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"

On a Thursday afternoon before meeting my friend for dinner at Thornton Park, I wanted to get a…read morelittle exercise in and had always noticed a cute walking trail near this brick road that I take to get to Thornton. This little park/ trail is Lake Lawsona Park and it is very cute! It's really just a sidewalk around the lake but it's extremely clean and safe. There are benches throughout and the view of the water is pretty especially in the evening when the sun is setting. I enjoyed doing a couple laps around the water and soaking in the beautiful night. The lake scenery is nice as well as the houses on Jacksons Street and Thornton Ave. I'm not sure about the safety at night, but during the day I would say this is a pretty place to come take a walk if you're in the Thornton Park area!

A small park in an area that has many parks, but it is still an enjoyable park to walk around and…read morethe lake though small is cool enough.

Lovely paved path around two lakes in downtown Orlando, just south of the 408 off Mills. Great for…read morean after lunch stroll. Well maintained

Greenwood Urban Wetlands is a 19 acre nature park in Orlando. It lies on the west side of Greenwood…read moreCemetery which was established in 1880 and is where many of Orlando's notables and pioneers lie at rest. The wetlands were created in 1991 between the Lake Davis and Lake Como neighborhoods as a stormwater treatment facility to handle the water run off. While the main purpose of the park is to clean the reclaimed water, a welcome byproduct of that is that it attracts a lot of wildlife. Wetland parks are some of my favorite kind of parks because they attract a variety of wildlife including wading birds, migrating birds, lizards, turtles, and alligators. At the entrance to the park is a community garden and Little Library. My favorite part of the park is the 0.7-mile loop trail surrounding Lake Greenwood that takes approximately 13 min to complete. This trail is great for hiking and walking. Along the way you will pass cypress trees, cross two bridges, and see a variety of birds enjoying the lake. Animals that have been spotted here include blue jays, ducks, barn owls, and red wing blackbirds. During my visit I saw a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret along with ducks. The scenery during my walk was stunning. I saw a number of people reading, playing with their kids, and exercising. This is an ideal place to practice your photography, bird, watch, and have a picnic. This is such a wonderful natural resource for the city of Orlando and I loved my visit.

Peaceful park amongst the busyness of downtown. Swing by here to find your calm, and enjoy a short…read morewalk in the park or even hang out in the grassy area by the seemingly humongous trees! There's also a dog park adjacent to it.

I like to go downtown on the weekends, and sometimes I bring my pug and this park is such a nice…read moreplace for him to run, when I go there there is usually one of two other dogs, and we have a good time. Also the part of the the park outside the dog park, it's so nice to hang out and it has several big majestic trees, the place is always well kept and so close to lake Eola.

I booked the 10 pm bioluminescence kayak tour on Merritt island…read more They had different options available on-site of clear 2 people transparent Kayaks, also on person transparent single Kayaks. It was easy to see the company truck by the launching area on the on the Indian river lagoon. There were life vest and small lights for us to be able to see the other members of the group while paddling in the dark. We paddled to horseshoe crab island and got to see dolphins a couple of times. Overall is pretty dark so mostly you see them around. Our guide was Jordan. He was great! We could not have asked for a better guide. He gave us instructions on how to stay safe, and what to expect during the tour. He also worked hard to communicate with the group while in the water, and made sure that the group stayed together the whole time. He has the right personality for the job making our experience easy and fun. We could see the bioluminescence phenomenon what was pretty incredible. I wish we could have Good pictures of it but unfortunately they don't turn out good. Bring bug spray ! Lots of mosquitos!

We did the 10 p.m. bioluminescence clear kayak tour, and OMG... I loved it so much! The first time…read moreI ever saw bioluminescence was in Puerto Rico back in 2018, and it's still one of the most beautiful nighttime experiences I've ever had--right up there with seeing the Northern Lights. There's just something so magical about watching the water glow around you. We drove about 50 minutes from Orlando to Merritt Island for the tour, where we launched from the Indian River Lagoon, and it was absolutely worth it. This is one of those experiences that's really hit or miss, so keep in mind that the amount of bioluminescence you see isn't something the tour company can control. We got lucky because there was so much activity that night! We actually didn't kayak very far since the bioluminescence was so active right near the shoreline. We spent most of our time enjoying it from that area because there was no need to go much farther. Also, don't expect your phone camera to do it justice. It's incredibly hard to capture on camera, and it's so much more breathtaking in person. I highly recommend this experience to everyone, and I already can't wait to do it again!

I stumbled upon this park while walking another park literally across the street. Orlando has a lot…read moreof great parks, something larger ones and others, like this, that are meant to serve a neighborhood. Lake Cherokee Park does a fine example of a park that serves its neighborhood.

I grew up in this area and have enjoyed the parks for many, many years. Lake Cherokee Park is one…read moreof favorites. This park is clean, peaceful and beautiful. It is open from sunrise to sunset. I have spent many hours here and enjoy myself immensely each time. I always walk away refreshed and happy. Street parking surrounds the park. There are benches surrounding the lake where you can relax and enjoy the calmness of the water. The walking path around the lake is perfect for a gentle stroll or run with your dog. The lake is home to ducks swans, birds and other wild life that is enjoyable to watch. The grassy area of Lake Cherokee Park is a great place for a picnic, yoga or to lay out a blanket and read a book.

We went to Orlando before our cruise specifically to use the swan boat voucher we won. Upon…read morearriving, there was some stormy weather, so they were temporarily shut down. While we waited for them to reopen, we enjoyed a stop at the bar right across the way. Once the weather cleared, which took a little longer than we expected, we headed back over. The staff was really nice and made sure we were able to get right on the water. They allow you to go out for 30 minutes, which was definitely quite the workout! I really enjoyed seeing all the different Florida birds while we paddled around. I also thought it was super cute that the boats have little umbrellas over them, which definitely helps with the Florida heat. We highly recommend choosing a cloudy day to make the most of the experience. There's also a back seat on the boats, so if you have kids with you, no worries. I was extra excited that we got the golden boat! If you're near the area, we highly recommend this experience if you want to enjoy nature and see some really cool birds. They also have a wheelchair accessible boat! : )

This was fun! First…read moreoff 15 dollars for 30 minutes on a little swan boat already isn't so bad, but I did get the Groupon for this so my ticket was only 9 dollars! 4 people in a boat for 30 minutes. It was fast. It was fun and pedaling made it all more exciting! You can either cruise and let the wind take you wherever or you can pedal and go across the lake or any destination really. The staff was kind and we were lucky that the weather was on our side. Wasn't too sunny and it didn't rain. Beautiful views and a fun time with my group!

We tried the Rock Springs kayaking tour with Get Up And Go Kayaking a couple of weeks ago and the…read moreexperience was quite interesting. Let's start by saying that you should make sure you are scheduling for the right location as sending someone the direct link may still send them to a different location, as with our experience. I sent my beautiful partner the link to Rock Springs (Rock springs was literally in the URL), but it sent her to Silver Springs. We didn't notice until the trip was booked (less than 10 minutes later) and tried to contact the office to see if we can be transferred over to Rock Springs or if they could cancel the booking since it was literally minutes ago. Unfortunately, we didn't think we would need the trip protection add-on for something like this, but we were told we can only reschedule at the same location because we didn't purchase it... The funny thing is that the Rock Springs option didn't even show up for her when she was trying to rebook, but it did show up for me. Anyways, it's just something I highly suggest you pay attention to. Unpleasant booking issue aside, since we did have to book and pay again for this trip, the tour was pretty good. Our guide was Meagan, who was great. She was also accompanied by a guide who was transferring over to this location who was also helpful. First off, let me say if you have never done a two person tandem kayak before, it can be a little difficult to get in sync and start making progress. We did however get into the groove after the first stop upstream, and after that, the trip was fun and full of sights. The paddling up stream is a bit of a work out, so be prepared for that. You will stop at multiple scenic spots to snap some pictures on the way. I guess we were lucky to take the last tour of the day, as there wasn't a ridiculous amount of people going either way. Once you get to the end of the upstream paddle, the ride back is a breeze. You just have to figure out how to steer and to back paddle to slow down. You can get some really good pictures and take in the scenic views during this time since you don't need to paddle against the current. Our guide took some nice pictures and videos of us and provided them to us at the end of our trip. The initial part of the trip can be difficult, but if you work through it and figure things out, the tour was enjoyable.

Another beautiful experience. Our guide Megan was excellent. Super friendly, engaged, and most…read moreimportantly knowledgeable. The only downfall for us was that we were expecting a crystal blue water experience for at least half of the kayak tour. It was more so towards the end of the other than that we got a great workout in. Be sure to complete the tour to the end. The commute returning requires far less work. We were able to relax and take in the scenery more on the way back. Be prepared to put in some muscle work.

Mount Dora Boat Center is perfect for renting a boat and going exploring the Harris Chain of Lakes…read more They offer friendly, fast service with clean and modern boat choices. Rates are fair and you will have an amazing day viewing wildlife and cruising the canal!

Mount Dora has a lovely marina where you can rent boats and more. Their shop is small but offers…read moreall the essentials as well as a restroom. We enjoyed doing the CatBoat Adventure Tour that left from the marina.