Whenever we visit our home in Florida we like to take a trip to the town of Celebration.
Located just off H192 and very well sign posted (look out for the water tower) is this beautiful quiet community was built by the Disney corporation in a style that enables residents and visitors alike to feel as if they have stepped back in time to 1950' s America.
Although originally themed by Disney Celebration is most definitely not a theme park but a town in its own right complete with its own Hotel, University, School, Hospital, Post Office, churches, a cinema with two screens showing the latest blockbusters (very comfortable seating), a selection of clothes and craft shops, antique shops, ice cream parlour, coffee and tea shops and a great selection of restaurants.
There is a wide selection of good quality restaurants from Italian to Japanese and one of our favourites is the Columbia which serves authentic Cuban and Spanish dishes including tapas. This is a great place for a light lunch or a special occasion dinner as they offer a good selection of tapas, some hearty meat and fish selections and some more sophisticated flambéed dishes. If you manage to make it to desert, they are to die for. If you are in town in mid September and don’t mind a wait the Columbia’s “1905 day” is a great experience. They roll their prices back to 1905 as a thank you to their customers for their support over the years, try to get there early as it gets very busy, but then it would with Sangria at 95c a glass, coffee at 5c a cup and entrees at around $2. 75, don’t forget to leave room for the traditional flan at a whopping 35c.
If you fancy something a little lighter try the Market Street Café for a great selection of salads and sandwiches with good coffee, the Philly cheese steak is fabulous! Or try an omelette for breakfast outside overlooking the lake, a fantastic and very filling way to start the day.
To walk off the calories why not take a stroll along the walking trail which meanders around the lakes. Watch the wildlife as you walk, cranes and egrets frequent the lake sides and turtles and fish can easily be seen from the walking trail you may even be lucky enough to see the eagles swooping down to snatch fish from the water. Alternatively a less energetic way of letting the meal settle is to just sit on one of the rocking chairs by the lake, relax and watch the world go by.
If you visit on a Sunday have a stroll around the farmers market where you will find a great selection of fresh produce, arts and crafts. There are also a wide selection of special events held throughout the year such as the independence day celebrations on July 4th with a parade followed by fireworks and concert, various food festivals where you get to taste samples from most of the restaurants, not to mention beach parties in the summer with sand on main street, falling leaves in the autumn /fall and nightly snowfalls at Christmas!
There is something for all the family in Celebration and it really is a million miles from the hubbub of the theme parks and the neon lights of H192.
Located just off H192 and very well sign posted (look out for the water tower) is this beautiful quiet community was built by the Disney corporation in a style that enables residents and visitors alike to feel as if they have stepped back in time to 1950' s America.
Although originally themed by Disney Celebration is most definitely not a theme park but a town in its own right complete with its own Hotel, University, School, Hospital, Post Office, churches, a cinema with two screens showing the latest blockbusters (very comfortable seating), a selection of clothes and craft shops, antique shops, ice cream parlour, coffee and tea shops and a great selection of restaurants.
There is a wide selection of good quality restaurants from Italian to Japanese and one of our favourites is the Columbia which serves authentic Cuban and Spanish dishes including tapas. This is a great place for a light lunch or a special occasion dinner as they offer a good selection of tapas, some hearty meat and fish selections and some more sophisticated flambéed dishes. If you manage to make it to desert, they are to die for. If you are in town in mid September and don’t mind a wait the Columbia’s “1905 day” is a great experience. They roll their prices back to 1905 as a thank you to their customers for their support over the years, try to get there early as it gets very busy, but then it would with Sangria at 95c a glass, coffee at 5c a cup and entrees at around $2. 75, don’t forget to leave room for the traditional flan at a whopping 35c.
If you fancy something a little lighter try the Market Street Café for a great selection of salads and sandwiches with good coffee, the Philly cheese steak is fabulous! Or try an omelette for breakfast outside overlooking the lake, a fantastic and very filling way to start the day.
To walk off the calories why not take a stroll along the walking trail which meanders around the lakes. Watch the wildlife as you walk, cranes and egrets frequent the lake sides and turtles and fish can easily be seen from the walking trail you may even be lucky enough to see the eagles swooping down to snatch fish from the water. Alternatively a less energetic way of letting the meal settle is to just sit on one of the rocking chairs by the lake, relax and watch the world go by.
If you visit on a Sunday have a stroll around the farmers market where you will find a great selection of fresh produce, arts and crafts. There are also a wide selection of special events held throughout the year such as the independence day celebrations on July 4th with a parade followed by fireworks and concert, various food festivals where you get to taste samples from most of the restaurants, not to mention beach parties in the summer with sand on main street, falling leaves in the autumn /fall and nightly snowfalls at Christmas!
There is something for all the family in Celebration and it really is a million miles from the hubbub of the theme parks and the neon lights of H192.