Leu Gardens

If you are vacationing in the Orlando area, Leu Gardens is a beautiful place to visit. I visited the gardens three years ago and would definitely visit again if I return to the area. According to their website, admission is FREE if you arrive Monday’s before noon. Otherwise, admission is a very affordable $5.00 per person. My advice is to plan a morning visit if you are going in the summer because it will be cooler. Check out their website www.leugardens.org for a list of their night time events -- they sound great. Each month there is a “Date Night in the Garden” that would definitely impress a new girlfriend, or inspire romance for any married couple.

The gardens have three miles of paved walkways winding throughout the 50 acre garden area. You get to exercise and enjoy the tropical beauty at the same time. Besides the eye popping flowers spaced throughout the gardens, be sure you visit the butterfly garden and get inspired to start one of your own. It is perfect for both the at home gardener, or folks like me who aren’t too good in the garden but appreciate the beauty of flora in our area. I kind of gave up on attempts to grow flowers because I felt so guilty about killing so many of them.

We spent about 3 hours there, which left us with an afternoon shopping and eating in the nearby Winter Park downtown area. Winter Park has a nice mixture of unique local boutiques and some national chain stores accompanied by a large variety of wonderfully delicious restaurants at various price ranges.