Winter Garden, Florida is one of the fastest growing communities in the country! It spans 3 zip codes and about 69 square miles. With so many options for things to see and do, let’s break down what you need to know!
Downtown Winter Garden
Downtown Winter Garden is the true heart and soul of the 34787 zip code. Although it is drenched in small town charm, new developments are starting to make their way onto iconic Plant Street. We can expect to see more office buildings, eateries and living communities popping up in the near future. However, the tree lined brick roads and frequent community festivals are sure to keep the charm intact.
Image by Downtown Winter Garden
The Exchange
Plant Street’s newest addition, The Exchange, opened in 2022 and boasts a beautiful, brick facade. It also hosts several local favorite restaurants and small businesses. Noteworthy residents include The Hangry Bison, where gourmet burgers are their specialty, Kelly’s Ice Cream and Foxtail Coffee Co. An additional two stories of office space round off this much needed addition to our Winter Garden “must see” list.
Images by The Exchange
New Construction Underway
In early 2020, plans were revealed to construct a 3-story, multi use space across from Winter Garden’s beautiful town hall. This will bring a 60 room hotel featuring a 5,000 sq ft restaurant, 1,000 sq ft of retail space and 3,000 sq ft of meeting and event space. When built, it will be a huge addition to the Downtown Winter Garden landscape, much like the Exchange. Construction is expected to begin later this year, but we can’t wait to see it be brought to life!
Image by Collage Construction
Housing
In regards to housing nearby, a large majority of the homes within walking distance to Plant Street were built in the early-mid 90’s. They mostly have either been remodeled or could desperately use an update. If you’re looking for something more modernized, new developments are going in at nearby 30 North Park. This area features upscale townhomes, Stanton Estates or Oakland Park, a master planned community reminiscent of Baldwin Park or Celebration.
Also worth noting is a $20 million project called the “East Winter Garden Plan”. This was introduced in 2018 to bring more housing, businesses and community amenities east of downtown towards State Road 429. Read about the whole project here.
Things To Do
If you want to try out something new there are no shortage of options. Every Saturday from 8AM – 1PM the Winter Garden Farmers Market takes over downtown, and the crowds ascend to shop the nearly 100 local booths. Ranked the number one farmers market in America by Farmland Trust, vendors include local artists, farmers and restaurants from around Central Florida.
Images by Downtown Winter Garden
Travel indoors to a local favorite just two minutes down Plant Street – Plant Street Market. Crooked Can Brewery, Hunger Street Tacos and more small, local eateries call this food hall home. If you happen to be one of the few people that don’t enjoy eating and/or shopping, there’s also the West Orange Trail. The trail is a 22 mile long biking and walking path that runs right through the heart of downtown. Whatever your preference, there is something to peak everyone’s interest!
Winter Garden Village
10 minutes South of Plant Street and Downtown Winter Garden sits the ultra-commercialized shopping district, Winter Garden Village. Here you can find all of your typical big box stores including Target, Best Buy, Chick-fil-A, Lowes, and many more. This shopping center is undoubtedly the most convenient place to find anything you could need, without driving 30 minutes to the Florida Mall or Millenia.
Images by Winter Garden Village
Located nearby are several options for housing such as the established golf community of Stoneybrook West. Built in 2000, 13 community “villages” make up this nearly 1,500 home gated subdivision. You’ll also find several smaller communities such as Glynwood and Foxcrest within a minutes drive of Winter Garden Village.
Hamlin
Another 8 minute drive down FL-429 brings us to Hamlin, the heart of the up and coming Horizon West community. Winter Garden proper residents would tell you that Horizon West isn’t *technically* Winter Garden. However, it is still located in the 34787 zip code, therefore claiming a right to the name.
Image by Live Horizon West
This area is seeing daily growth that is bringing new businesses, schools and residents to the area. Currently under construction, and expected to open before the 2022-2023 school year, are new elementary and middle schools. Horizon High School recently opened for students just last fall.
Restaurants and Running
Chain restaurants such as Tijuana Flats and Ford’s Garage are brand new in this area while fun, local favorites are also popping up next door. One of these include Home State Brewing Co. This unique spot cultivates community relationships through their brewery, but also through running.
Images by @homestatebrewingco
Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting out, they have a weekly Run Club. In this, attendees are welcome to join in, free of charge, and take a run (or walk) through the community. Upon returning, runners get 15% off of their drinks for the rest of the evening! Little things like this are one of the many reasons Horizon West is our favorite place to hang around.
Image by Horizon West Info
Housing
While Hamlin is currently the hub of Horizon West, 20,000 homes are going up throughout the community. All of these will expand south towards Disney and I-4. With about ¾ of those being built between the early 2000’s and now, there are several communities continuing to pop up. These are more specifically towards the new Disney owned Flamingo Crossing area over the next few years.
Flamingo Crossing is the newest addition to Horizon West and has seen a ton of growth over the last six months. Two massive new apartment complexes are being constructed for participants of the Disney College Program. One of these opened last year, along with retail giants such as Target, Starbucks, Walgreens and Five Guys taking over that space. Just down the road is where Disney has set aside 80 acres to build low income housing for cast members just minutes from the parks and resorts.
Overall
There is so much in this growing community! We can’t wait for you to visit Winter Garden and only hope you can find it as charming as we do. So, tell us – which area are you going to explore first?
The Orlando Real is sponsored by The Pozek Group. If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home in Orlando, reach out and we would love to help!
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