Discover Orange: Nature, Trails and Culture

In Orange, trip themes range from nature areas and lakes to museums, gardens and trails. Depending on what you would like to experience, you can combine time outdoors with exhibitions and cultural attractions. To plan your hotel trip, it helps to first choose the places and activities that interest you, then compare your accommodation’s location with those destinations.

Nature, trails and water

Orange County has more than 100 parks, trails and facilities. The park and trail network offers opportunities for cycling, hiking, horseback riding, swimming, fishing, camping and canoeing. This variety ranges from trails and land-based activities to options on the water. If you are looking for a route with a specific distance, the West Orange Trail offers 22.32 miles of paved trail. There is also a butterfly garden at the trail’s Tildenville Outpost. This lets you include both a longer stretch of trail and a specific nature spot in your day’s plans without treating them as a single destination.

At Tibet-Butler Preserve, the Vera Carter Environmental Center features various exhibits and displays. The preserve also offers ongoing environmental programs. Nature enthusiasts can pair a visit to the center with a trip to Magnolia Park, where visitors can learn about pollinators, the history of fishing and fish in Lake Apopka, as well as alligators and their habitat. The birds that live there or pass through, and the formation of sunsets, are also among the topics covered.

At Lake Eola, a 0.9-mile walkway circles the lake, and pedal-powered swan boats are available for rent. The loop gives you a set distance to plan around, while the boats offer a separate activity. Tubing is one of the activities at Kelly Park/Rock Springs. The park also offers a different perspective through its geology: the spring emerges from limestone containing fossils from 17 million years ago. Kelly Park also received a state historical marker in 2016.

Moss Park offers tent and RV campsites. A hiking trail within the park provides access to Split Oak Forest. There, a network of trails and unpaved roads is available for wildlife viewing; the edges of the wetlands offer opportunities to watch wading birds. The nature experiences can therefore be distinguished by their focus: the trail network is suited to wildlife viewing, while the wetland edges offer a particular focus on birdwatching. Moss Park also has boat ramps for Lake Hart and Lake Mary Jane. Camp Joy at Kelly Park has a launch area for canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.

Museums, art and gardens

The Orlando Science Center combines interactive exhibits with live demonstrations and hands-on science activities. The AdventHealth SunRail Station is just a short walk from the Science Center. For a visit focused on hands-on science, the exhibits and demonstrations offer different points of engagement. The Orlando Museum of Art offers a different approach: its diverse permanent art collection is complemented by rotating exhibitions featuring art from around the world.

A special focus at the Orlando Museum of Art is the art of the ancient Americas. The collection spans more than 3,000 years of artistic achievement by Indigenous nations of North, Central and South America. Its time span and broad geographic and cultural scope make it a different museum experience from the rotating international exhibitions. If you would like to divide your trip between art and nature, Leu Gardens offers a botanical complement: the garden is a 50-acre botanical oasis in Orlando. Most paths in Harry P. Leu Gardens are paved.

When choosing a hotel, you can plan around these interests—for example, trails and wildlife viewing, museums or a visit to the gardens. This keeps your choice tied to your travel plans without assuming that every hotel has specific amenities or a particular location.

Discover more destinations: Zellwood, Christmas, Doctor Phillips, Lake Hart, Bay Lake, Maitland, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Apopka, Lake Buena Vista, Windermere, Orlando, Winter Park, Tangelo Park, Lake Butler.

For the broader travel overview: Florida.