most people tend to think the city is a totally modern creation, basically the result of Walt Disney basing his second big theme park empire here in 1971 and inspiring huge amounts of growth ever since.

But that’s not true, and there are dozens of real-life history lessons along the way, dating back to 1836 and the establishment of the first US army fort in the region (there were, of course, people living in this part of Florida before the first settlers moved in but, sadly, there is virtually no standing structure to their existence).

Orlando was incorporated as a town in 1875 and became a city 10 years later. It was home in the 1880s to rancher and “alligator wrestler” Bunk Baxter (Place No. 8), the first English gentlemen’s club (the Rogers-Kiene Building in 1886, No. 87) and the USA’s very first African-American municipality (Eatonville, in 1887; No. 24), while the unique Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp was established in 1894 (No. 10).

In the early part of the 20th century, there was the horror of the Ocoee Massacre (in 1920, No. 67) and the founding of Central Florida’s oldest public golf course (Dubsdread, No. 22), while 1935 saw the historic art deco movement take root (the Kress Building, No. 44) and 1949 witnessed the opening of the first major attraction (Gatorland, No. 90).

The modern era

When you add in the modern history of Orlando, there are numerous other discoveries, including a Nobel Prize winner (John Mott, No. 42), the unique Enzian Theater (No. 26), the Jack Kerouac House (No. 41) and Colonel Joe Kittinger Park, a nod to America’s Vietnam War veterans (No. 15).

There is plenty that is just downright quirky, too, like the ghost dog of Lake Eola Park, the mysterious Oviedo Lights, the macabre art of the Prometheus Esoterica gallery and the Rage Room, where you can let out all your pent-up stress by smashing up various household objects with a baseball bat or sledgehammer!

All this comes alongside a variety of worthy drinking and dining hot-spots, the modern-day arts and culture (including 22 museums and performing arts centres) and an array of nature centres and gardens that add a true touch of Floridian charm and wildlife.

In case you were wondering…

Freddie Mercury’s Hairy Armpit? You’ll find that in full, extra-large detail among the dazzling murals of the Mills 50 District in downtown Orlando, proving once and for all, you never know what to expect when you visit our amazing destination.

*The book is now available at most good bookstores, including Waterstones, WH Smith and Amazon.co.uk, priced £13.99. * Have you visited any of the places mentioned in the book? Tell us about them on our Facebook, X and Instagram pages.