At north of the charming Lake Eola, here lies the suburb of Park Lake Highland in Orlando. It is the northwest neighborhood of North Mills Avenue and East Colonial Drive. It is a perfect area for young professionals, because it is easily accessible and well served by Interstate 4. The first time I saw this place I immediately fell in love with it, because there are great restaurants, bars, parks and amenities for pedestrians and cyclists. For these reasons, I want to make you know more about this area.
Between historic houses and lakes: the extravagant architecture of Orlando
Orlando is a multifaceted city that I got to know little by little. The downtown is full of new residential apartment buildings, trendy restaurants, and stores. It is known for its skyscrapers and beautiful Victorian architecture. The heart of Orlando also included the famous “Cultural Corridor”, which extends from downtown, at the north, to the east side of College Park, up until the museums and theaters of Loch Haven Park. An area filled with many theaters, galleries, and arts performance centers, such as the beautiful Orlando Repertory Theatre
The centerpiece of the city is Lake Eola Park, consisting of 7.2 acres full of trails, perfect for walking and jogging trails, located along the 1.4-mile perimeter of the lake. When I find myself walking through these areas, I never forget to visit the Sunday Eola Market, a farmers’ market, held every Sunday morning at the park. After sunset the city center turns into a trendy destination for the nightlife with nightclubs, restaurants, theaters, and galleries.
Orlando is also considered the entertainment capital of the world, thanks to the presence of numerous theme parks. The most famous and celebrated in the world, by fans of this world, is certainly Disneyworld Orlando, called Magic Kingdom. DisneyWorld Orlando consists of six autonomous amusement parks that, together with all the other structures of service and others, extend on the impressive area of 122 km ²! If you can’t imagine how big DisneyWorld can be, know that Miami has an extension of 92.4 km. An attraction to which it is worth dedicating at least one day of visit.
Orlando urban train: a bike ride to Mead Botanical Garden
Park Lake Highland is located in Orange County, at north of the famous Lake Eola. It is one of the best places to live in Florida because it offers to its residents a curated urban atmosphere, with many bars, restaurants, cafes and parks, and the public schools are above average for the quality of services and the level of education offered.
Among the noteworthy local spots, I want to mention the Orlando Urban Trail, a great way to pedal through the city and pop into one of the many coffee shops for a morning cup of coffee, before heading to work. I rode this long route, which runs near the lakes for a total of 2.6 miles, several times. I also got to spot some turtles and blue herons. Part of the route is known as the Dinky Line Trail because it follows the previous Orlando and Winter Park Railroad, called the ‘Dinky Line’ because of its narrow gauge tracks.
The Orlando Urban Trail reaches all the way to the Mead Botanical Garden, 47 acres to explore among hiking trails, creeks, wooden boardwalks, tall pines, greenhouses of flowers and plants, a wonderful butterfly garden and the indoor pond that is home to turtles, fish and waders.
The Hammered Lamb: a night out with friends
Whenever I go to Park Lake Highland, I stop to grab a bite at The Hammered Lamb. The restaurant is located on North Orange Avenue in front of beautiful Lake Ivanhoe. It is a cozy restaurant, between the Park Lake Highland neighborhood and the up-and-coming Ivanhoe Village. Keepers of a nice tradition, they have a habit of offering free shots to their customers, every time a train passes by on the nearby tracks.
One of my favorite attractions of the venue is the variety of cocktails and drinks it has to offer: 20 beers on tap, over 75 bottled and canned beers, and over 20 wines by the glass and by the bottle. In addition, the kitchen is open daily until 2:00 am. During brunch, they serve huge mimosa cocktails and the best Bloody Mary in Orlando.
Park Lake Highland has been named, by Niche.com, as one of the best places to live in Florida, based on the quality of life, the prestige of the schools, the different types of housing, the level of crime and safety, the services available and the job opportunities. A combination of characteristics that have made Park Lake Highland a highly sought-after real estate property.
