Day Trips T
ravel … we hardly knew ye? The concept of a spontaneous weekend getaway got stomped by the pandemic; now it feels like the equivalent of moving house, what with the herculean level of pre-planning and reservation-wrangling. And yet, we in Central Florida are blessed by our, well, centrality in the nation’s most tourist-centric state, and thus we have access to a number of charming yet low-impact destinations. Here are 10 prime spots that require only you gas up the flivver.
DEL AND DeLand is just so damn charming, and it makes you feel like you’ve ventured “a ways up north,” while only requiring a quick burst eastward on I-4. The handful of gently rolling hills never cease to soothe, and the downtown area is the golden mean of “fetching” and “happening.” Plenty of great shops to hop in and out of; dining/drinking stops like Cress (103 W. Indiana Ave.), Cafe DaVinci (112 W. Georgia Ave.) and Persimmon Hollow Brewing (111 W. Georgia Ave.); and a surprisingly good art museum to boot.
GAINESVILLE Head up I-75 and take in the delights of the home of the Florida Gators. Rest assured, there’s way more to this town than just predictable college trappings. The main street downtown houses fantastic food spots like Flaco’s (200 W. University Ave.), bars like the Dime (4 E. University Ave.), or hybrids of both like the Top (30 N. Main St.). Thusly sated, you should perhaps head over to the Florida Museum of Natural History (3215 Hull Road), or if you want to get truly wild there’s the truly amazing Paynes Prairie (100 Savannah Blvd.) nearby, where you may hobnob with actual, literal American bison and wild horses.
MOUNT DORA Despite a reputation as a quieter burg (as if that’s a bad thing these days, sayeth our blood pressure), a quick trip up 441 to Mount Dora could land you a packed itinerary. You must visit the Mount Dora Flea Market and Renninger’s Antique Center (20651 U.S. Highway 441), no question — the sprawling markets will yield a unique
treasure or three. After that, hit the quaint downtown for an old-timey stroll. You’ll no doubt be hungry and thirsty after this expedition, so hit up Backhaus German Bakery (2355 W. Old U.S. Highway 441), 1921 Mount Dora (142 E. Fourth Ave.) or Pisces Rising (239 W. Fourth Ave.). Annual events like the Festival of Arts & Crafts and the Blueberry Fest make a trip even more mandatory.
TA M P A / S T. P E T E OK, so maybe the trek to Tampa Bay can be a little stressful if you time it wrong, but it’s more than worth it. This is an area on a roll: Super Bowl champs, Stanley Cup champs, St. Pete Beach was even named the Best Beach in America by TripAdvisor. Downtown St. Pete, Ybor City and Seminole Heights in Tampa are each worth individual trips in their own right, with a wealth of small businesses and delicious vittles and potables. The historic Tampa Theatre (711 N. Franklin St.) just started showing films again, Armature Works (1910 N. Ola Ave.) is cleaning up, and for our money you’d be hard-pressed to find a better record store in Florida than Steelworker (708 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.).
JACKSONVILLE Jacksonville has come a long way from the overpowering smell of paper mills by the St. Johns River. “The bold new city of the South” now has a solid backbone of independent spots that make the somewhat harrowing trek up I-95 worth it. No stop in Jax is complete without a visit to either location (or both!) of Chamblin’s Book Mine. The overstuffed used-book empire is an absolute treasure of the state, and the downtown location (215 N. Laura St.)
includes a cafe with great coffee and vegetarian options. If you’re already downtown, stop by the Museum of Contemporary Art (333 N. Laura St.) or the nearby Cummer Museum in Riverside (829 Riverside Ave.). From there you can either check out the laidback Jax Beach area, or settle into the more hip neighborhoods of Riverside, Avondale and San Marco.
S T. A U G U S T I N E Possibly hot (or at least above roomtemp) take: St. Augustine beats out Daytona in the Central/North Florida beach stakes. A little closer on the I-95 run northward than Jacksonville, St. Augustine mixes the beach experience with a deep sense of history that is hard to match. Mandatory non-sandy sites include the Castillo de San Marcos (1 S. Castillo Drive) and the Fountain of Youth (11 Magnolia Ave.). Make sure to spend some time downtown, either taking it all in with a trolley ride or hoofing it. Don’t miss Tonevendor Records (81 King St.), the Ice Plant (110 Riberia St.) or — we promise — the delightful oddity of Potter’s Wax Museum (31 Orange St.).
WINTER GARDEN Tucked away in the western side of Orange County, just a mere 14 miles from downtown Orlando, is Winter Garden, offering a throwback oasis of calm from the hustle and bustle of the City Beautiful. The historic downtown strip is abuzz with activity and unique vendors and restaurants, and on Saturdays there’s the added attraction of the very good Winter Garden Farmers Market. To get your cultural fix, take in a show at the Garden Theatre (160 W. Plant St.), which is going full steam ahead with a season heavy on classic productions. Make sure you stop at the French Café (16412 New Independence Parkway) for some truly magnificent pastries.
NEW SMYRNA TripAdvisor aside, the winner of the “Best Beach” in our 2020 Best of Orlando readers’ poll, New Smyrna, offers sandy thrills aplenty without the sometimes over-exuberant revelry of Daytona Beach. And it’s just a quick hop
up I-4 and then over to the east coast. Not only can you have a “beach day” with a better-than-average chance of peace and quiet, you can flip the script completely and check out the boundarypushing gem that is the Atlantic Center for the Arts (1414 Art Center Ave.). The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum (4931 S. Peninsula Drive) is also a great outing if you want to keep your trip more exclusively “beachy” and maritime. Of course, make sure to pop in to JB’s Fish Camp & Restaurant (859 Pompano Ave.) for a delicious taste of Old Florida.
WEEKI WACHEE You have to do this. No question. If you want — and you should — to take a trip back in time to the days before Disney dominated the Florida landscape, Weeki Wachee offers timeless and time-tested thrills. The Weeki Wachee Springs State Park (131 Commercial Way) has finally reopened after a prudent period of closed doors during the pandemic. This park is steeped in Old-Florida gimmickry, and it holds up! Mermaid shows throughout the day are much the same as they were in the 1940s, with some freshening-up of the music and costumes, but the focus is still on the classic underwater choreography. Other than that, you can while away the day walking the grounds, availing yourself of the small water park, and taking a glass-bottom boat ride. You could also take in a meal at some of the local seafood emporia, but this is very much a mermaid-focused excursion.
S A R A SOTA This Gulf Coast city just beyond Tampa Bay is a fabulous road-trip destination if you want a completely unique vibe, but one weekend day is all you can manage. Sarasota is home to a busy local arts scene, and how could it not, given that the Ringling College of Art and Design (2700 N. Tamiami Trail) is also in the city limits? Speaking of Ringling, please don’t miss the chance to scope out the Ringling Circus Museum (5401 Bay Shore Road). Sarasota has your choices of beaches to soak up some Vitamin D, and after that, patronize some local restaurants like C’est La Vie (1553 Main St.) for French cuisine or Five-O Donut Co. (2241 Ringling Blvd.) for “arrestingly good donuts.” Happy driving!
orlandoweekly.com ● City Guide 2021
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