Two things every out-of-towner should visit in Orlando's trendiest neighborhoods

DOWNTOWN

Culture, "culture" and cocktails. Lots of cocktails. For all its foibles – snarled traffic, lack of retail, weird smells in the summer – downtown is still where the non-Disney magic happens, whether you're feeling classy – taking in a ballet at the Dr. Phillips Center, for example – or trashy – gargling tequila until you paint the sidewalk with your lunch, say. They say it takes all kinds, and boy does downtown ever take 'em.

Photo via Orlando Weekly

DOWNTOWN

Old favorite: Lake Eola Park, 512 E. Washington St. The heart of the city for more than a century, Lake Eola is where Orlandoans gather to celebrate, mourn, protest or just talk a nice walk.


Photo via Adobe Images

DOWNTOWN

New classic: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. Since opening in 2014, the "Dr. Phil" has brought a steady stream of world-class concerts, Broadway plays and high culture to downtown – and the under-construction Steinmetz Hall addition should only bring more.

Photo via Jessica Bryce Young

CONWAY/CURRY FORD

It's close enough to downtown to feel alive; far enough away to have enough room for kids. The homey 'burb vibe is interrupted by scattered pockets of commerce – and what used to be aimed at bluer collars is swiftly pinking up in the Hourglass strip. But it doesn't have to be fancy to be good, you know.


Photo via Hourglass District

CONWAY/CURRY FORD

Old favorite: Claddagh Cottage, 2421 Curry Ford Road. The homiest, coziest, slainte-est Irish pub in town recently reopened after a too-long absence and remarkably, it still feels just like your living room – if your living room has stellar shepherd's pie and Irish musicians.


Photo via Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub/Facebook

CONWAY/CURRY FORD

New classic: Peaceful Peacock, 2500 Curry Ford Road. Yoga isn't a sport or a competition; it's a meditation. A lot of yoga studios pay lip service to that, but the "intentionally inclusive" Peacock, less than a year old, is truly a place to find peace within.


Photo via peacefulpeacockorlando/Instagram

AUDUBON PARK/BALDWIN PARK

The bird streets are home to the hippest, most organically developed neighborhood in town – and they butt right up against planned community Baldwin Park. Audubonnies appreciate Baldwin's amenities (grocery, drug store, gorgeous multi-use trails around the lake) but Baldwin revels in Audubon Park's entertainments – restaurants, bars, bakeries and cool shopping.



Photo via Rob Bartlett

AUDUBON PARK/BALDWIN PARK

Old favorite: Blue Jacket Park, 2501 General Rees Ave. Before Baldwin Park existed – back when it was a naval training base – this land hosted thousands of service personnel. In 2000, the city designated its 75 acres a public park, and its lush fields, fountain and stone structures now host nature-lovers.


Photo via duaneinc5/Instagram

AUDUBON PARK/BALDWIN PARK

New classic: Domu, 3201 Corrine Drive. Unless you get there before they open, the ramen joint and cocktail bar attached to East End Market has a wait ranging from a half-hour to sometimes three – and mark of a true addiction, we'll wait. The first-come, first-served rule is so strict that staff recently told British crooner Sam Smith, in town for a concert at Amway Center, that he'd have to wait like everyone else. (He didn't. His loss.)


Photo via Rob Bartlett

I-DRIVE

It's funny how Orlando's biggest industry is also the bane of every resident's existence. For many, International Drive is strictly a workplace – and there's little room to hang out among the millions of tourists who clog the tourism district every year. But avoiding this area of Orlando means missing out on a whole lot of hidden gems, even if they are stuck between two different dinner theaters.


Photo via Orlando Weekly

I-DRIVE

Old favorite: Ripley's Believe It or Not!, 8201 International Drive. Where else in Orlando can you find decorated Tibetan skulls, a real vampire killing kit and a spinning vortex tunnel?


Photo via pratos_sabores/Instagram

I-DRIVE

New classic: Mango's, 8126 International Drive. If South Beach and Vegas had a baby, you would have Mango's. You've got waitresses in feathery costumes and extravagant stage shows keeping the adrenaline pumping. Something wild and colorful is happening in every corner here.


Photo via Seth Kubersky

MILK DISTRICT

In a sequestered neighborhood just east of Thornton Park is the Milk District, a short-but-sweet spot in town known mostly for its Tasty Tuesdays food truck gathering but named for its proximity to the cow-topped T.G. Lee Dairy. On this strip you'll find clever theme bars, inventive snacks, vintage clothes and darts aplenty.


Photo via Rob Bartlett

MILK DISTRICT

Old favorite: Etoile Boutique 2424 E. Robinson St. The vintage-and-new clothing boutique was one of the first settlers in the nascent Milk, and it's shown remarkable staying power over the years.


Photo via Hannah Glogower

MILK DISTRICT

New classic: Iron Cow, 2438A E. Robinson St. One of Orlando's spiffiest new music venues manages to be both modern and clean (well, it's new yet) but scruffy enough to fit into the neighborhood. Plus, there's above-average food!


Photo via James Dechert

PARRAMORE

Our most historic neighborhood is also the site of some of our newest developments: the Amway Center, the Orlando City Soccer Stadium and the Creative Village are all part of a slow flowering of business and art that may transform what was once troubled ground.


Photo via Joey Roulette

PARRAMORE

Old favorite: Well's Built Museum, 511 W. South St. Once it was a Black-owned hotel that hosted the hottest performers on the so-called chitlin' circuit, like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Now it preserves local African American history and culture.


Photo via City of Orlando

PARRAMORE

New classic: WestArt District, 1011 W Central Blvd. This joyous explosion of brand-new culture and history yet to come covers 50,000 square feet with ever-changing murals.


Photo via Melissa McHenry

WINTER PARK

Well-heeled but wide-ranging, our neighbor, Winter Park, can't be called a neighborhood – it's its own city, made up of neighborhoods just like Orlando is. There's the swanky commercial strip of Park Avenue, the up-and-coming Hannibal Square, and various homey pockets long loved by locals. Park Avenue is the place to start, though: Packed with restaurants and boutiques, it's anchored at its tree-lined north end by the renowned Morse Museum of American Art.


Photo via Orlando Weekly

WINTER PARK

Old favorite: Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave, Winter Park. The college, founded in 1885, sits on gorgeous grounds dotted with Spanish Mediterranean architecture; of particular note is a walking tour dedicated to alum Fred "Mr." Rogers. See the iconic cardigan and sneakers, a collection of his books and letters, and a marble plaque on one of the academic buildings engraved with the words that inspired his purpose in life ("Life is for service").


Photo via Rollins College/Facebook