Wekiva River Basin in Orlando

Orlando is the site of the Wekiva River Basin, and outstanding waterway whose spring fed outflow feeds into the mighty St Johns River a few miles northwest of Sanford and Lake Monroe. The little Wekiva River has its origins at Lake Lawne on the outskirts of the Central Florida Fairgrounds on West Highway 50, 4 miles from downtown Orlando. These fairgrounds once housed the City of Orlando Prison Farm. Back in the nineteen forties and fifties, the city had its own jail and many prisoners would be sentenced to serve up to a year for knife fights or similar Saturday night indiscretions. If they were well behaved they were sent to the prison farm which had it's own dairy, garden and cattle operation.
After my maternal grandfather had a massive heart attack, my grandmother went to work as the secretary to the city judge. One of the perks for anyone who worked for the city at that time, or who was lucky enough to be connected to them, was to eat at the prison farm. It had the freshest, most delicious food , prepared by workers who could give all their time to making it. And no doubt the rich lands of the headwaters of the Wekiva allowed for the production of multiple crops to fuel the pantry.
After leaving Lake Lawne, the Little Wekiva flows into the 800 acre Lake Orlando whose shores are surrounded by the Orlando neighborhood of Rosemont. Named for the Rose family who once had a dairy farm here, this is the same Family who built Orwin Manor, Beverly Shores, Rose Isle and gave the land for Loch Haven Park. As the river flows through Lockhart it forms into a few unnamed ponds as it enters Seminole County. Skirting the western side of the city of Altamonte Springs, the river flows throughthe prpoperty that once belonged to my great grandfather, Leo Egerton Fosgate and Dr. P. Phillips. Subsequently , on over 300 acres, it became , under my uncle Chester, one of the largest citrus processing plants in the country. No doubt the river's proximity to the plant provided a source of fresh water just as previously it had aided in the site's use as a lumber mill.
Today the Little Wekiva crosses under State Road 436 just past this site and two miles further north it's joined by the run formed by Sanlando Springs. Sanlando had been the site of one of the Orlando areas favorite recreational swim spots for over fifty years before its conversion into a gated housing community in the early nineteen seventies.

Baldwin Park, Orlando

Just a mile northeast of the cottage is the new village of Baldwin Park. Built on the site of the old Naval Training Center, which itself succeeded the Orlando Air Force Base, the area represents all that is best in contemporary urban landscape design. Two lakes connected by a pond help to form the over 1,000 acres of park space. It's incredible to think that just 3 mile west of downtown Orlando, a metropolitan area approaching three million people, is one of the best urban oasis in the world.

Wekiva Falls

The recreational play area of the park includes a giant natural spring pool, sun chairs, enourmas fountain and two exciting water slides

Wekiva Falls is a wonderful place that I used to visit on a weekly basis with my father. I used to enjoy the lures of this place like there was no other, and that's probably because their isn't. It has been a highly frequented attraction for years mainly due to its low price and limitless activities. At Wekiva anyone can enjoy barbecues, canoeing, swimming, diving, fishing, biking, volleyball, rope swings, and even water slides for $6 per adult, $5 for senior, $4 for children and $20 for a carload of up to six people for an all day pass. They offer great rates on RV camping and tent camping with rates for RVs at $34 a night and $189 a week, and tent camping at $18 a night standard and $24 for electric and water. The resort recently changed owners and has been made better than ever. In the last few years the management was so worried about safety and regulations that they took the fun out of the whole resort. The old management closed the castle (now a fountain) they closed the water slides (now reopened bigger and better) and they even took out the rope swing. That's not to mention how run down and unkempt the place had become.
The canoeing is awesome. If you're looking to become one with nature, then you've come to the right place. Flowing out of the huge swimming area is a crystal clear "run" of half a mile that empties into the Wekiva River, and about three miles downsteam it empties into the mighty St Johns River. A run is the name given to the streams that flow out of Florida's natural springs.

The canoe rentals and beginning of the pontoon cruise are here at the boat launch area.

While canoeing you can expect to see hundreds of turtles, tons of fish, and if you're lucky, you might even see a gator or two. Picnicking is as a blast and they makes it easy too, with grills and picnic tables at every parking spot. Don't forget to get in the water. Be careful though because it might seem cold since it's fed by "Mastodon Springs", whose main mouth is seventy feet down and spews forth several million gallons per hour of 68 degree temperature water. The springs are named for the multitude of mastodon and other prehistoric bones that have been found in its caves by the numerous scuba divers who frquent there. On your next vacation don't forget to visit Wekiva Falls, and don't forget Fido, because pets are welcome too.
The start of the river in it's brilliant surrounding enviroment.

The two water slides. One cork-screwes and the other has a single turn.
Splash down at the fountain.

This entry was posted by Laurence Fosgate's godson, David Ohman, fifteen, from Winter Park High School.

Orlando City Neighborhoods

View of downtown Orlando from Lake Eola Park at dusk.

Ampitheater in Lake Eola Park

View of the south side of Lake Eola

I will attempt to give a list and brief description of all of the neighborhoods of the inner, older parts of Orlando, with a brief thumbnail sketch of each, to be followed later, where possible, with a more in depth article about some of the more important ones.
Downtown- An area roughly bounded by Gore Street on the south, Summerlin Avenue on the east, Parramore on the west and Lake Ivanhoe on the north. This is the heart of the city and contains all the important centers of government, many high and mid-rise condo towers,almost all the bank headquarters and other major office buildings. Other highlights include the old and new arenas, the main library, Eola Park, the BobCarr and site of the new performing art center. Orlando's downtown is quite unique in having a lively night scene. The clubs and restaurants there make the traffic at night heavier than during the day!

Loch Haven Park Orlando's Art and Cultural Park

Modeled after the original Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Loch Haven is home to the longest running festival of its kind in the U.S. Once a year the week long festival takes over this section of the park.

The main entrance to Loch Haven with science center planetarioum in the background.

Lake Formosa is one of the three lakes connected by canals along with Lake Rowena and Lake Sue.

The Orlando Musuem of Art

Loch Haven Park was originally laid out in the nineteen twenties by Senator Rose(who owned all the land where Rosemont now sits) as part of the fabled land boom of that era. Nothing sold, and in the 1940's, the senator gifted it to the City of Orlando. Over the next two decades the only building in the park was the Orlando Garden Club. All this changed in the sixties. The publisher of The Orlando Sentinel, Martin Anderson, became convinced that the park should be home to a proposed new performing arts venue to replace the embarrassingly inadequate Municipal Auditorium downtown. Despite all the power he could muster with the propaganda machine the paper represented, the citizens of Orlando were not impressed. Anderson was twice rebuffed in referendums on the subject, and in some ways this defeat represented a falling off of Martin's influence on the community.
In the meantime the park became home to a tiny little brick art gallery that eventually grew into today's attractive Orlando Museum of Art. The Science Center soon followed, then the Civic Theater and Orange County History Museum. Today the 45 acre park is home to Orlando Repertory Theater,OMA, The Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, The Shakespeare Theater, Fire Museum and the afore mentioned Science Center and Garden Club complexes.
The physical setting of the park is quite extraordinary as its position surrounded by three lakes makes it appear to be almost an island when viewed from a map, hence its Scottish name. Interesting as well is the fact that these lakes, connected by canals, form the headwaters of the Winter Park chain of lakes, and a kayaker could set out here, and through streams and canals make his way, completely via water up to the St John's River and out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Front entrance to the Shakespeare Theater which has four different venues. (350 seat, 2 100 seat, and a 50 seat)

Close up of the front entrance to the Shakepeare Theater.

The Mennello Museum of American Folk Art

One of the best features of the park is the Mennello. How it came to be is one of the more interesting stories associated with Loch Haven. The contemporary building that in which it sits was once the home of Howard Phillips, heir to the vast fortune of citrus tycoon Dr. Phillips. Howard was an eccentric figure who was murdered by a male prostitute in San Francisco in 1979, bequeathing his home to the City of Orlando. He was a good friend of Jim and Marilyn Spence, who were both two of my favorite people. Marilyn and I became friends when I was her art teacher back in 1972. Jim came to town as president of Southeast Bank and subsequently gave Bob Snow the money to build Church Street station. He would also be associated with Loch Haven. He was onetime chairman of the board of the Science Center, as well as a playwright and founder of The Tropical Theater, which was the forerunner of the Theater Downtown, located one block west of the park and in a building controlled by the Phillips Foundation. Jim was also chairman of PESO, which was the ancestor of United Arts of Central Florida and in that capacity helped raise the money to make the OMA and Orlando Repertory Theater Complexes possible. Jim would be happy that his friends, home would eventually become the repository of the gift of art that became the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art. The paintings of Earl Cunningham that are housed here are truly a national treasure. The jewel like colors and luminosity of their surfaces are mesmerizing and it is easy to see why two such sophisticated collectors as Michael and Marilyn Mennello would have felt compelled to share him with the world. I have no doubt that these paintings will ultimately be called the greatest masterpieces of American Folk Art. They certainly a worth a journey, to use the Guide Mich term.

Sculpture inspired by the space program.

Sculpture on the edge of Lake Formosa and the most visible structure can be seen from any part of the east side of the park.

Sculptures along the walking trail in Loch Haven

Antique District Orlando

The antiques inside are even cooler than the exterior of this antiques store.

Just north of downtown, spread along both sides of Orange Avenue, is the area that has come to be called the Antique District. The oldest establishment in the area is also the largest, A&T Antiques, which was started back in the seventies by Doug Toler. Today, one of the coolest and nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, his son Greg Toler and Greg's brother-in-law Lance handle the day to day operations in this store that, among other things, is known for their stained glass windows which they have been importing from the UK for over two decades. I have bought several there in the last few years. The prices and selection are terrific. Another category with huge choices is the chair area upstairs. The store has been specializing in furniture repair, refinishing and stripping throughout its existence and is one of the premier locations for that kind of work in central Florida. Over the years, other antique, collectible and furnishing stores began gravitating to the area and by the mid eighties, it became known as The Antique District.

Greg Toler in his office at A&T Antiques.

Antiques and the staircase lead up to the stained glass section of A&T antiques.

Packed full with antiques, the stain glass selection is enormous.

The White Wolf Cafe is a place for great food and a little antique shopping.

The inside of the White Wolf Cafe includes a sign that says 'we're always interested in buying antiques'.

I'll never forget stopping in at a little antique store that had just opened here in the late eighties. In one small corner there was an area for serving ice cream and coffee. There was a line to buy those items. The owner said "I wanted to do something different from the restaurant business, so I opened a little antique store. I figured serving coffee and a few sweets would help with the cash flow 'til we get going." Sandwiches soon followed, then soup, salads and more. The White Wolf Cafe never really became a location for antiques, but the lines to get a table for lunch or dinner can be prodigious. It's a fun and hip little place to meet friends and then maybe go for a little shopping down the street. Other restaurants of note in the area are The Greek Corner overlooking Lake Ivanhoe, Brian's, serving typical diner food and the polar opposite, Ethos Vegan Restaurant. All three are quite popular in their respective categories.

A really cool bed and other antinques inside Wasburn Imports.

Cool selections inside Washburn.

More inside of Washburn Imports

Among the other top draws are Washburn Imports, where John Washburn and his charming staff show the niftiest Indonesian, Indian, Thai and Chinese furnishings. John makes frequent buying trips to the orient and has a great eye for the unusual and the beautiful. A few doors up, Rock 'n Roll Heaven has a rich assortment of retro-vinyl, new and used cds and cult posters that span the entire music spectrum with a particular emphasis on the last fifty years. And just to broaden the mix, Galactic Skate Shop , in the next block adds a whole other element. The one thing that the fifty or so shops here have in common is that they are cool, urban and bound to entertain. Neither the mercandise or the proprietors disappoint in their ability to beguile you.

Not to be missed and just one block east of Orange Avenue on Alden Road is the fabulous Elephant Walk Shop. The owner, Endor, hails from Turkey and he has an eye for fine European Antiques that he uses on his frequent trips abroad. Designers from all over the southeast depend on Endor to provide them with that something special that will make their commissions stand out. And, like so many others in this part of town, he is a genuinely nice person, totally warm, friendly and extremely knowledgeable.

A trip to Antique Row in Orlando is definitely worth a half day sojourn. And its proximity to other cultural attractions found around the corner in Loch Haven Park, make it an ideal location to combine with a visit to these nearby institutions. Loch Haven is home to the Orlando Museum of Art, Mennello Folk Art Museum, the Civic Theaters, the Shakespeare Festival Theater and the Orlando Science Center. Less than half a mile away is the outstanding Leu Botanical Gardens. And silly you, you thought Orlando just had theme parks. For information about these and a myriad of other outstanding arts and cultural destinations, stay tuned for future blogs!

Winter Garden and Lake Apopka Keep up with the Times

Clock tower on one side of the West Orange Rec. Trail with a budding bird of paradise in the foreground.


A splendid fountain on the rec. trail, notice the citrus labels on the base of the fountain.

Hibiscus flowers along part of the West Orange Recreational Trail

On the south shore of Lake Apopka, sits the charming little city of Winter Garden. And at the rate it's growing, little will soon not be an appropriate adjective. Historically this was a major center for the citrus industry in central Florida. Its position on the western edge of Orange County put it right amongst some of the richest citrus producing lands in the whole peninsula. The sandy hills which surround Lake Apopka were perfect for giving the right drainage to citrus trees in Florida's fifty plus inch rainfall. The conditions produced optimal growth and helped turn its largest grove owners into magnates. Among those were my great uncle Chester, whose Sky Top grove, just over the Lake County line a few miles west of downtown Winter Garden, allowed him to become the first grower to ship over a million crates of oranges way back in the nineteen thirties. The agricultural legacy of Winter Garden made the town wealthy, but it also boxed it in. As long as the groves around town were gold (orange) mines, there was no incentive to develop the land into anything else. A good grove could easily produce over a thousand dollars a year per acre in profits, in 1950's dollars! Wealthy folks were attracted here to the genteel lifestyle an elegant home surrounded by fragrant groves scented with orange blossoms might afford. The town of Oakland, immediately bordering Winter Garden on the west was particularly favored by the moneyed crowd. One eccentric and beautiful New York socialite who maintained a columned mansion there passed into legend back in the nineteen twenties when she was stopped in Winter Garden for speeding on her way in to Orlando for a party at the Country Club. Informed by the officer that the fine was ten dollars, she reportedly handed him a twenty and said," Honey, you might as well keep all of that 'cause I'm planning on speeding back through later on my way home!"

Winter Garden Train Station and water tower.
The West Orange Historical Museum

The famous Chessie caboose A view from one of the downtown cafes of West Orange Rec. trail that runs through the downtown district

Clock tower with the EdgeWater Hotel in the background
Check-in desk at the Edgewater Hotel
Lobby of the Edgewater Hotel

In the seventies things really began to change. Cheap imports from Latin America, particularly Brazil, began to undermine prices. And then came the devastating freezes of 1984 and 1988/89. The freeze in mid-decade killed most of the trees in the northern Ridge Area, as this section was known. A few growers attempted to replant a portion of their land in new trees. When back to back freezes in the winter of 1988/89 wiped out the rest of the plantings, the economics of the situation doomed the industry to essentially abandon the Orange and central Lake County areas altogether. The land simply was too valuable as real estate to bother to try citrus growing any more. My cousins sold the Sky Top and the land was immediately gobbled up by developers. The National Triathlon Center, along with Florida Hospital, Lake/Sumter Community College, numerous shopping centers and thousands of homes now occupy the rolling hills that once hosted millions of dark green Valencia Orange trees.
Hydroponic greenhouse on the roof of the garden supply store.

Window ad for the hydroponic growing method

The stagnation of the citrus business was reflected in the moribund shape of downtown Winter Garden. Fortunately this meant that the charming buildings erected in the town's heydays of the teens through the nineteen forties were left to molder. In the 1990's, when development took off on the nearby deserted citrus hills, the sensibilities of the country had turned to a preservationist mindset that allowed the central business district to flourish. It is one of the best examples of urban revitalization in the entire southeastern United States.

Wheelworks bike shop, a perfect location with the recreational trail in its vicinity.

Winter Garden has awakened to find itself as the boutique shopping and dining mecca for the tiny suburbs of west Windermere and its own upper middle class developments south of town. It's population has more than doubled to over thirty thousand and at present rates could reach fifty in a few years. The channeling of the West Orange recreational Trail right through downtown has been augmented by charming landscape features such as fountains, arbors, brick gazebos and more. The Opening of two museums, The West Orange Historical and The Central Florida Railroad, along with the revitalizing of the historic Edgewater Hotel, the Garden Theater and a beautiful new art deco style city hall have all created the impetus for the burgeoning of art galleries, restaurants, boutiques and other businesses that make the downtown experience here approach the charm of more established destinations like Winter Park and Mount Dora. One restaurant in particular, The Chef's Table, has been rated as one of the top restaurants in the entire metro area The meals are all three course prix fixe for fifty a person, twenty dollars more adds a wine pairing with each course. And the offerings, best described as nouvelle American are simply wonderful. The location in the historic Edgewater Hotel creates a perfect ambiance. The Edgewater played elegant host to wealthy sportsman who frequented Winter Garden starting in the 1920's for the unparalleled bass fishing on Lake Apopka.

Moon Cricket Grill, a great restaurant to eat at in the downtown area.

The new city hall completed in 2008

The revitalized Garden TheatreShot of the long dock stretching out into Lake Apopka

That Lake was once the second largest lake in Florida, but in 1941, to help provide food for the war effort, 20,000 acres along the lake's north shore were drained for vegetable production. The fertile muck proved a bonanza and the area's Zellwood sweet corn was celebrated as some of the country's best. Unfortunately the fertilizers used to push production ended up causing massive degradation of the lake's water quality due to rampant algae bloom. By the late eighties, the lake was on its last legs. What had been home to 22 fish camps and multi-million dollar commercial fishery was a green soup that was impossible to see through. In the thirties, and even into the forties, the spring fed lake was so clear you could see the sandy bottom even in areas ten or more feet deep.

Sky and water meeting. Far off in the distance on the other side of the lake is the city of Apopka

The park that borders Lake Apopka in Winter Garden

Map and wildlife of Lake Apopka

Fortunately it was around this time that the state and federal governments launched a program to spend hundreds of millions of dollars buying up the farms along the north shore. These were converted to wetlands that have resumed there natural function as vital habitat for a wide array of magnificent and exotic bird species. Algae growth is down 75 percent and in five to seven more years the lake will be well on its way to resuming the health it had prior to 1950. Another decade or more after that might see it in its original pristine condition. As the headwaters of the Harris chain of lakes, into which it empties through the Beauclair Canal, it ultimately feeds the Ocklawaha River and after that, the St. John's River. The health of Lake Apopka is essential to the well-being of all the vital waterways which it supplies. It looks like for now, both the city of Winter Garden and it's neighboring lake are headed for bright futures. The restoration of both natural and historical assets is a happy marriage that should serve as a beacon to the whole region.