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Colonel Joe Kittinger Park

4.1 (15 reviews)

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Playground
Megan M.

What a fun park! Small, but if your little one is airplane obsessed, RBI's is a great place to watch the planes take off and land! There is a pavilion there but the playground is unshaded and gets hot! Bring your sunglasses and water!

Col Joe Kittinger flew this plane during the Vietnam war.
Dale O.

Its a tiny little park, just off the 408 beside the Orlando Executive airport. It is also on the bicycle trail. You can sit on a bench and watch the airplanes and blimps take off and land, rest for a while and maybe enjoy a picnic lunch if the weather's nice. There is a small kids playground too!

Jeff K.

It's 79 degrees out with a light, cool breeze. I'm starving, cubicle fever is in full swing, and just outside my Jeep waits for me with the top down. It's a collection of incentives too hard to ignore. Sure, it's way out of my way, but the drive is part of the thing. From Research Park I head out to my two favorite bánh mì locations around Mills 50, pick up one from each (I couldn't decide which one I wanted to go to, so both it is!) and drove back to Kittinger Park to eat at one of the picnic tables. It's not a big or full-featured park, but I love it. Especially on a nice day like this. As I eat my bánh mì at a picnic table in a small gazebo with not another person in sight, I watch the birds sunning themselves by the water and listen to the occasional tower communications provided by a speaker installed in the gazebo. I watch an otter swimming around nearby crawl up on land for a minute, then slip back into the water. Eventually I walk down the path back to the Jeep and start the drive back to work. But I'm almost okay with it because I feel much, much better.

Maps!
Christina H.

Every time I exit the 408 at Crystal Lake I drive past Kittinger Park and I think to myself "what an odd little park". And it is indeed an odd little park. The parking lot is separated from the playground by a small pond. There is a sidewalk that circles the pond. And that's about it. My family needed to kill some time so we stopped at the park to look around. There were some people fishing behind the playground (in a not so scenic patch of Lake Underhill). We saw a couple of joggers, but otherwise the park was deserted. My kids enjoyed the playground equipment. It is a good spot to sit and watch the planes from executive airport, however we had bad timing and we only saw one plane while we were there. We also didn't hear the audio from the airport that other reviewers mentioned. I'll have to go back and listen for that. A big negative is the lack of restroom facilities. I suppose whoever designed the park had a good reason for leaving them out, but it's still inconvenient. The location of this park makes it extremely convenient for a quick stop to get some fresh air and watch the planes.

Walking on the bike path!

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Review Highlights - Colonel Joe Kittinger Park

“Also, the patio has a speaker directly tied to the control tower of the Executive Airport.”

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Lake Eola Park - beacon of hope

Lake Eola Park

4.6(475 reviews)
1.8 mi

I was born in Orlando in 1961, so Lake Eola has been a part of my entire life. I rarely make it…read moredown here anymore, but I had an appointment near here and as I parked, I look at the park and the lake and made sure that I would spent some time after the meeting, and I am glad that I did. It is so beautiful here, a sanctuary in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown Orlando. I walked around the lake, people watching, enjoying the foliage, the trees, the wildlife, so serene and tranquil. If I lived downtown, I would be here every day. I highly recommend taking a trip here and getting away from the city for a few minutes- you will be glad you did.

I've been going to Lake Eola on and off for about 30 years, and every time I come back I have such…read moremixed feelings about this place. I have beautiful memories here with my mother, my father, who has been gone for many years now, and my cousin, so I think that's part of why seeing this park now affects me as much as it does. I can still remember those different periods of my life here, but then I look at the lake and the wildlife and I keep thinking about how much better this place could be. I actually had to go look up the facts about Lake Eola because I started wondering if I was being unfair or if I was simply seeing it differently because I've known this place for so long. What I found was pretty surprising. Lake Eola has had serious water-quality problems going back decades. By the 1980s, pollution and debris were entering the lake with rainfall, and the lake eventually had to be de-mucked and cleaned in 1992. Today, it's an urban lake that receives stormwater from a large portion of downtown Orlando, which means everything washing off those streets and surrounding areas can ultimately make its way into the lake. What bothers me most isn't even the people walking around the park. It's the wildlife. There are swans, ducks, egrets, herons, fish, turtles and other animals living in and around this lake, and once you start paying attention to them, it's hard not to wonder what their environment is actually like. I see these beautiful animals swimming around, and then I look at the water they're swimming in and see the debris and the muck, and it really gets to me. Maybe I'm more sensitive to it because I've known this place for so long, but I can't just look at the swans anymore without looking at what's underneath them. Then all those memories come rushing back. All these different versions of my life that somehow happened around this same lake, and now I'm standing here decades later looking at that water, watching the wildlife swimming through it, and thinking about how much has changed and how much of this lake is still dealing with the same problems. And honestly, after all this time..... the City of Orlando needs to simply "DO BETTER"

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Lake Eola Park - Night Light Time

Night Light Time

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Lake Eola Swan boat

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Bokeh

Lake Lorna Doone Park

Lake Lorna Doone Park

4.8(8 reviews)
3.4 mi•John Young, Horizons West / West Orlando

What a fantastic park! Located just outside of Camping World Stadium, I recently learned that Lake…read moreLorna Doone Park is one of the oldest parks in Orlando. It underwent a major renovation in 2021 where they added lots of amenities and made everything brand new. Even now, 5 years later, everything has been so well maintained and still feels like new. They have a free miniature golf putting course, an awesome splash pad, shaded playgrounds, basketball courts, and a nice nature walking path. You'll also find shaded picnic pavilions and a community garden. My son absolutely loves coming here. The parking lot can be a little tricky to find because my GPS using Google Maps never takes me to the right place. Don't let the location detour you from visiting. It's such a nice park and feels very safe.

Lake Lorna Doone Park is one of the oldest parks in Orlando. It is just north of Camping World…read moreStadium. The neighborhood and the park is named after one of the earliest property owner's daughter's favorite novel, Lorna Doone, written by English author, Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. Lake Lorna Doone was the site of the South's first integrated Little League Baseball game on August 9, 1955. The 1955 little league season was the first after US Supreme Court rulings had eliminated "separate but equal" conditions in the nation's schools and public parks. The Pensacola Jaycees were declared winners of their local district by Little League headquarters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. When local officials would not allow them to play against the all-white teams they instead advanced to the Florida State Tournament which was held at Lake Lorna Doone Park. They ended up losing to host Orlando in the second round, 5-0 but they were welcomed by the hometown crowd and given encouragement. In 2021, 12 acre Lake Lorna Doone Park underwent an $8 million renovation. Added to the park was the nine hole Arnold Palmer Putting Experience, fitness stations, a playground, football fields, basketball courts, a splash pad and the Winnie Palmer Nature Trail. I especially liked the nature trail where I got to see native plants and wildlife. With the upgrades, this park now has all of the amenities needed to inspire a healthy, active lifestyle for the West Lakes families who live in this neighborhood and all who visit.

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Lake Lorna Doone Park
Lake Lorna Doone Park
Lake Lorna Doone Park

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Blanchard Park

Blanchard Park

4.3(77 reviews)
6.6 mi•East Orlando

Explore Jay Blanchard Park: The Heart of East Orlando…read moreLooking for the best things to do in East Orlando? Whether you're already living in East Orlando or are considering buying a home in East Orlando, Jay Blanchard Park is a local treasure you can't miss. Located at 2451 N Dean Rd, Orlando, FL 32817, it's the perfect outdoor escape near UCF. What makes Blanchard Park special? The Little Econ Trail: Over 7 miles of paved, shaded trails for easy riding, running, or walking. Family Fun: 2 large shaded playgrounds with oak canopies and sunshades to keep the kids cool. Active Lifestyle: 6 tennis courts, beach volleyball, basketball, and fields for soccer or lacrosse. The YMCA: Home to the Blanchard Park YMCA for all your indoor fitness needs. Pro-Tips for Your Visit: Cookouts: Use the individual picnic tables and charcoal grills for a perfect family BBQ. Events: Check the Orange County Parks calendar for free movie nights in the park! Stay Safe: We love our Florida wildlife! Be mindful near the water's edge as alligators are common in the area. Thinking about buying a home in East Orlando? The Orlando zip code 32817 offers an incredible lifestyle with easy access to nature and city amenities. www.TestonTeam.com for full video walkthrough under News & Tips - Things to Do in Orlando

Blanchard park is a great place to enjoy nature! The trail is great for jogging, biking and walking…read moreyour dogs. Plenty of open fields and space to enjoy the outdoors.

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Blanchard Park
Blanchard Park
Blanchard Park

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Colonel Joe Kittinger Park - parks - Updated October 2026

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