Weekend concerts drift across Lake Eola from the park's open-air stage while swan boats pedal past the fountain. Music runs deep here. The Backstreet Boys borrowed their name from an old Orlando flea market, and studios once turned out pop groups the way the groves turned out oranges.
Away from the theme parks, Mills 50 serves noodle soups in shops opened by Vietnamese families, and College Park keeps the cottage where Jack Kerouac wrote The Dharma Bums. Summers are hot and humid with afternoon storms, while winters stay mild and dry. A Local Friend can take your wish list and shape it into a day that makes sense, with the parks, the lake and dinner in the right order.
