Central Florida: Prepare to be Spellbound

MELBOURNE MURALCentral Florida: Prepare to be SpellboundPeople use the word “magical” to describe Central Florida, with good reason.

ART & CULTURE

Can you be known as a premier family and leisure destination—and as a major hub for the arts? You can when you’re Florida, home to some of the world’s most prized and rare collections of fine art and sculpture—much of which, in fact, can be found right here in Central Florida.

In Tampa Bay, a stroll along the 2.6-mile Tampa Riverwalk through the downtown and Channel districts will bring you to a host of art and cultural venues with the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in the center of it all, showcasing everything from Broadway shows to classical opera. This world-class venue is also home to the Florida Orchestra and boasts incredible views of the downtown waterfront. Nearby, the Tampa Museum of Art houses a vast collection of modern and contemporary art and was recognized with an American Architecture Award for building design.
Speaking of building architecture, you can’t get much more fantastically innovative than the façade of the Dali Museum—housing over 2,400 works by the Spanish surrealist—which was designed by architect Yann Weymouth and took the art and architecture world by storm when it debuted in January 2011. Since then the museum—located in St. Petersburg across the bay from Tampa—has continued to enhance its look, adding an Avant-garden and more recently, a multisensory art experience encased in a monumental new museum space, The Dali Dome.
GATORLAND AD South of St. Petersburg in Sarasota is another preeminent art institution—the Ringling estate, which includes the Museum of Art, the Circus Museum, the Historic Asolo Theater and the Ca’ d’Zan, once the opulent winter home of circus impresario John Ringling and his wife Mable. Upon his death in 1936, Ringling willed his property and art collection, plus a $1.2M endowment, to the people of the State of Florida.
Heading into the state’s central heartland, the arts keep the beat in downtown Orlando, where the magnificent Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts—celebrating 10 years of regional, national and international performances in 2024—features such renowned venues as the Walt Disney Theater, the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater and the acclaimed Steinmetz Hall, recognized among Architectural Digest’s 11 most beautiful theaters worldwide. Dr. Phillips also just added Judson’s Live, a 150-seat, cabaret-style music space.
STETSON MANSION Just north of downtown Orlando in the leafy suburb of Winter Park, the Morse Museum houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany including his jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded-glass lamps and windows. You’ll step into another dimension of art when you step into the breathtaking interior of Tiffany’s chapel from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Continue north of Orlando to Ocala/Marion County’s Appleton Museum of Art, home to a permanent collection of over 24,000 objects representing cultures from around the globe, an outdoor sculpture walk and gardens and a variety of visiting exhibitions and special events throughout the year. Also, take in a performance at the newly expanded Reilly Arts Center—home of the Ocala Symphony—or the Ocala Civic Theater, a community mainstay for 70 years.
BISHOP MUS SOUTHERN COLLEGE In Central East Florida, an impressive collection of visual arts displays waits at the CiCi and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art in Daytona Beach, boasting the largest collection of Florida-themed art in the world. This sunny, sandy part of the state is also home to the Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of Arts & Sciences along with a host of indoor and outdoor galleries, performing arts venues and special events showcasing music and artisan crafts.
South of Daytona on Florida’s Space Coast, Melbourne has one of the state’s most vibrant arts scenes, with theatrical performances, galleries and museums filling its downtown areas—chief among them the historic Eau Gallie Arts District, home to the Historic Rossetter House Museum and Gardens and a band shell for live performances. Eau Gallie galleries display unique fine art pieces, crafts and sculpture while visitors will be mesmerized by the murals depicting people, animals and abstract shapes.
GATORLAND

HISTORY & HERITAGE

As new settlers streamed into Florida after the Civil War, those who began to homestead and start ranches in the prairie lands around Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Orlando and Ocala launched a still-thriving cattle industry and a “cowboy culture” that continues to this day. Visitors can soak in that heritage at events like Kissimmee’s Silver Spurs Rodeo, once one of the largest rodeos in the country and still hugely popular.
Meanwhile, Ocala/Marion County is known as the Horse Capital of the World, an acknowledgement of the county’s concentration on all things equestrian, including producing Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes champions. Many local horse farms offer guided tours, allowing you to marvel at the beauty and strength of the biggest names in horse racing. In addition, your visit may coincide with thrilling equestrian-themed events and competitions like the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit and multiple events at the World Equestrian Center.
So many things shaped the destiny of Central Florida, from railroads to cigars—and both are part of Tampa Bay’s heritage. The life and times of railroad pioneer Henry B. Plant are celebrated at the Henry B. Plant Museum, housed in the former Tampa Bay Hotel, a Victorian railroad resort that operated from 1891 to 1932. In 1933, the hotel was renamed Plant Hall and became part of the University of Tampa.
In addition, you’ll uncover the historical roots that shaped this area at the Tampa Bay History Center, which explores 12,000 years of Florida history. Then travel back to the early 20th century and the 1920s cigar boom that forever turned Ybor City into Cigar City. Find out more at Ybor City Museum State Park, housed in a former bakery and featuring displays on the city’s founders, the cigar industry and a cigar workstation.
DAYTONA AD Dozens of historic and quintessentially Florida downtowns dot the landscape in the central part of the state, including hamlets like Lake Wales, whose lush, rolling hills are like nowhere else in the state. There are attractions here that stand apart as well, from the landmark Bok Tower with its carillon of bells, and the mysterious Spook Hill, where cars seem to roll uphill.
East of Tampa, Lakeland’s downtown Munn Park Historic District is known for its antique shops and vintage architecture, with outdoor art and murals and a lakefront botanical garden available for strolling. Nearby, Florida Southern College has the largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed structures anywhere in the world.
Nestled between Orlando and Daytona Beach, West Volusia County encompasses 14 communities along the St. Johns River, each with their own stories and an eclectic collection of accommodations and attractions. The authenticity that heritage travelers seek is found here; from the top-rated Main Street community, downtown DeLand, to the timeless St. Johns River—this is real Florida.
South of Daytona, New Smyrna Beach was founded in 1768 by the British, making it one of the state’s oldest cities. What happened to the ill-fated Turnbull Settlement they built is explained at the New Smyrna Museum of History through video, dioramas, maps and artifacts recovered from archaeology surveys.
Farther south along the east coast, the Sebastian River Area is well known as a haven for ecotourism, but history lives here as well. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, as Spanish galleons headed home loaded with treasures from the New World, pirates posed a risk but so did unkind waters and ferocious storms. When disaster struck and a ship went down, the treasure hunting began. One of the most successful of these seekers in the world, Mel Fisher, opened a permanent museum here in 1992, filled with artifacts recovered from the ocean’s depths.
KAYAKING DAYTONA

NATURE & ECOTOURISM

Like the regions of North Florida that it borders, North Central Florida is a land of springs and lakes, with attractions like Silver Springs drawing visitors to transparent, perennially warm spring waters for hundreds of years. This Florida landmark—still offering the same Glass Bottom Boat Tours that started in the 1870s—is part of the spring-fed countryside of Ocala/Marion County, which also includes the sparkling waters of Rainbow Springs State Park.
Ocala/Marion County is also home to one of the few national forests in the state—Ocala National Forest, featuring more than 600 lakes and rivers and a haven not only for people but migratory birds, manatees and some of the world’s rarest plants.
From the deep forests of Ocala, head south to find yourself in the woodlands and prairies of Kissimmee, home to the second largest population of nesting bald eagles in the contiguous 48 states and a re-entry location for the nearly extinct whooping crane. Look for them while hiking one of the many trails winding through live oak hammocks, remnant cypress stands and freshwater marshes.
In addition to abundant birds, Florida is known for everyone’s favorite reptile, the alligator, and you’ll see plenty of them—as well as crocodiles and other animals—at Gatorland in Orlando. More than 2,000 American Alligators make their home in this 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve, which also includes zipline adventures.
Trek to neighboring Polk County for a true experience in the wild at the Circle B Bar Reserve, named one of the “Top 50 Places to see Wildlife” by USA Today. Once a functioning cattle ranch, Circle B Bar Reserve has been restored to its original natural state as one of the most impressive bird habitats in Central Florida. But for the best opportunity to spy a gator, don’t miss the 1.2-mile Alligator Alley trail overlooking Lake Hancock.
There are lakes saturating all of Central Florida—there are more than a thousand in Lake County alone—but when it comes to inland lakes in the Sunshine State, Florida’s Lake Okeechobee tops them all. “Okeechobee” is a Seminole word meaning “big water,” and when you see its vast expanse of 730 sq. miles, you’ll understand why.
With its location bordering and encompassing the northern end of Lake Okeechobee, Okeechobee County is the ideal place to experience this southern part of Central Florida. If the water beckons, enjoy fishing and airboating, or jump on the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, which encircles the lake for 110 miles and provides hikers, bikers and wildlife watchers with scenic vistas.
INDIAN RIVER MELBOURNE ADS Heading toward the Atlantic coast of Central Florida, Indian River County—known as the state’s citrus capital—boasts more than 100,000 acres of conservation lands, while water, water everywhere invites kayaking and canoeing through protected preserves. Dedicated ecotourists will not want to miss paddling on the Indian River Lagoon, the most environmentally diverse estuary in North America and home to an incredible variety of wildlife. From boating to environmental learning centers, Indian River and the towns of Vero Beach, Fellsmere and Sebastian are an escape into another world.
You can make that escape at the ChoZen Eco-Retreat & Sanctuary in Sebastian, helping people reconnect with the land via a regenerative program of wellness and immersion in the surrounding natural environment. Set on 40 acres of wetlands across from the St. Sebastian River Preserve, ChoZen’s retreats include curated workshops, personalized treatments, nature-inspired accommodations and nourishing Ayurvedic meals.
To the north, Daytona Beach is famed for its Speedway, but you can set your own speed here as well. The 30-mile Ormond Scenic Loop showcases some amazing and diverse natural scenery, interspersed with rivers, creeks, marshes and beaches. The area’s state parks, national seashore and national wildlife refuge are also popular spots for exploring natural Florida landscapes and waterways. Visitors can also take a low-speed cruise on the beach (and even park) in specifically designated areas, perfect for those with mobility challenges.
At the heart of the region surrounding Daytona’s neighbor, West Volusia County, flows one of only 14 American Heritage Rivers in the country, the St. Johns River, encompassing the St. Johns River Blueway and the River of Lakes Heritage Corridor. Whether by canoe or kayak, riverboat or houseboat, exploring the river offers visitors stunning views of turtles, gators, manatees and more than 200 species of birds in a lush, purely Floridian landscape.
The pace slows down at Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Fort Pierce, which welcomes the visitor to serenity and beauty with a unique collection of specialty gardens, including Japanese—boasting the largest public display of bonsai in the U.S.—with a Reflection Garden, Herb Garden, Rainforest Display and a Secret Garden, among other intimate, flowering spaces.
OKEECHOBEE AD Florida’s Central West Coast draws nature and adventure lovers from all over the world to places like Crystal River and Homosassa, where they can swim with manatees in pristine spring waters on guided eco tours with certified local guides. All local operators are encouraged to follow the standards and guidelines set for operating manatee tours to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for these gentle creatures.
Anyone yearning for adventure in the great outdoors will find that adrenaline rush on Florida’s Sports Coast just north of Tampa, where thrills can be found at Skydive City in Zephyrhills, TreeHoppers Aerial Park in Dade City and on hot-air ballon rides in Wesley Chapel. Encounters with nature are waiting here as well—check out Giraffe Ranch, where safari jeep rides, Segways or expeditions via camel include animal interactions.
Heading south to the coastal town of Bradenton, the natural world—and the cosmos—are explored at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, whose Planetarium enthralls the audience in an immersive, 50-ft. full-dome theater. The museum also delves below the waves with its popular Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat, modeled to resemble a cypress spring and holding 60,000 gallons of water for manatees rescued from the wild after becoming sick or injured. Meanwhile, scores of permanent exhibitions include a display of Florida’s earliest animal inhabitants.

STAY AWHILE

First constructed by railroad magnate Henry B. Plant in 1897, the Belleview Inn on Clearwater Beach became a favorite among Hollywood stars. Set in a Spanish-style building from 1927, Hotel Cassadaga is a paranormal-focused, adults-only hotel and spiritual center in Volusia County that claims to be haunted. Sleep tight?
COVERTHE FLORIDA KEYS & KEY WESTTable of ContentsVISIT SOUTH WALTON BEACHFlorida: A Sunshine State of MindRegional ResourcesNorth Florida: Discover Its Historical NatureNorth Regional ResourcesSAINT AUGUSTINE, PONTE VEDRA & THE BEACHESSANTA ROSA COUNTY/NAVARRE BEACHPALM COAST AND THE FLAGLER BEACHESCentral Florida: Prepare to be SpellboundCentral Regional ResourcesFLORIDA SPORTS COASTVISIT CENTRAL FLORIDASouth Florida: Wild at HeartSouth Regional ResourcesPUNTA GORDA/ENGLEWOOD BEACHGREATER MIAMI & MIAMI BEACH