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Passions & Pursuits

Destination Orlando
By Amy Selby

It’s almost impossible to think of Orlando without picturing long lines and commercialized theme parks. Yet there is more to Orlando than crocodile parks, roller coasters and costumed characters. This central Florida city is home to scenic lakes, an opera and ballet company, cozy neighborhoods and a bustling downtown district.

For chiropractors, Orlando is the host of two conferences: the Florida Chiropractic Society’s Summer Convention Flex Express, June 22-24, and the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Convention & Expo, August 17-19. Our three-day Orlando travel guide will help you experience the city outside of your convention center and the ticket lines of well-known attractions.

Day One: Friday Nightlife

The first day of any conference is all about registration and meeting up with your favorite colleagues. Now that you’ve reconnected, what better way to relive a few all-nighter memories, than with a bit of nightlife? Start the night at one of Orlando’s best happy hours, Blue Martini. This upscale martini bar marks down its high-end martinis—there’s 25 to choose from—to $7 between 4 and 7 p.m. on Fridays. Cocktails are equally affordable at prices between $3.75 and $5. Blue Martini is located near the Mall at Millenia, but don’t let that fool you. The Mall at Millenia is Orlando’s luxury retailer destination, with brands such as Tiffany & Co., Dior, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Burberry.

Downtown Orlando is your best bet for finding a meal with local flavor, live music and a variety of bars. There are establishments to fit any preference—laid-back pubs to swanky nightclubs, velvet ropes and all.

Set in the charming Thorton Park neighborhood is Dexter’s, a hip downtown hangout. Here modern design complements a creative menu featuring pressed duck sandwiches and wild mushroom meatloaf with Vidalia onion demi-glace and mashed scallion potatoes.

Hue is a close Thorton Park neighbor on East Central Boulevard, offering a fashion-forward crowd and progressive American cuisine. This award-winning urban bistro is known for its patio dining (some say it’s the best people watching in town) and chic diners and dishes. The menu changes daily, but there are a few mainstays: wood-grilled filet mignon, tamari roasted duck breast and oven roasted Chilean sea bass.

A convenient spot for treating your staff to a nightcap, is Sky60. This tree-lined, rooftop bar overlooks downtown Orlando and offers cabana seating, eclectic music and creative drinks (including extensive tequila offerings).

If you’re more of a rebel rouser, the bars on Church Street are a great destination. This group of bars and nightclubs attract an eclectic crowd of college kids and even baby boomers. Latitudes is three bars in one, including a roof-top bar; Chillers is known for its frozen daiquiris and Key West décor; Antigua is a posh nightclub with a VIP area; and Big Belly Brewery is a dive bar with daily beer specials.

Day Two: Time for Local Culture

Each convention offers a lunch break, and it’s our suggestion that you make the most of it. Take a break from the confines of your convention center with a visit to Lake Eola. You could always just take in the lush surroundings, but the lake offers a few entertainment options. The lake has a .9 mile trail around its perimeter, for a good run or walk. Swan-shaped paddle boats are available for exploring the lake at your pace for $10 per half hour. The on-site amphitheater offers a revolving schedule of concerts and performances. And for lunch, try the al fresco dining at Erik’s on Eola. The restaurant, located near the swan paddle boat docks, features a menu of casual, healthy plates. The 903 market salad is a signature offering with mango, pineapple, walnuts, bleu cheese crumbles and poppy seeds.

Start your Saturday night with a gourmet meal at Primo, located within the JW Marriott Grande Lakes. This is the newest location for nationally acclaimed chef Melissa Kelly—the original is in Rockland, Maine. Chef Kelly works with the Florida Organic Growers Association to infuse local and fresh ingredients into her menu. Primo’s main menu features stuffed squash blossoms, porcini-rubbed and aged New York strip steak and fresh seafood dishes and pastas.

Cap off your night where “Who’s Line Is It Anyway” star, Wayne Brady, got his start—SAK Comedy Lab. This intimate improv comedy club puts you up close with the comedians and sometimes, even on stage. On Saturday nights, the club hosts the Duel of Fools, a competition between its seasoned comedians. As the club’s tradition, a panel of judges selected from the audience determine the winner of the “Pink Shoe of Salvation.”

Day Three: Head to the ‘Burbs

Winter Park is an artsy suburb only a short drive from downtown Orlando. True to its name, there are many parks to see, and Winter Park is home to some of the area’s best museums. A good place to start is with the Charles Homer Morse Museum of American Art. The museum is home to the world’s most comprehensive collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany jewelry, pottery, paintings, glass windows and lamps. This summer the Windows and Wonders exhibit features works of art that haven’t been on display in several years. The museum’s piece de resistance is the chapel Tiffany created for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. On Sundays the museum is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Visitors can request a docent-led tour at the information desk.

On the other end of Park Avenue is Rollins College’s Cornell Fine Arts Museum. The museum is home to more than 6,000 works making it one of the largest collections in the state. The collection started more than a century ago and includes the work of several Italian renaissance artists, Louis Sonntag, Francesco de Mura and Audrey Flack.

A trip to Winter Park is not complete without a stop at Central Park, the crown jewel of the city’s park system. The park sits in the middle of Winter Park’s posh shopping district on Park Avenue. Here you can stroll through 11 acres of fountains, oak trees and its well-known rose garden. Close to the park are a number of boutiques and cafes with outdoor seating. You won’t find many chain retailers or restaurants here. Take a moment to recharge here before your flight home.

Orlando at Your Fingertips

Blue Martini, 4200 Conroy Rd.; (407) 447-2583; bluemartinilounge.com.
Mall at Millenia, 4200 Conroy Rd.; (407) 363-3555; mallatmillenia.com.
Dexter’s, 808 Washington St.; (407) 648-2777; dexwine.com
Hue, 629 E. Central Blvd.; (407) 849-1800; huerestaurant.com.
Sky60, 64 N. Orange Ave; (407) 246-1599; sky60.com.
Latitudes; Chillers; Antigua; Big Belly Brewery. (407) 649-4270; churchstreetbars.com.
Eola Park, 101 N. Rosalind Ave.;(407) 246-2827; cityoforlando.net.
Erik’s on Eola, 211 Eola Pkwy.; (407) 835-1797; eriksoneola.com.
Primo, 4040 Central Florida Pkwy.; (407) 393-4444; primorestaurant.com/popups/orlandohome.cfm.
SAK Comedy Lab, 380 W Amelia St.; (407) 648-0001; sak.com.
Morse Museum of American Art, 445 N Park Ave.; (407) 645-5311; morsemuseum.org.
Cornell Fine Arts Museum, 1000 Holt Ave.; (407) 646-2526; Rollins.edu/cfam.