We recently spoke to Taylor, a renter and talented photographer who lives in Orlando, FL.  Taylor has incredible passion about the city she lives in and she was kind enough to share her favorite things about it with Dwellsy.  Here’s the 7 things she loves most about living in Orlando:

1. The Parks

Okay, it’s Orlando, so no conversation about the town is complete without a perspective on the many amusement parks that the city features – Disney World, Universal Studios and more.  And, truth be told, Taylor had a unique perspective that we didn’t expect – we figured the parks would be more for tourists and a place to take the kids, but that wasn’t the case for her!  

In Taylor’s words, everyone in her circle seems to have season passes for the parks and frequent them often.  Where for visitors, a park day is a special visit and a long day, her preference is to head to Universal Studios with some friends in the evening, grab a drink and some food, maybe play mini golf or take advantage of one of the other great entertainment options there.  

Being able to go to Universal or Disney World for an evening? Seems like an amazing advantage to living in Orlando to us!

2. Checking out the Neighborhoods

One of Taylor’s favorite things to do on the weekends is to pick a neighborhood to visit in Orlando and enjoy each area’s unique offerings.  Her three favorites are Winter Park, Winter Garden and Baldwin Park, and when visiting, she loves the crafting shops, craft breweries, farmers’ markets, great locations for photo shoots and the many dog-friendly places to relax. 

3. Street Fairs in Downtown Orlando

While it’s more business-oriented on most days, Taylor loves the way the Downtown area sometimes closes down entire streets for fairs, restaurants, bars and foot traffic.  Not only is it a great way to spend time outside with friends, but it’s a wonderful contrast with the everyday business life in the area.  

4. Soccer…and Basketball

Of course, the Orlando Magic are a celebrated team, and Taylor’s a fan of the games.  But, her sports passion when we spoke was reserved for the city’s soccer team – Major League Soccer’s Orlando City.  The games are a ton of fun with friends and, as with so many other things in Orlando, they’re very inexpensive and accessible – not like some other big cities.

5. Miami, Tampa, St. Pete’s and more

Located in the heart of Florida, Orlando is an easy drive to any number of wonderful destinations.  St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Miami and others are all within a couple of hours. And, some like St. Pete’s are just an hour away, making it easy for Taylor to make day trips to check out those towns and their amazing beaches, restaurants, bars – and photo shoot locations!

6. State Parks

Florida has unique natural gems and amazing wildlife, and Taylor has done her fair share of exploring.  She was most excited about Wekiwa Springs State Park, located less than an hour north of Orlando.  Taylor talked about a recent visit – planned for two hours – when they ended up being there for most of the day, since there was so much to explore and see.   BBQ areas, great hiking trails and more. She also talked about using the space for some wildlife photography meetups.

7. Night Kayaking and Other Hidden Gems

The idea of “Night Kayaking” blew our minds over here at Dwellsy.  Imagine pushing off shore in your kayak, paddling out into the water as amazing bioluminescent sea life surrounds your kayak.  Sounds like a dream come true!  

That was just one of a number of cool hidden gems that Taylor and her boyfriend have experienced as a result of some great local social media accounts that share ideas for date nights and other entertainment options.  Others have included a wine tasting and tapas spot in Winter Park, fun bar crawls and arts and theatre at the Dr. Phillips Center.  Plus, there are great tools like Orlando Weekly that highlight even more local gems.

Not sure if Orlando is the place for you? Check out our other local guides here. The right home for you is out there, and we’ll help you find it.