Orlando Sights and Landmarks
Orlando isn’t usually the type of town people visit to view the landmarks. Visitors come to Orlando to visit world-class amusement parks and be entertained. However, Orlando landmarks and Orlando sites are worth seeing.
Orlando Landmarks
One of the most recognizable Orlando landmarks is SeaWorld’s Sky Tower. At 400-feet tall, SeaWorld visitors can take the six minute, slowly rotating ride and get an unsurpassed bird’s eye view of the park and greater Orlando.
Tupperware Tower on U.S. 441 may be one of the most unusual structures in American architecture. At least, the product with which it was constructed is unique. This Orlando landmark is made entirely of plastic Tupperware bowls and rises 100-feet into the air on the grounds of Tupperware’s headquarters.
The Old Orange County Courthouse on Central Boulevard was built in 1927 after it was determined that the old courthouse was too small. This Orlando landmark cost $1 million and is said to be the finest example of Beaux Arts architecture in town. This courthouse was used until recently when those offices were moved to the new high rise Orange County Courthouse on North Orange. Now this building contains the Historical Society of Central Florida and the Orange County Regional History Center.
The 35-story SunTrust Center on South Orange Avenue was the tallest building in central Florida when it was completed in 1988. This beige building sports a green stripe of glass up the front, with four pyramids at the top.
In downtown Orlando, Lake Eola and its fountain is a well-known Orlando landmark. The fountain is lit up at night with colored lights in a showy display. During the day, locals enjoy walking and jogging the .9-mile loop around the lake. If being on the water is more to your liking, swan-shaped paddle boats and gondola boats can be rented.
Orlando Sites
Big Tree Park in Longwood is the site of “The Senator,” a 3,500-year-old Baldcypress tree – one of the oldest and tallest trees in America. Donated by Senator M.O. Overstreet in 1927, this tree is 115 feet tall and has a trunk 11.3 feet in diameter. This tree was once 165 feet in height, but a 1925 hurricane demolished the top. Although the area surrounding the Senator is swampy, a boardwalk has been constructed to make access easy for visitors. Just 40 feet from the Senator is Lady Liberty, a 2000-year-old cypress. However, this tree is only 89 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
Celebration, Florida, 30 minutes from downtown Orlando, is the site of the first planned community developed by the Walt Disney Company. This unincorporated town was created to replicate an idealized version of 1930s small town America, although phase one opened on July 4, 1996. Celebration was designed to be pedestrian-friendly, and architects created separate villages where homes are within walking distance of shops. Buildings are in a classical style, garages are located behind houses, and front porches further the friendly, Mayberry-like atmosphere. Just as you would expect, Celebration hosts the yearly “Great American Pie Festival” in April. Famous designer Michael Graves was the mind behind the Celebration Post Office.
For a look into America’s real past, visit Well’s Built Museum on West South Street. This site and historic Orlando landmark was built by one of Orlando’s first African-American physicians. Dr William Monroe Wells came to the area in 1917, and built his own home on South Street in 1921. When he noticed a need for a local hotel where African Americans could stay during segregation, he built the hotel and the next door casino. Ella Fitzgerald, Roy Campenella and Jackie Robinson all stayed here.