Orlando - Lifestyle & Culture
Beyond the full-on tourist frenzy of its suburb, International Drive, Orlando is a real, working city with a mature, easy-going character. The city’s proud of its heritage and comprehensive range of arts, culture and leisure facilities. It’s a sizeable place, and you’d be well to invest in a map and plan your route through its many neighbourhoods – especially in the heat of another Florida day. The city’s best attraction though, is its location – slap bang in the centre of Florida’s world-famous theme parks and an easy couple of hours away from the beaches of the coast.
That’s why the city – with a population of less than 200,000 – has the second highest number of hotel bedrooms (just behind Las Vegas) in the US. The city’s downtown area is where you’re best starting any Orlando adventure and it’s here you’ll find the city’s museums, galleries and heritage trails.
Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) 2416 N. Mills Ave
An excellent small museum of real interest to art lovers, the gallery was founded in 1924, its aim of "collecting, preserving and interpreting notable works of art" as strong today as ever. The trim collection comprises sculpture, art and photography dating back to the 19th century and while the pieces are strong on local artists, there are some internationally significant works here too.
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, 445 North Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789
The centrepiece of the Morse Museum is the collection of works of Louis Comfort Tiffany. The museum's Tiffany collection includes fine examples of his delicate designs in glass and ceramics. Its American Art Pottery collection is the best in the South, with over 800 examples.
Orange County Regional History Center, 65 East Central Boulevard, Orlando, Florida
This museum covers the history of Orlando and central Florida and includes artifacts that – perhaps surprisingly - date back to prehistory, such as prehistoric carving blades, continuing its timeline all the way to a remarkably British-looking Victorian parlour.