Florida is a popular destination, especially in the spring and fall. Between the beaches, golf courses, and lovely freshwater destinations, it’s no wonder that over 142 million people travel to the state every year. However, with these numbers come large crowds at popular tourist attractions like Miami and Siesta Key. However, there are plenty of lesser-known destinations, such as Ocoee.
Ocoee is the third-largest city in Orange County, with around 49,000 people. Despite its population, it isn’t the busy place you might expect. It has a laidback, almost lazy virtue to it that you rarely see outside of small towns, while still having all the benefits of living in a big city, such as plenty of attractions and stores within easy driving distance.
Ocoee is not only used as a sort of suburb but also as a distribution hub. Because of its closeness to Orlando, the Florida Turnpike, and State Road 50, it was the perfect place to set up warehouses for local companies and distribution centers for others. Despite that, Ocoee didn’t just become a desolate spot for large buildings. It still continued to grow and be a place people chose to live. It’s also a wonderful place for tourists to visit, full of historic sites like the Ocoee Christian Church, built back before the 1900s. To celebrate and share the history, there are also a few museums just minutes away, such as the Winter Garden Heritage Museum.
The history and museums found in Ocoee
Ocoee offers access to a few museums, one of the most notable being the Winter Garden Heritage Museum found just outside Ocoee in the charming and walkable Winter Garden. It’s an attraction jam-packed with historic artifacts, including a hospital setup donated by Orlando Health. It’s worth stopping at if you have some free time. It doesn’t cost anything to visit, but it is packed with all sorts of interesting items.
There is also the Withers-Maguire House, which was first built in 1888. It represents the Queen Anne style and is considered quite beautiful by history lovers and casual observers. Throughout the year, the home is the site of many fun events, including classic tea parties and even some concerts.
If you somehow get tired of Ocoee, you don’t have to travel far to hit a major tourist hub in Florida. It is just on the edge of Orlando, a city brimming with free activities, and the two cities overlap in attractions. Ocoee’s size comes in large part from the nearby city of Orlando, which is home to several tourist attractions. Disney World and Universal Studios are just two examples of major draws to the area. As Orlando grew, so too did Ocoee, acting as a home base for many people working in the other city. There are plenty of other museums in Orlando as well, such as the Orlando Science Center and the Museum of Illusions.
What else to see and do in Ocoee
