Winter Garden Commerce & Culture
The heart of Winter Garden is the historic area centered on Plant Street. The West Orange Trail runs through the median strip there, where it’s surrounded by beautiful gazebos, fascinating local shops, quirky galleries, and some of the best dining to be found in a small downtown — all of it decidedly casual. But there’s more to the area than this storybook setting. There’s plenty of other commercial opportunity just to the south of downtown, and one of the region’s largest outdoor malls just a bit further on. Luxury communities surround stunning Lake Apopka, and new highway construction has brought a wealth of developments to the hills of the former orange groves to the south. Winter Garden is the gateway to the “back way” to the tourist areas of Orlando, but it’s valued as a paradise for boating and fishing, golfing and tennis, and a general lack of hustle-and-bustle. Worth a visit: Winter Garden's popular farmer's market (pictured here) convenes on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., attracting a host of artisans and vendors representing more than 20 local farms.