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andquot Hello From Orlando Part 5 The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tourandquot
he Winter Park Scenic Boat
Tour, founded in 1938 and In Lake Virginia we came up close
located just 15 minutes to the grounds of Rollins
north of downtown Orlando, is one College, one of the top rated
of these lovely side trips that private liberal arts colleges in
combine beautiful scenery, a bit the South Eastern United States,
of local history, some close-up founded in 1885 by New England
exposure to local wildlife and Congregationalists. Rollins
vegetation with a relaxing outing College is the oldest recognized
in a slow-moving 18-passenger college in the state of Florida
pontoon boat, all complete with with a small student body of
expert (and sometimes humorous) 1,700 students, housed on a
narration provided by the boat's beautiful 70 acre Mediterraean
captain. Revival Campus. Our expert
captain / tour guide mentioned
The tour takes you through 3 that tuition at the college is
lakes: Lake Osceola, Lage $38,000 and the ratio of students
Virginia and Lake Maitland. On to professors is 12:1.
this gorgeous day, with
brilliantly blue skies, the boat Condos are located right next to
whisked us past hundreds of the college, selling today for
beautiful water-front estates, between $450,000 to $1 million.
many of which were originally As we approached the narrow
built in the 1920s and originally Venetian Canal that would take us
sold for $20,000, while fetching from Lake Virginia to Lake
between $500,000 and several Maitland, our captain made us
million in today's booming aware of all the interesting
Central Florida real estate vegetation growing alongside the
market. Even boathouses are worth canal: Egyptian papyrus, Spanish
between $30,000 and $40,000. moss (an airplant and not a
parasite), the Princess flower, Lake Maitland is the largest of
colourful bougainvilleas and the 3 lakes covered by the boat
resurrection fern. We saw a tour. A dam controls the water
variety of birds, including an level and interestingly, the
Osprey eagle, a snake bird, a lakes all drain northwards into
great blue heron and a white the St. John's River which flows
egret, which used to be the good into the Atlantic near
luck bird of the Seminole Jacksonville. The Kraft Azalea
Indians. Gardens, located on Lake Maitland
on Alabama Drive off Palmer
On Lake Maitland we learned that Avenue, feature thousands of
there was an alligator cave from azaleas, tropical shrubs and
which 150 alligators were removed trees. Azaleas are in full bloom
into the Florida Everglades to January through March.
prevent a rather dangerous
collision between local wildlife Our expert captain also pointed
and civilization. out various mansions that have
been used as backdrops in various
Along the Venetian Canal we also movies and commercials. Lake
saw variegated ginger and banana Maitland also features several
trees, as we slowly passed under small islands with rather naked
the arched Palmer Avenue Bridge. looking trees that house colonies
Philodendrons, palmgrass, bamboo, of cormorants, fishing birds that
a plant called firespikes and an consume up to a pound of fish a
interesting arrangement of "air day.
potatoes", round tubers hanging
down from a tree branch, adorned We slowly made our way back from
our journey through the canal. Lake Maitland to Lake Osceola
where our relaxing and scenic
At 450 acres and 30 feet deep, boat tour came to an end. On this
gorgeous day it was a fabulous Boat tours run every day from 10
outing that provided an am to 4 pm (except Christmas).
appropriate historical context For further information contact
for a further exploration of the the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour.
beautiful city of Winter Park.
The Scenic Boat Tour, a Winter For the entire article including
Park institution for almost 70 photos please visit
years now, is located at the end of Morse Avenue on the shores of size="-2">http://www.travelandtra
Lake Osceola. It is a very nsitions.com/stories_photos/orlan
affordable outing at $8 for do_winter_park_boat_tour.htmadults and $4 for children t>
(children under 2 ride free).
About the Author:
Susanne Pacher is the publisher of Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com), a popular web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new section featuring FREE ebooks about travel.
Read more articles by: Susanne Pacher
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