So many cool choices of bars, restaurants, and local shops here in the Milk District! Lots of local…read moreflavors to indulge in and there is something for everyone. Divey bars to upscale cocktail restaurants. Otto's has a great happy hour, as does Milk House! Black Magic pizza is one of the best pizzas I've ever had. Need to try the Pho place next!! Classic Orlando neighborhood named after the TG Lee milk plant off bumby and Robinson! Come on over to the Milk District!

Today I had the pleasure of browsing around the milk mart for their holiday soirée, they have these…read moreevery now and again I did it go to one already around the Halloween time called their spooky soirée. So what the milk mart Consists of is a bunch of vendors and a bunch of local handmade gifts and what not. There were a couple ones that I recognized like fat ash bakes and there is a local girl that does magnets for the mills district she was there as well. However I think my favorite shop of the whole afternoon was a little booth called the shop of many things most of their art was either spooky or Christmasy they also had a whole collection of DND snails which I thought were absolutely adorable. They did have stickers for three dollars and he told me if I bought three stickers that the fourth one would be free so I thought that was really neat. I had a really great time today at the milk bar and saw all the vendors I only stayed for a couple of hours; but if you do you want to attend one of these in the future I definitely recommend coming at least an hour and a half early so you can find a spot to park- I had to park all the way over by colonial plaza near sprouts so it was about three blocks out. 10/10 Recommend the Milk District

To paraphrase Ricky from Trailer Park Boys: WestArt District used to be so f*ckin cool and now it's…read morebig time fucked up! Maybe I'd think this was better if I hadn't experienced the glory of WestArt in 2017 and didn't know it's now a shadow of it's former self. Maybe I'd give it more than 2 stars if they even allowed me onto their property to take photos on an overcast Saturday afternoon in February when half a dozen people were hanging out by somebody's car and nothing much at all seemed to be going on. I knew this place was too good to last. It was this total laissez-faire anti-elitist explosion of positive energy last time I was down in the City Beautiful. WestArt 2017 had highly detailed murals, abstracted conversation pieces, stencils, cartoon graffiti characters, wild style graffiti, more basic 2 or 3 color tags, hollows, throwies, Folk art, child-produced flowers and stuff. A wide variety of styles and skill levels was present. No wall was left plain and boring. A thousand wildflowers bloomed. Walls were painted and repainted and re-repainted. Even the ground was gradually getting painted up. The afternoon I was there the place was a beehive of activity. A couple of women barbequed chicken and were selling it for cheap. 2019 WestArt looks to have less than a dozen murals. (Hard to tell since I was quickly shooed out of the parking lot by a guy who, to his credit, clearly felt sheepish about the owner's directive.) Many walls are plain white, bearing only some spraypainted labels that read "no tagging". (Ironic, since this anti-graffiti graffiti technically counts as a tag itself.) Any graffiti-looking work is gone, apart from 2 well known character pieces. Rap letters have been hunted to extinction here. All the work looks to be technically proficient and alive with bright colors. And a mural of MLK is, well, pretty much immune from criticism. But there's just too much empty space these days. And it's damn sure in no way inviting like it used to be. I can't imagine people teaching kids how to paint here now. I've stayed in touch with the guy who used to run the place, so I had already gotten a heads up and didn't expect to just roll up and paint like before. But I thought I'd at least be able to walk around and take photos. I'm told most of this is due to the city. I imagine the old WestArt was too feral looking to certain people, and too much of an encouragement to go produce similiar looking work elsewhere around town. It's deeply disappointing but sadly understandable. I just hope this never happens at Recycle Here! and the Lincoln Street Art Park back home in Detroit.

Awesome art area about the size of a block with several warehouse type buildings all painted up…read more There's a fence around the entire thing so I don't know it's closed up or how to get in. I did see a gate you could probably push open that was unlocked but didn't want to chance it plus it was raining. Cool to drive by and look at though.

This is an area of Lake Eola that is located on the Rosalind Ave side of the park. It is close to…read morethe pedaling swan rentals, bathroom and a restaurant. People enjoy coming here and take pictures. Kids enjoy playing here over the muse. It is really cool to see them enjoy it. This is free of charge.

The Muse of Discovery is one of 9 sculptures that are part of See Art Orlando, a permanent…read morecontemporary collection of art that was unveiled by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the See Art Orlando Board of Directors on November 18, 2013. The art project was launched by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and art lover Jennifer Quigley. They hoped that adding public art to downtown Orlando would bring pride, boost the economy, and strengthen the city's cultural core. The Muse of Discovery is the lovely lady of Lake Eola. Of all the public art around Lake Eola, she is my favorite. You can find her at the front of Lake Eola on Rosalind Avenue between Washington and Robinson. The Muse of Discovery is sculpture made from earthwork and limestone that portrays a reclining woman gazing at her opened hand as a blanket of grass covers her body. Created by artist Meg White you are invited to "sit in the hand of the Muse and discover your hidden potential as she whispers to you." The sculpture is meant to evoke one of the ancient Muses of Greek myth, the goddesses of creativity. This sculpture was donated to the city by Wayne M Densch Charities. I love the interactive nature of this piece. You are invited to sit in the hand but if you ever visit in person, you will most likely see her with children dangling off every part of her. Everyone want their picture taken with The Muse. When you see a photo of the Muse of Discovery, it is instantly recognizable as downtown Orlando, Florida.

What a quaint little area located near Lake Eola…read more Free 2 hour parking Lots of mom & pop restaurants & bars They even have a local psychic ready to tell you your future and clear your cluttered chakras:) Oh, and let's not forget a laundromat! ~ and that's all I have to say about that...

A very nice neighborhood in downtown Orlando and close to Lake Eola. I went for a food event…read moreyesterday. The blocked the main square due to the event, so it was a bit difficult to find parking. I was able to get parking within walking distance for 10 dollars. I loved the nice shops, bars, and restaurants inside. The small fountain in the center in a very touch, and quite relaxing. My favorite restaurants there include Jinya, and F&D Cantina. There is a parking garage as well, but it can get expensive. If you plan on eating in downtown Orlando, this is one of the nicer areas to be in. Walking in the street is pretty safe, even at night. And since it's close to Lake Eola, you take a short walk over there and enjoy a lap around the park. Definitely a nice area worth visiting. Overall: B+

5 stars because Orlando Soup is a great way help different community projects in Orlando. For a…read moredonation of $10 you receive bread, salad and a bowl of soup. How it works, you listen to 4 different presentations about things happening in and around the Orlando area and how hey will use the funds for their projects if the win the final vote. That evening we had the pleasure of listening to 4 great projects: - Game changer: helping kids break out of their shells through gaming and educational curriculum - the dinner party project:bringing people from Orlando from different backgrounds around the dinner table for great conversations - source codeb46 foundation: building children self confidence through software coding and story telling - explore theater and dance company: allowing community members to participate in the creative production process. The presentations were not very long giving us the audience a chance to ask questions on what they will do with the donation. It was very moving to see how every presenter was passionate about their project. After listening to the presentation we cast a vote on the project we think can benefit from the donation. Basically, a percentage of your $10.00 will go to the project that gets the most votes. This was an overall very inspiring evening and would urge people of Orlando to attend Orlando Soup so they can find out what is going on in our community.

This is what community is about and why I adore Orlando so much…read more Ask yourself: What project could you do with $500-800 to make your community better? That is what these presenters answer while you sit back and decide where your donation for the evening should go! How cool? That's right. For a donation of $10, attendees receive soup, salad and bread and then choose where most of their donation goes! So this is not a profit maker for Orlando SOUP, the profits go to feeding everyone during the event and then to the ideas! Even the planning team for the event is donating their time. How cool? What a beautiful concept. I am so happy I got to attend an Orlando SOUP night last evening. It was the 3rd installment of the fabulous series that is based off the successful Detroit SOUP: a micro-granting dinner celebrating and supporting creative community improvement projects for the city. Before dinner is served, attendees will listen to four short community project proposals covering a range of topics such as art, urban agriculture, social justice, social entrepreneurship, education, technology, and more. What is a city improvement project? We last night it consisted of: - Buy Local Orlando: Food Edition - guide that promotes local farmers, local markets, etc. I like the idea of having a highly concentrated guide but in reality, I use Yelp for this - but love the idea and that people want to push local love. - Portable urban food forest (P.U.F.F.) - to assist with the fast traffic along Corrine Dr. in Audubon Park, it's proven that visual distractions automatically make people drive slower. The idea was to fill the back of a trailer bed with a green sanctuary, compost bin, bird feeder, etc. Then, park it in a spot that would be visually appealing and a smart spot to help with a blind spot when exiting one of the shopping centers. ACE Day (achieve a college education day) - To help assist with getting 500 5th graders a chance to tour UCF as their field trip for an interactive day of fun with students, faculty, and campus life. Currently, the higher education trips are non-existent and they go to the local prison during their "field trip" to see where they shouldn't end up. So sad. Ride around the town: Fixit Orlando - With the new bike share program, this group would like to add a self-repair bike station at lake eola. It was so cool to see how everyone presented as they only had 4 minutes and were not allowed to use technology. Some had passionate stories, some had amazing creative visuals. Really inspiring overall. During dinner, attendees cast a vote for their favorite project and, at the end of the night, the project that receives the most votes is funded by a % from each attendees' donation. Winners will appear at future SOUP dinners to report their project's progress. I did appreciate hearing updates from the two previous Orlando SOUP winners. So happy to see so much positive, local, movements happening. Props to everyone who organizes this, presents their ideas, and attends. Such a fabulous cause! Props.

SoDo, which is short for south of downtown (SOuth of DOwntown), has grown and has become a vibrant…read morepart of the geographical area known as Orlando, Florida. As implied by the name, SODO is just south of downtown Orlando. SoDo has some interesting restaurants and the usual assortment of shopping. Target immediately comes to mind for the shopping. SoDo has become a somewhat trendy area and continues to grow and improve. It still is centered around the hospital, which is understandable. All in all, I would definitely recommend a visit here.

23/365 Sodo is still an up and coming area with a frequently changing landscape. There are a few…read morestaple places like Super Target, a large and double drive thru McDonald's, and of course the hospital. In the main area of the Sodo plaza the stores have changed hands a few times. There's everything from a Mexican cantina to a TJ Maxx. We frequent the Massage Envy on site there since it's our closest location to home. There are still several store fronts that need to be filled but given the area growth rate I don't think they'll stay empty forever. Here's hoping they add a Home Goods or Michael's. ;) Parking is a bit of an issue since it's limited spaces on the main entry area. Super Target does have a huge parking garage, but it's a hike to some of the stores if you park there. Overall: A- An up and coming area with great promise. Here's hoping it grows!

Belle Isle is a smaller community in the Orlando, Florida area. It is not far from the Orlando…read moreairport and is a nicer and more established community with nice homes and just far enough away from everything to give a small community feel to it while being close enough to everything to make it convenient. I have always liked Belle Isle. It has a great vibe and it has a great overall feel to it.

Union is one of 9 sculptures that are part of See Art Orlando, a permanent contemporary collection…read moreof art that was unveiled by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the See Art Orlando Board of Directors on November 18, 2013. The art project was launched by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and art lover Jennifer Quigley. They hoped that adding public art to downtown Orlando would bring pride, boost the economy, and strengthen the city's cultural core. The art is mainly displayed around Lake Eola. Union is located at Robinson Street and Eola Drive in Lake Eola Park. Union #2 was gifted to the city by the Harvey and Carol Massey Family. Union was created by sculptor, Ralfonso who is world famous for his kinetic, light, and interactive sculptures. Union #1, #3, and #4 are located throughout China. Ralfonso has been designing environmentally interactive art since 1980 and since 1999 he has been concentrating solely on kinetic and light sculptures for public places from his studios in West Palm Beach, Florida and Geneva, Switzerland. Once you see Ralfonso work you will know it. I instantly recognized Union because I had already visited a piece that looks very similar called Reflections that Ralfonso made as part of a 1.15 million dollar art project to create kinetic and interactive art to bring cultural tourism to Boynton Beach. Union is a group of six wind driven 25-feet tall steel aluminum poles with 30 curved wings at the top that move and reflect light. It is made out of mirrored polished stainless steel. The sculpture has programmable RGB LEDs, Hourly Light Chime, and is synchronized to the City Color Program. I love the height, movement, and drama of this piece. It is always different depending on the environment. It is so fun to explore and try to find all of See Art Orlando's pieces.

This particular piece of art is located on the edge of Lake Eola Park and just across the street…read morefrom the Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company. A little bit more clarification is that it sits on the corner of Robinson Street and Eola Drive. Lake Eola park has a lot of public art. These displays of public art help to give a community a sense of personality. I also firmly believe that these particular pieces of art will stand out in memories a people who grew up here in Orlando. The interpretation of art is left to each person who looks at it. For me, this particular piece looks towards the future and what our evolution can look like. If you are in Lake Eola Park, come check this piece out. See what it says to you. Art teaches us to look inward, it teaches us also to look outward at the world around us.

Wow, wow, wow, wow! Now one of our top 5 favorite restaurants for many reasons. Just walking up…read moreto this restaurant the outside area is very pretty and inviting. Since it was super hot that day we ate inside. Again blown away but how pretty it was. Every table had a candle on it and every table was set up with a beautiful napkin and plates. Here's one of the best parts, they did not seat us on top of other guests. All patrons were spread out. I absolutely hate (and it happens all the time) when there's 40 tables open and they put all of the customers at 4 tables right next to each other. I know it seems minimal but to me it's not. Now to the food. Lordy, lordy it was top notch. We started off with their meatballs which were tender and light. Then I got cacio de peppe and we got shrimp scampi. Both were a top 10! We will definitely be back. It's a good 1 hour drive for us but we'll worth the ride.

My husband and I went to F&D on a date night. He had heard amazing things about the restaurant and…read moreso we decided to try it. We showed up around 4 PM hoping the World Cup game was on and sure enough, we were able to snag a seat at the bar and watch it. We were greeted by Ginger, a really welcoming and knowledgeable bartender. She poured us some drinks which consisted of beer and an espresso martini. Since we were new, she gave us some time to look over the menu and settle in. We started off with the mussels. Unbeknownst to us, they were probably the best mussels we had ever had. They came out on a cast-iron skillet sizzling with a butter sauce. For our main meal, we ordered the chicken piccata and the queen bee pizza. We absolutely loved both. We were stuffed to the brim, but kept packing more in! I ate my body weight in food. We are so excited to go back and bring our family and friends.

Taft, Florida is a small, unincorporated area south of Orlando in Orange County, Florida. It was…read morenames because President Taft drove through the area on a train. Let me be clear, President Taft never stops, he just passed through. However, the people in this area obviously thought very highly of that and decided to name their community after the president.