I was invited to an art opening at the Oakland Manor House. I don't know if i was dazzled more by…read morethe beautiful art or by the incredibly beautiful restoration of the Oakland Manor house. The Manor house was built in 1921 as a guest house, back when Oakland was the place to be in Orange County. We had the pleasure of meeting one of the men who lovingly restored this house and he fave us a tour and told us the history. I would highly recommend this as a place to stay or a place to have a small event. It is absolutely gorgeous!

A quiet retreat near Lake Apopka in Oakland Fl. A place for tranquility, RN wellness Coaching,…read more consultations, meditation classes, yoga retreats, and more. Classes for The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. Monthly book club meetings and monthly nature walks featuring the Flora and Fauna of Central Florida. See Facebook and www.oaklandmanorhouse.com and livingwellrn.net. Bed and breakfast. 5 rooms available. Near West Orange Trail and Lake Apopka. .

Nice town worth swinging out of the way to visit. Lots of non chain coffee shops, and gift…read moreboutiques. Very nice hanging plants and path down the center of the main street. The highlight of the place was the Central Railroad Museum for me. I bought two book on Central Florida railroads, neither of which I had seen on Amazon. I just moved fairly near a former citrus line so the topic fascinates me. The Welcome center type place by the caboose was oddly not open at 3 in the afternoon, I was hoping to get books or reproduction postcards of the citrus industry.

It's a little crowed since Covid most of the main town has cut parking and added extra table for…read moreopen seating. Seems to make driving much more difficult. There already parking issues and now it's not better at all. So many things to do just lots of parking issue. NOTE: was informed there is a parking garage. I've only parked by the establishments.

Ocoee Lakeshore Center is a great venue for weddings and events. I attended a fundraiser for…read moreMatthew's Hope and was very impressed with the grounds and facility. The venue is located next to Starke Lake so the view is lovely. They recently completed a four million dollar renovation and it looks beautiful. There is built in audio visual and a huge lobby area where several bars can be set up for a reception area. The staff is friendly and the food was delicious.

So good! My husband and I both really enjoyed our visit immensely!…read more The margaritas are awesome. I tried the smoked margarita with strawberry and mango, and it was epically good. My husband said he enjoyed his regular margarita but he's ordering a smoked one next time too. So good! The food. Super good! We loved our guacamole flight (a novel idea and so delicious to try those variations!), and then we went to our main dishes. I love elotes, so I went with those plus empanadas. My husband had birria tacos with rice and refried beans. We were both very happy. This place is really neat with a day of the dead vibe. Very comfortable and good, fast service for our friendly server. All around a good experience. We will be back!

We tried Agave Bandido on a Saturday for a birthday celebration with a party of 16…read more Overall, it was a very good time. The ambiance and designs are amazing. We didn't have time to try the SpeakTiki. The service was very good with efficient and friendly servers. The drinks, apps, and entrees were mostly accurate and timely. There were a couple reasonable mix ups that were quickly resolved. During the ordering, there were a lot of distractions with the World Cup Soccer game playing. The food was good, but not above average overall. Four of us had the fish tacos and all agree were lacking an acceptable amount of fish. The taste was good, but the cabbage exceeded the amount of fish. The chimichangas had good reviews as well as the quesadillas, but most Mexican restaurants make them just as well. The one outstanding item was the Bandido Taco. Again, definitely not a lot of steak, but the flavor combination was fantastic! A bit pricey at $8 for one taco with no sides. The Winter Garden location isn't an area we would normally travel to, but given the average overall food quality, we will probably stick to closer Mexican restaurants.

Tanner Hall was absolutely beautiful. We payed for Tanner Hall from 5pm-11pm with then an hour…read moreincluded for cleanup after. We also rented Little Hall to use as a bridal suit from 3pm-11pm which also included an hour after for clean up. Kamilla Udit was the name of the person who always answered the emails with my questions. She was very fast to respond to all my questions. She sent a reminder the week that the layout was due for both venues, which leads me to my next point- As long as you give them the layout a week in advance they will set up all the chairs and tables where you want. They have plenty of chairs and tables for indoor seating. (We did have to rent chairs for outdoor seating for the ceremony itself.) When we arrived day of the setup was exactly what I had drawn out. They usually show Tanner Hall and Little Hall a couple times a week in the evening as long as there's no event happening. I emailed ahead a few times to make sure there was no event and got to tour both halls a few times. We also met with the DJ the week of at the venue. It was easy to gain access to in order to take photos and video so that everyone in the wedding party could see it ahead of time. The bathrooms were clean and had plenty of stalls. There's also plenty of normal parking and handicapped parking around the two halls. Tanner Hall itself is very pretty. The dance floor is in the middle and I really liked that because it made it easier for everyone to see the first dance and such. Best of all, you get to use your own venders, so we were able to pick our own catering. (A lot of venues make you use their official caterer and that price definitely adds up.) Overall it was a great experience. I'd HIGHLY recommend to anyone looking for a beautiful but cost effective venue. (This venue was by far the cheapest I found. A lot of venues cost my entire budget for the wedding.) The gazebo outside comes with the rental of Tanner Hall so that's where we held the ceremony. There's also a beautiful oak three that I was told some people use for the ceremony. We decided on the gazebo because there's a sidewalk leading up to it and I figured that would be easier for our grandparents to walk on during the procession in. I emailed ahead to ask if we could set up outside prior to our rental and was told that was fine, so we had the chairs for the ceremony delivered at 2pm. The ONLY bad mark for this place was the woman who was there day of to keep an eye on things. When the reception was over my husband and I left and a few members of my bridal party stayed to clean. We had things mostly cleaned by that point too. (We had a team of four people there during the reception that we paid to clean up trash as people finished eating and things of that nature.) So as some people left early that team of four cleaned up the tables and such. The gifts and a lot of other things were already packed up and ready to be moved to cars. The food was all collected and just needed to be loaded into a car. So for the most part, when we did the send-off, most of the venue was already clean. One of my bridesmaids told me that after we left the lady was yelling at people asking who was going to clean. The bridesmaid tried telling her that it was taken care of and she and a few others were going to clean the last of it, but the woman was still freaking out about who would clean and the deposit only gets returned if the place is cleaned. My bridesmaid also tried asking her a few times what all needed to be done for her to consider it "clean" because she wanted to know if they needed to vacuum or anything. But the woman just kept freaking out about who was cleaning. She even yelled at a random guest who was not part of the bridal party nor was responsible to clean after to start cleaning. And I was also told that she was mad at the DJ for using a room to store things in that he was told he was allowed to use. That's why I took off a few stars for professionalism. If my bridesmaid was clearly telling her that there was a plan for the cleaning, then there was no need to continue to yell at people (including guests) about it. With that in mind, that was really the only bad thing about this place. Overall I'd still recommend it to anyone who is looking to have a casual wedding. (My husband and I spent about $6500 on our entire wedding which we planned on/paid for things assuming there would be 100 guests.) So if you're in the area and want more than a court house wedding but less than some of those crazy $20K+ weddings, this venue is great. Outside is gorgeous for a ceremony and the venue interior is very nice. I'm honestly a little surprised that more people don't use it for weddings.

I finally got around to visiting PopStroke after receiving a gift certificate. The location offers…read moremore than just miniature golf. There is an ice cream shop and three different pub areas where visitors can enjoy beverages and pub food. There are activity areas that include a playground for younger children and another area with table tennis, foosball, and cornhole. Then there's the miniature golf area. Unlike "traditional" miniature golf courses filled with obstacles like windmills, the holes here are miniatures of actual golf courses. They have fairways, sand traps, and roughs. The fairways are not level; you have to plan for breaks. The course is automated. Each hole has an electric sign showing statistics for the hole such as its par, distance, and difficulty. It also displays the number of aces and the average number of strokes for the hole that day. There's an app that players can use to keep score that feeds the displays. There are two separate 18-hole courses. Players can order drinks while playing and have them delivered while playing. There are misting fans that provide a cool, refreshing breeze on hot summer days. Following play, I went into the air-conditioned pub. They have a decent selection of drinks and pub food. Their beer selection includes several draft, craft beers. I had a glass of mango wheat beer and a hummus platter. Both hit the spot on a hot summer day. Their printed menu does not have prices. However, there are little plaques that have a QR code to view the menu with prices. Play is not inexpensive. The fee to play is $25, but customers can play all day. There are packages that allow return visits over a period of time that are more economical. I visited late weekday mornings and was able to play uninhibited by others. I enjoyed my visit and will likely sign up for one of their packages that allows repeat visits.

July-2026 Update: Popstroke you have to do something about…read moreinconsiderate people cutting others on the courses. Today, not busy, and disrespectful (NOT teenagers) just cutting in between people on the holes. Should not be my responsibility (or risk) to say something. One more time and done with my pass. Get your customers under control.

A very nice Orlando craft beer brewery. I went on a Saturday afternoon for the 5pm tour. I came…read morevery early, so I took the Monk Shade Beer (about 6.25 dollars) before the tour started. It tasted sour, but pretty enjoyable. It had hints of mango and guava too. When the tour started, they mentioned it included a free beer, which the other guests took during the tour, but I decided to wait for my free beer after the tour. The tour of the brewery was quite informative, with our guide mentioning the process, the devices, history, and how they work with other independent breweries to partner and not compete. The only competition are the big ones like Anheuser, Coors, etc. The brewery area was small and the tour lasted 45 minutes, but very informative and interesting. After the tour, I tried a stronger beer called the McStagger, which was very good, smooth, and boozy. I was definitely happy! The tour was 10 bucks and well worth it. The staff are friendly, and they are happy to chat with other customers if they are not too busy. The drinking area has an ample amount of seats, with outdoor seating as well. It's quite lively, and there was a guitarist playing music as well. It's located at the Plant Street Market. Crooked Can serves great beer and has a very good tour for a wonderful price. The staff and atmosphere has great vibes, and I also enjoy the entertainment offered. It's not too far from parent's house, so I can definitely visit more and enjoy while I have food at the restaurants closeby. A great independent brewery in the Winter Garden area. Overall: A

Crooked Can Brewing Company is one of the best breweries in Central Florida and a true gem in…read morehistoric Winter Garden. The atmosphere is lively, welcoming, and perfect for everything from a casual afternoon with friends to a family outing. The craft beer selection is outstanding, with something for every taste--from crisp lagers and refreshing wheat beers to flavorful IPAs and seasonal specialties. What really makes this place special is its location inside Plant Street Market, where you can pair your favorite beer with an incredible variety of food from local vendors. The staff is always friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to recommend a brew based on your preferences. Whether you're a local or just visiting the area, Crooked Can is a must-stop destination. Great beer, amazing food, live music, and a fantastic community atmosphere make it a place you'll want to visit again and again. Highly recommended!

We had a great experience at Banana leaf. I appreciate that this isn't your typical hotel. They…read moreprovided everything we needed without providing and charging us for things we didn't need. The rooms were clean and cozy. We loved the ping pong/pool table and outside chill area. My only complaint is the use of single use plastics and nobody recycles around here.

From the owner: We are a beautiful short to midterm tropical-themed property that sits on 1.5 acre nestled in the…read moreheart of Orlando, Florida and less than 20 minutes from many of Orlando’s favorite and famous attractions. We offer fourteen individually furnished rooms in four contemporary styles. Banana Leaf Villa is a housing destination of choice for guests looking for short to midterm stays in Orlando. At Banana Leaf Villa we combine the comforts of home where our guests can escape the hustle and bustle of the day and indulge in serenity to relax and recharge.