10 Offbeat Orlando Monuments

We have a New Year’s resolution for you (well, for us, but on behalf of all our customers!). We resolve to bring you stories of Orlando you haven’t heard before, stories that go beyond the usual tales of theme parks, restaurants and other trappings of the typical tourist experience; the REAL Orlando, if you like.

It’s a simple truth that this is a destination absolutely packed with attractions of every kind, from the theme parks to the street art and weird and wacky murals of the city’s downtown districts. This is an absolute treasure trove of all things great and small.

It is also worth pointing out that The City Beautiful has its own history, dating back as far as 1838, and a thriving arts scene, with notable artworks around Lake Eola and outside the Regional History Center in the heart of downtown. Museums? Orlando has more than a dozen, while the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is a truly world class venue for live music, stage shows and more.

Despite its modern face as the home of Disney, Universal and Co, this is genuinely a city with a three-dimensional personality and more – much more – than meets the eye of most of our visitors. So, this will be the first in a series of blogs that aims to highlight the back-stories of Orlando, the city behind the glossy theme park image, and we’ll start by presenting our Top 10 Offbeat Monuments that can be found within a relatively short drive of our villa communities.

10. Bob Ross’ Grave

Famed American painter and TV personality Bob Ross (1942-1995) was born in nearby Daytona Beach, but his grave is in the pretty Woodlawn Memorial Park cemetery in the rustic suburb of Gotha just 13 miles from Walt Disney World. His unique painting style and gentle commentary struck a chord with art fans worldwide, and he is memorialised by a regular stream of fans who leave art-related mementoes on his grave on a weekly basis, which is wonderfully heart-warming to see.

9. Bunk Baxter Statue

Orlando’s 19th century history and founding as a cow town is recognised in the heart of downtown by a full-size bronze statue of Bunk Baxter, “Alligator Wrestler.” This iconic artwork is set in the plaza in front of the Regional History Center and highlights Francis “Bunk” Baxter, a local rancher who entertained downtown shoppers in the 1880s with his live alligator wrestling antics.

8. B-52 Memorial Park

Every Orlando visitor has probably noticed the huge B-52 bomber on the right as you enter Orlando International Airport from Exit 11 of the Beachline Expressway (528). This mighty warplane signifies the airport’s origin as a US Air Force Base (1951-75) that was home to several squadrons of bombers during the Cold War. Today, this free-to-enter small park – accessible via Bear Road – allows visitors to get up close with the B-52 for a great selfie.

7. Disston Sugar Mill

One of the surprising back-stories of Central Florida is that of Hamilton Disston, millionaire and entrepreneur in the 1880s. Disston came to the rescue of a going-bankrupt state in 1881, buying up four MILLION acres of land and starting a hugely ambitious swamp drainage project that gave rise to various towns across the region. Sadly, one of the only real acknowledgements of his visionary project is in the ruins of the extensive sugar mill on the outskirts of St Cloud, which was just one of many business ventures that opened up the region to multiple businesses.

6. Jack Kerouac House

Unknown to many, legendary writer and darling of the 1950s Beat Generation, Jack Kerouac lived in Orlando for several years while writing the follow-up novel to his immensely successful On The Road, which made his worldwide reputation. The humble house he and his mum called home, in the College Park district of downtown, was actually lost to posterity in the 1970s and 80s, but rediscovered in 1996 and is now a notable monument to the iconic writer.

5. Mills 50 Murals

Many modern American cities are enlivened by creative, colourful murals that run the gamut of subjects, from rock stars to beach scenes, and Orlando is up there with the best of them. Head to the Mills 50 district of downtown and you’ll discover a whole range of eye-catching murals, notably along North Mills Avenue just past its junction with Highway 50. Our favourite? Freddie Mercury and his hairy armpit on the back wall of Floyd’s Barbershop!

4. Monument of States

This total curiosity can be found in Kissimmee and dates back to 1943, commemorating the US war effort and the whole country pulling together during World War II. The creation of eccentric local celebrity Dr Charles Bressler-Pettis, who sought out rocks from every state in the nation to build a monument with, it eventually included items from President Roosevelt and other oddities, including fossils and even bits of bone. Walk around the monument and see the topmost section spell out the message “World’s Most Unique Monument.”

3. Fort Christmas

Orlando’s history owes much to the bitter Seminole Wars of the 1830s, including its first building, Fort Gatlin in 1838. The fort itself has long since disappeared, but that era is celebrated today at a similar period piece, reconstructed Fort Christmas, 26 miles east of downtown. Free to visit, the Fort tells the story of the Seminole Wars and Orlando’s frontier heritage. Oh, and the name? It was given that moniker for the day the US troops first arrived there – December 25, 1838.

2. The Traveler

Nobody who passes through Orlando International airport should ever miss this stunning artwork, sitting inside an acrylic display case adjacent to the Food Court. The Traveler is the creation of artist Duane Hanson and inevitably begs the question, Is he real? The fact he’s been sitting there, slumped in exhausted travel pose, since 1985, should provide the answer, though!

1. The Citrus Tower

There is no bigger monument to Central Florida’s pre-theme-park past than the huge Citrus Tower on Highway 27 in Clermont (just to the north of our main villa communities). Constructed from 1955-56, the 226ft-tall Tower was effectively an advertisement for the region’s booming citrus industry, offering panoramic views of the surrounding area and its 17 million citrus trees. Sadly, the citrus industry was devastated by three major freezes in the 1980s, wiping out most of those trees. Today, the view is of a booming urban landscape that is developing into one of Florida’s fastest-growing cities.

Have you already seen any of our Top 10? Tell us about them on our Facebook, X and Instagram pages.