14 minute read
Spring Guide
Our guide to the best reasons to leave the house before heat and humidity begin to smother us all
BY MELISSA PEREZ CARRILLO
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Every year our Summer Guide gets the lion’s share of our outdoorsy picks and recommendations, but the truth is, spring is the best season to get outside. Whether it’s strolling around an art fair while getting to show off a cool-weather fit or taking a walk/ride through our gorgeous nature preserves without being eaten by insects and slathered in sweat, spring temperatures make everything easier. Here’s our list of the best reasons to leave the house this spring, from festivals to favorite hikes.
FESTIVALS
Through Sunday, Feb. 27
Bach Festival
The festival will feature works from Bach and Mozart, guest soloists accompanying the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra, and master classes from talented musicians. Various locations and times, bachfestivalflorida.org, $30$75
Through Monday, Feb. 28
WUCF Kindness Month
Participants can learn about ways to be a caring neighbor with WUCF’s Kindness Kit activities and virtual events. Online, 407-823-8900, wucf.org, free
Thursday, Feb. 17
9th Annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
Harbor House of Central Florida hosts the ninth annual WAM. Key community leaders (men and women) strap on their high heels and parade through downtown Orlando. 6 p.m., Orange County Courthouse, 425 N. Orange Ave, harborhousefl.com/walkamile, $25-$35
Saturday, Feb. 19
HeART & Soul: A Celebration of Black Culture
The spiffy new Winter Park Library hosts a celebration of Black culture and community with music, spoken word, dance and art. 2 p.m., Winter Park Library, 1052 W. Morse Blvd., Winter Park, cityofwinterpark.org, free
Saturday, Feb. 19
Mount Dora Scottish Highland Festival
Celtic music, dancing, a Scottish re-enactment village, vendors, beverages and all the bagpipes you can eat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Donnelly Park, North Baker Street and East Fifth Avenue, Mount Dora, mountdorascot.com, $10
Saturday, Feb. 19
Orlando Fight for Air Climb
Climb 1,000 steps to help raise funds to fight lung disease. Featuring one-of-a-kind views of the city skyline, Exploria Stadium is the setting for a day of challenge and camaraderie. 8 a.m., Exploria Stadium, 655 W. Church St., action.lung.org, $35
Sunday, Feb. 20
April Brown
Explore the rich history and far-reaching influence of African American music from across the diaspora. Same root, different fruit. 7:30 p.m., Timucua Arts Foundation, 2000 S. Summerlin Ave., timucua.com, $20 suggested donation
Thursday, Feb. 24
The Jewish Pavilion Fashion Show
Enjoy a morning of refreshments and live entertainment, followed by shopping for the stylish onstage ensembles, with retail proceeds going toto serve seniors in elder-care communities. 9:30 a.m., Altamonte Mall, 451 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, jewishpavilion.org/fashionshow-2021, $25
Thursday, Feb. 24-Sunday, Feb. 27
Dirtybird CampInn
When a music festival and a resort collide, you get the Dirtybird CampInn. Expect nonstop music and DJs, pool games, brunch with beats and a mobile DJ cart that shifts around the resort. Wyndham Orlando Resort, 8001 International Drive, dirtybirdrecords.com, $200-$300
Friday, Feb. 25
Whiskey Business
Sip on some whisky while sampling dishes from Bulla Gastrobar and Jimmy Hula’s. Whisky, bourbon and rye will range from local distilleries to single malts from Scotland. 6 p.m., Cheyenne Saloon, 128 W. Church St., whiskeybusinessorlando.com, $62.35
Saturday, Feb. 26
Mardi Gras 2022 German Style
Enjoy a fun-filled evening complete with dinner, drinks, a costume contest, and music by the Europa Band. 5 p.m., German American Society of Central Florida, 381 Orange Lane, Casselberry, orlandogermanclub.com, $10-$23
Saturday, Feb. 26
Oviedo Mardi Gras
Center Lake Park hosts an evening of Cajun and Creole cuisine, specialty vendors and live entertainment, plus a variety of New Orleans-style performers and live music. 2 p.m., Oviedo Amphitheatre & Cultural Center, 299 Center Lake Lane, Oviedo, free-$10
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Sunday, Feb. 27
Joy-Filled Noise: A Musical Celebration of Black History
Music director Kevin Harris leads a vocal and instrumental ensemble of some of the region’s top talent in a survey of Black American music, from the South African hymn “Siyahamba” to African American spirituals, jazz, blues and gospel songs old and new. 7:30 p.m., Timucua Arts Foundation, 2000 S. Summerlin Ave., $20 suggested donation
Wednesday-Sunday, March 2-6
Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
Tame Impala, Megan Thee Stallion and Flying Lotus headline the festival. Take a break from the music to visit the yoga center, a healing sanctuary and an art gallery. Sunshine Grove, 12517 NE 91 Ave., Okeechobee, okeechobeefest.com, $309$3,500
March 3-13
Central Florida Fair
If carnival rides aren’t your thing, check out the outdoor market, livestock competition or rotating concerts. (Pssst: Make sure you try the deep-fried cheesecake.) Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 W. Colonial Drive, centralfloridafair.com, $10-$110
March 3-13
Florida Strawberry Festival
Expect carnival rides and musical performances from the Beach Boys, Boyz II Men and Nelly. Of course, there will be strawberry-filled foods aplenty, including a strawberry lemon ricotta funnel cake, strawberry pickles and a strawberry ice cream sandwich. 303 Berryfest Place, Plant City, flstrawberryfestival.com, $4-$55
Saturday, March 5
The Orange County UF/IFAS garden festival and plant sale is fun for the whole green-thumbed family. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Orange County Extension Office, 6021 S. Conway Road, blogs.ifas.ufl.edu, free
Sunday, March 6
8th Annual It’s Just Yoga Health & Fitness Festival
“It’s Just Yoga” festivals are for yogis of all experience levels, ages, shapes and sizes. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Lake Eola Park, North Eola Drive and East Robinson Street, ijyconnects. com, free
Sunday, March 6
Kiwi Swap Meet
Buy/sell/trade event featuring multiple vendors with pre-owned film and digital cameras, lenses and photo equipment. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Kiwi Camera Service, 542 Virginia Drive, facebook.com/ kiwicameraservice, free
Saturday, March 12
Collective Corner Pop-up Market
Bringing together 40 vendors offering an array of locally made goods, vintage home decor, furniture, plants and many more curated items. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Gaston Edwards Park, 1236 N. Orange Ave., facebook.com/collectivecornerfl, free
Friday-Sunday, March 18-20
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
The festival is one of the country’s oldest and largest outdoor festivals, and it’s filled with artists working in various mediums including clay, digital art, jewelry and more. Central Park, North Park Avenue and West Morse Boulevard, Winter Park, wpsaf.org, free
Saturday, March 19
Kodak Black Live Orlando Spring Break Festival
Florida-grown rapper Kodak Black will make his way to Orlando to celebrate spring break in style. Other performers include Skinny Fabulous, Kai, Klass and Charly Black. 3 p.m., Tinker Field, 287 S. Tampa Ave., livenation.com, $50-$225
Saturday-Sunday, March 19-20
Mount Dora Spring Festival of Arts and Crafts
Shop till you drop. Downtown Mount Dora, 230 W. Fourth Ave., Mount Dora, mountdoraspringfest.com, free
Friday-Sunday, March 25-27
UpTown Art Expo
Celebrate art and music at the 9th annual expo featuring professional arts and crafts vendors, masterpieces of sidewalk chalk art, and performances by members of Pat Travers Band, Sister Hazel and Chicago. Free parking in the Altamonte Mall parking lot. Cranes Roost Park, 274 Cranes Roost Blvd., Altamonte Springs, uptownartexpo. com, free-$15
Saturday, March 26
Florida Wildflower & Garden Festival
A garden festival featuring vendors and educational programs with an emphasis on wildflowers and native plants. 9 a.m.3 p.m., Downtown DeLand, Indiana Avenue and South Woodland Boulevard, floridawildflowerfestival.com, free
Saturday, March 26
Smile Mile
A one-mile race for children between the ages of 5 and 11. Runners receive a bib, T-shirt and finisher medal. 8 a.m., Lake Baldwin Upper Park, Upper Park Road and South Lakemont Avenue, trackshack.com, $8-$11
Saturday-Sunday, March 26-27
Longwood Pirate Seafood Festival
Seafood, pirates, mermaids and more, with food vendors and family fun kids zone. Reiter Park, 301 W. Warren Ave., Longwood, longwoodfestival. com, free
April 6-20
Orlando Taco Week
All the $5 tacos you can handle from a variety of Orlando restaurants! Participants include Tako Cheena, MX Taco, Taqueria Las Cazuelas and more. Make sure you get your passport stamped when visiting restaurants to win prizes. Multiple locations, orlandotacoweek.com
April 8-17
Florida Film Festival
The festival returns to the lush Enzian, where refreshing cocktails and snacks are available. More details on this year’s program are coming soon. Enzian Theater, 1300 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland, floridafilmfestival.com, $12-$1500
Saturday, April 16
Mount Dora Earth Day Celebration
Celebrate a week early with Mount Dora Friends of the Environment. Donnelly Park, 539 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora, mountdoraenvironment.org, free
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Sunday, March 27
Save the Date Expo & Cake Wars Challenge
Meet pros in the field of weddings, birthdays, quinceañeras, graduations and corporate events. Cake World Pavilion will host the first edition of the Cake Wars Challenge. 12:30 p.m., Events Center at Osceola Heritage Park, 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee, 813-406-1625, cfleventsexpo.com, free
Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3
Spring Fiesta in the Park
The fiesta will celebrate Lake Eola’s beauty in the springtime with over 300 artists displaying and selling their artwork. Lake Eola Park, 195 N. Rosalind Ave., fiestainthepark.com, free
April 5-16
UCF Celebrates the Arts
Take your pick of a jampacked schedule, filled with performances ranging from chamber ensembles to jazz big bands, spoken word, opera, theater, film, a stage combat demonstration, a live graffiti competition and Shrek: The Musical. Various times and locations within Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., arts.cah.ucf.edu, free-$60
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Saturday, April 23
Central Florida Earth Day
The vegan extravaganza will feature food preparation demonstrations, vendors, an animal haven, music and more. Beloved vegan restaurants like Dharma Southern Kitchen and the Vegan Hot Dog Cart will also set up shop. 10 a.m., Lake Eola Park, 512 E. Washington St., cfearthday.org, free
Saturday, April 23
WJRR Earthday Birthday
Heavy music fans will rejoice in this year’s Earthday lineup. The festival, hosted by WJRR, will include performances from Godsmack, Three Days Grace, wrestling and more. 11 a.m., Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 W. Colonial Drive, wjrr. iheart.com, $70-$199
Saturday-Sunday, April 23-24
Mount Dora Blueberry Festival
A celebration of everyone’s favorite anti-oxidant featuring all things blueberrytopped, -filled, and -flavored. Donnelly Park, 539 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora, mountdorablueberryfestival.com
Saturday, April 30
Orlando Book Festival
Each year the library hosts a slew of bestselling authors who give talks and workshops and speak on panels. Expect more details to come soon on the 2022 festival. 10 a.m., Orlando Public Library, 101 E. Central Blvd., ocls.info, free
Saturday-Sunday, April 30-May 1
St. Johns River Festival of the Arts
Artists and artisans displaying their wares, along with live artist demonstrations that include DIY artwork that you can take home feature in this huge event. Live acoustic performances and gourmet eats accompany the artwork. Historic Downtown Sanford, stjohnsriverartfest. com, free
Friday-Saturday, May 6-7
bass and dubstep lineup filled with bangers. Orlando Amphitheater, 4603 W. Colonial Drive, forbiddenkingdomfestival.com, $139.99-$159.99
Saturday, May 7
Derby on Park
Guests enjoy four hours of fun at the ultimate Kentucky Derby viewing experience with TVs, unlimited food, premium open bars, music and more. 3:30-8:30 p.m., Winter Park Library and Events Center, 1052 W. Morse Blvd., Winter Park, eventbrite.com, $65-$5,000
Saturday, May 14
Beer ’Merica
Beer ’Merica’s 2022 return will include 100 different brews to sample, food trucks and live music. There’s also a chance to win free beer for a year. 3 p.m., Gaston Edwards Park, 1236 N. Orange Ave., beermericaorlando.com, $41.42-$73.28
May 18-31
Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival
Hundreds of ticketed performances from playwrights, performance artists and musicians from around the world will be on offer, along with food, drink and hobnobbing on the Fringe lawn. Various times and venues, orlandofringe. org, ticket prices TBA
Wednesday-Sunday, May 18-22
Orange Blossom Jamboree
This music and art festival features Florida artists that span soul, funk and Latin jazz. Sertoma Ranch, 85 Myers Road, Brooksville, orangeblossomjamboree.com, $20
Thursday-Sunday, May 19-22
Megacon
Megacon will be filled with plenty of cosplay, comic attractions, celebrity guests, vendors and gaming tournaments. There’ll also be appearances from actors in the Lord of the Rings series and Karate Kid II. Orange County Convention Center, 9400 Universal Blvd., fanexpohq.com/ megaconorlando, $22-$155
Saturday-Sunday, May 21-22
Monster Jam
It’s Monster Jam! Your annual chance to watch 12-foot-tall trucks race, freestyle, high jump and crush countless hapless smaller vehicles. There’ll also be photo ops with the drivers and the massive trucks. Camping World Stadium, 1 Citrus Bowl Place, monsterjam.com, $40-$289
Friday-Sunday, June 17-19
Spooky Empire
Although the horror convention hasn’t yet released details of its 2022 schedule, you can bank on scores of vendors, screenings, costume contests, celebrity meetings and panels. Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive, 8001 International Drive, spookyempire.com, $40-$250
FRESH AIR
Geneva Wilderness
A short hike from the entrance to a secluded pond makes this a kid-friendly walk in the woods. Bonus points for the full latrines along the way. Overnight camping is for groups only, but there’s a nature center and a chapel (!?) on the property. Horses, bikes and hikers share the same trails, so watch your step. According to a source from the Florida Trail Association, a side trail opposite the Ed Yarborough Nature Center boasts terrestrial orchids in November. (3501 N. County Road 426, Geneva, seminolecountyfl.gov)
Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park
Out in east Orange County, near the intersection of State Road 528 and Dallas Boulevard on a chunk of land owned by the St. Johns River Water Management District, is this 8,400-acre wetland that’s seldom completely wet. What you’ll find instead of a swamp, usually, are four- and six-mile trails through pine flatwoods and oak-shaded campsites near the Econlockhatchee River that make for an easy overnight campout. The west side of the park is accessible only when the river is low. (Entrance is on Dallas Boulevard, two miles north of State Road 528, St. Johns River Water Management District, dep.state.fl.us)
Lyonia Preserve
Right behind the Deltona Regional Library is a 400-acre tract that serves a glimpse of what much of this part of Florida used to look like, prior to being converted to strip malls and suburbs. The scrub ecosystem (also found in the Ocala National Forest) supports a surprising variety of plants and animals, including the endangered Florida scrub jay. The preserve is open during daylight hours. Pick up a trail guide at the library. (2150 Eustace Ave., Deltona, volusia. org)
Ocala National Forest
At 383,573 acres, this is a place big enough to get lost in and then some. The opportunities are endless: hiking the Florida Trail, camping, primitive camping, swimming in the springs, paddling, horseback riding, ATV and motorcycle trails, etc. There’s rumored to be a camp where a bunch of World War II vets are holed up; searching for the vets you’ll no doubt come across a lot of homeless people who live in the forest full time, though the feds are trying to crack down on that. Watch the trees for wild monkeys, the water for alligators, the ground for snakes and the woods for hairless black bears. (Located 60 miles northwest of Orlando, north of Eustis; maps available at Pittman Visitor Center, 45621 State Road 19, Altoona, fs.fed.us) n
Lake Proctor Wilderness Area
Six miles total of wandering trails through flatwoods, sand hills and oak hammocks, plus a scenic lookout over the still waters of Lake Proctor, make this 475-acre preserve a quiet and often overlooked destination. That’s why we like it. (920 W. State Road 46, Geneva, seminolecountyfl.gov)
Little Big Econ State Forest
In case you’re out of touch with native nature, there’s a 1,400-mile trail in Florida that begins down south in Big Cypress National Preserve in the Everglades and runs, unbroken, all the way to the Panhandle. We’ve hiked a few miles of the south end, and the prospect of 1,390 more like that is daunting, to say the least. Maybe it’s better to start with a taste of the Florida Trail, and for that, this 5,048-acre forest is perfect. The trail (look for the orange blazes) runs alongside the Econlockhatchee River. (County Road 426, 3.3 miles east of Oviedo, fl-dof.com)
24 ORLANDO WEEKLY ● FEB. 16-22, 2022 ● orlandoweekly.com
