A Walk Through St. Augustine - The Oldest Continuously Inhabited City in the United States
December 15, 2007
A Walk Through St. Augustine - The Oldest Continuously Inhabited City in the United States
by: Susanne Pacher
On our way home from Orlando, a little more than an hour into our 20+ hour road trip back to Toronto, we stopped in St. Augustine, “the nation’s oldest city”, just north of Jacksonville - indeed the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States, having been founded by the Spanish in 1565.
St. Augustin’s founder, Don Pedro Menendez, came ashore on September 8, 1565, and chose to name the settlement after the patron saint whose feast day coincided with the day of landing. Of course, before the Spanish ever set foot on Florida soil, the Timacuan Indians had already been here and they watched Menendez and the roughly 1500 colonists and soldiers settle here. Over the last few centuries the city experienced governments from different countries, including Spain, Britain, and since 1821, the United States.
Orlando Off the Beaten Path: The Serenity of the Historic Bok Sanctuary and Pinewood Estate
December 14, 2007
Orlando Off the Beaten Path: The Serenity of the Historic Bok Sanctuary and Pinewood Estate
by: Susanne Pacher
The Historic Bok Sanctuary is located about an hour southwest of Orlando near Lake Wales, also home to the Florida’s Natural Visitor Center that I visited earlier in the day. The Sanctuary was founded by Edward W. Bok, who immigrated to America in 1869 from the Netherlands when he was 6 years old. Through determination and hard work, he became a highly successful publisher and editor of Ladies’ Home Journal, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, respected humanitarian and an advocate of world peace and the environment.
I am always fascinated by stories of industry magnates and successful entrepreneurs who became philanthropists and donated their estates to the public. Edward W. Bok is definitely one of those fascinating individuals.
As a successful publisher, Edward Bok, a Pennsylvania resident, used to retreat to Florida in the winters and became enchanted with the beauty and vistas from Iron Mountain, which, at 298 feet above sea level, is the highest point in peninsular Florida. Awed by the tranquility of the area, he wanted to create a place that would “touch the soul with its beauty and quiet”, and he purchased land which he transformed into a sweeping landscape of lush gardens, designed by the famed landscape architect, Federick Law Olmstead Jr. The bird sanctuary houses 126 different species of birds as well as a variety of endangered plants and animal species.
Exploring Downtown Orlando - A Beautiful Walk Around Lake Eola
December 13, 2007
Exploring Downtown Orlando - A Beautiful Walk Around Lake Eola
by: Susanne Pacher
After our interesting visits to the Orange County Regional History Center and the Well’s Built Museum of African-American Culture and History, we decided to continue our explorations of downtown Orlando and its surrounding historic neighbourhoods. After driving through beautiful residential areas, framed by majestic oak trees adorned by Spanish Moss, we decided to take a stroll around beautiful Lake Eola, which is just minutes from downtown’s Heritage Square, home of the Orange County Regional History Center, and every second, third and fourth Saturday of the month is also home to a lively farmer’s market. By this time, the sun was starting to set and Lake Eola and the surrounding highrises were bathed in the golden hues of sunset.
Lake Eola is one of Orlando’s more than 300 lakes and is surrounded by established residential areas and highrises ringing the downtown core. The park extends over 43 acres (17.2 hectares) and provides generous sidewalks around the lake on a 0.9 mile (1.4 km) loop around the water, which is enthusiastically used by walkers and joggers. The lake itself can be explored on paddle boats, and other facilities include a playground, a small outdoor cafe, gondola rides, and the Walt Disney Amphiteatre for special events.
Orange County Regional History Center: A Great Introduction to Central Florida’s History and Culture
December 12, 2007
Orange County Regional History Center: A Great Introduction to Central Florida’s History and Culture
by: Susanne Pacher
Exploring Orlando “Off the Beaten Path” has been the theme for our trip and I intend to explore the Central areas of the Sunshine State, and flush out all those unexpected and unconventional destinations in and around Orlando. In my discoveries of Orlando, I have been working closely with the Orlando Visitor and Convention Bureau, to get the input of local experts and work out an itinerary for our two weeks in Florida, without setting foot once into a theme park.
One of the first places they suggested was the Orange County Regional History Center, home to the varied and extensive collections of the Historical Society of Central Florida. Located in the heart of downtown Orlando in the beautifully restored five-story Orange County Courthouse, The History Center is continuously distinguished as the area’s “Best Museum”. When the History Center was built as a courthouse in 1927, the jail was on the top floor, with quarters for the jailer and his wife, an infirmary, and separate cellblocks for white women, white men, black women and black men.
Golf in Orlando: Timacuan Golf and Country Club
December 11, 2007
Golf in Orlando: Timacuan Golf and Country Club
by: Susanne Pacher
On our last full day in Florida we had a chance to play another beautiful golf course, this one located about half an hour north of downtown Orlando in the community of Lake Mary. Timacuan Golf and Country Club was built in 1987 and was originally designed by a Ron Garl. In 1996 the course was renovated by architect Bobby Weed and today it is ranked in the top 14 in the state of Florida. Timacuan’s other accolades include having been chosen as one of the most golf-friendly courses for women by Golf for Women Magazine.
Bobby Weed’s redesign encompassed many elements of the course and ensured that all players will have an enjoyable round of golf. Timacuan also features a large driving range and putting green. Par is 71 and the course plays close to 7,000 yards from the back tees. Timacuan’s unique features include a links-style front nine and a Carolina feel complete with gorgeous pines and lakes on the back nine.
Exploring Orlando’s Loch Haven Park: A Center of Arts and Culture
December 11, 2007
Exploring Orlando’s Loch Haven Park: A Center of Arts and Culture
by: Susanne Pacher
On this overcast day we decided to explore other areas of Orlando in more detail. About 10 minutes north of downtown Orlando is Loch Haven Park, an area that holds a number of major attractions, including theOrlando Museum of Art, the Mennello Museum of American Art as well as the Orlando Repertory Theatre, the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orlando Science Center.
We started our exploration off with a trip to the Leu Botanical Gardens. The centerpiece of the gardens is the Leu House Museum, a restored farmhouse dating back to 1888. It is located on Lake Rowena, one of the hundreds of lakes in Orlando, and surrounded by a 50 acre garden of roses, palms and camellias. The complex also features an orchid house with one of the best collections of orchids in the United States. The Leu Botanical Gardens also offer a new tropical stream garden, a kitchen garden complete with herbs and vegetables and a butterfly garden.
A Walk through Winter Park - A Hint of New England in Florida
December 10, 2007
A Walk through Winter Park - A Hint of New England in Florida
by: Susanne Pacher
Just a few minutes north of downtown Orlando awaits Winter Park, a charming picturesque suburb steeped in history. After my excursion on the Scenic Boat Tour, my local expert Wanda Salerno took me on a little walk through town past beautiful historic neighbourhoods.
With is origins as a citrus growing region, Winter Park became a major destination for wealthy northerners during the early 1900s, who came into town by train to reach their elegant winter retreats, seeking shelter from the cold winters of the north. Elegant mansions and and stately old oak trees draped with Spanish moss bear witness to this historic era.
Wanda then took me through some of Winter Park’s hidden courtyards, which are filled with specialty retail stores and galleries. Winter Park features a large variety of galleries and I had a chance to sample three of them, all of which carried vastly different artwork:
- Scott Laurent Collections
- Native Visions Gallery
- Timothy’s
Golf in Orlando: Attending the Legendary Father Son Challenge Tournament at Champions Gate
December 9, 2007
Golf in Orlando: Attending the Legendary Father Son Challenge Tournament at Champions Gate
by: Susanne Pacher
After our exciting round at Mystic Dunes, it was only mid-afternoon on a gorgeous day with blue skies, so we decided to take a 10 minute drive and drop in on the Father Son Challenge at Champion’s Gate, which has been held for the last 3 years at this golf course in the South part of Orlando. You can’t miss Champion’s Gate, when you first get off exit 58 on the I-4, the impressive main entrance gates to Champion’s Gate are right there.
The Father Son Legend is truly a walking Hall of Fame of Golf, and it’s a celebration of the sport as well as of the bonds of family. Famous golf professionals of the present and the past play with their talented sons and daughters, and all of them share a passion for the game.
Preview: Voices of Diversity - Esther and Li Head Out On A Holocaust Education Trip and Create A Documentary
December 8, 2007
Preview: Voices of Diversity - Esther and Li Head Out On A Holocaust Education Trip and Create A Documentary
by: Susanne Pacher
Once again, the work on the website continues spinning a web of wonderful new contacts. My awesome dentist, Dr. Rajiv Arya, one of the truly enlightened human beings (we discuss world philosophy while he drills on my molars….), told me last year about this trip he went on a few years ago. He explained that it was a Holocaust education trip and that the entire 2-week journey was documented by two young women from Toronto in a documentary entitled “Those Who Lie Beneath”.
Well, no doubt, I had to meet these two creative and ambitious young women. Connecting with Esther Garfin and Li Yeh has been in the making for quite a few months since they are both busy professionals in the television industry in their respective fields of law and business affairs. This Holocaust education and anti-discrimination trip literally fell into their lap unexpectedly in early 2002. At that time, both worked at the same TV production company (although on the non-TV production side of things), and they got the idea to do a documentary on this very unique journey.
Banff - Lake Louise: Stunning Beauty and Nature At Its Best in the Canadian Rockies
December 7, 2007
Banff - Lake Louise: Stunning Beauty and Nature At Its Best in the Canadian Rockies
by: Susanne Pacher
For the first time ever, my husband and I are going to go skiing in the majestic Rocky Mountains: in March of 2006 we are going to go to stay a week in Banff, Alberta and we are also going to explore Lake Louise, the turquoise jewel of the Canadian Rockies. As we have never been to this region, I have started to do some research and contacted the official visitor information website for the communities of Banff and Lake Louise in Banff National Park.
I had a chance to speak with Quintin Winks, Manager of Media Relations for
Banff Lake Louise Tourism, who was able to provide me with excellent background information about the Banff / Lake Louise Region.
1. Please provide us with some general information about Banff/Lake Louise. Where is it located, what is the weather like?
