Are you looking to relocate to Orlando and looking for the perfect neighborhood to purchase a home in? Nestled a few miles to the west of Disney and Orlando lives two small suburban towns that help define the Central Florida area: Winter Garden and Windermere. While these small towns neighbor each other and have many similarities, they are also quite unique in what they offer both residents and visitors to the area.
Both Windermere and Winter Garden are similar in the fact that they offer a small town community oriented environment for their residents. Both communities feature good schools and attract many new families because of their family focused community. If you are looking to relocate to Central Florida, these are two communities Viva Orlando highly recommends.
Here’s a further look into each town:
Winter Garden:
A trip to Winter Garden is like visiting the best of what small town America has to offer. Winter Garden is extremely family and community focused and is the quintessential suburban area. Many families move there to find a sense of community and get away from the hustle and bustle of metro Orlando but they end up finding much, much more.
On Plant Street, in the heart of downtown Winter Garden there is a small artisanal market that residents and visitors alike love to visit. There, customers can browse the many wares and goods of the co-op space made up of handmade and local made items like soaps, clothing, breads, sweets, and small restaurants. At the far end of the market lives Crooked Can Brewery where customers can imbibe a couple of drinks and, on a beautiful Florida afternoon, sit outside on the patio while listening to local musicians entertain the crowds.
For a more active time with the family, visiting the West Orange trail is in order. This 22 mile snakes right through downtown Winter Garden and was built mostly on old railroad alignments. Made up of asphalt or concrete the trail winds through neighborhoods, wide open fields, past old churches, and even by cow pastures. Billowing oak trees shade the trail from the harsh Florida sun offering year around shade for families to enjoy a walk or bike down it’s path letting them forget there’s bustling city life just a few miles away.
Fittingly, living at the downtown Winter Garden outpost stop of the West Orange trail is the Central Florida Railroad Museum. Housed in the old Tavares and Gulf Rail Company building, this museum chronicles the history of the two main railroads that ran through Winter Garden and why this these stations were a hub of activity for so long in the Central Florida area.
Windermere:
In the neighboring town next door is Windermere. Nestled amongst the Butler Chain of Lakes—Windermere is a community for those who love to boat, ski, golf, and is filled with people who love their community. There is always a lot of activity in the town square with local festivals, community events, and a small shopping district.
This community is home to many of the elite in Orlando and is a popular place for celebrities, who love Central Florida, to buy homes. Beautiful gated home communities make up much of this town’s landscape. Celebrities such as Tiger Woods, Shaquille O’neal, N’Sync member Joey Fatone, golfer Paula Creamer, Alter Bridge rocker Mark Tremonti, and PGA professional Bubba Watson have all called Windermere home.
There’s no wonder why many of these famous celebrities in Windermere are golfers, some of the Windermere best golf courses in the world are practically in their back yard. Windermere is home to Golden Bear Golf Club, Disney Oak Trail Golf Club, Windermere Country Club, and Isleworth Golf Club. It’s definitely a golfer’s paradise.
If you are looking for a new place to invest in Central Florida real estate, both Winter Garden and Windermere are great communities to consider. Both have their own special charm that defines the landscape of the Central Florida community. If you need more information about either of these communities, please contact Milena@vivaorlando.com or call 407.922.4620