Brightwend / Where we are / Orlando
Good outings close to home in Orlando
Each morning, Brightwend suggests one good outing for your parent close to home in Orlando: a real place, open that day. They go if they feel like it, and you get to hear all about it.
A few places on our Orlando list
Here are some of the places Brightwend suggests in Orlando, each with one of its suggestions. Where a place publishes something about itself, like paths, parking or seating, we pass it on and name the source. Things change, so please check with the place before a trip that would be hard to repeat.
Parks and outdoor sites
Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
2850 Lust Rd, Apopka, FL 32703
A suggestion here: Drive eleven miles without getting out of the car and count the birds.
Lake Davis Park
723 Lake Davis Drive, Orlando, FL 32806
A suggestion here: Bring a notebook and sketch the line of the lake from a bench.
“The City of Orlando says Lake Davis Park is open daily 6 AM–11 PM and has a paved walking path.”
Gardens, nature and animals
Gatorland
14501 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32837
A suggestion here: Take a grandchild along the boardwalk and let them pick one gator to name before you leave.
“Gatorland says it is open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, rain or shine, and that all areas are accessible. Wheelchairs and electric scooters can be rented first-come, first-served, and guests may bring their own. It offers $3 off single-day admission when bought online.”
Oakland Nature Preserve
747 Machete Trail, Oakland, FL 34760
A suggestion here: Bring a grandchild to the education center and let them choose one thing in the museum to show you.
“The preserve says entry, trails and the museum are free, it is open sunrise to sunset 365 days a year, and the boardwalk and education-center restrooms, museum and classroom are accessible; other trails are sand and roots.”
Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area
12175 Clapp Simms Duda Rd, Orlando, FL 32832
A suggestion here: Read about the giant split live oak the forest is named for, and think of a tree from your childhood you'd climb.
“Orange County Parks and Recreation says Split Oak Forest is open summer 8 a.m.–8 p.m. and winter 8 a.m.–6 p.m., and is reached by a hiking trail inside Moss Park. Its network of trails and unpaved roads offers wildlife viewing and a range of habitats.”
Museums and history
Mennello Museum of American Art
900 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803
A suggestion here: Look at one Earl Cunningham painting and think of a place you could still paint from memory.
“The city lists step-free entry, accessible restrooms and a free outdoor sculpture garden on the lakefront. Bank of America cardholders enter free on the first full weekend of the month.”
Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art
445 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789
A suggestion here: Go and look at glass made by a man who did nothing else for fifty years.
“The museum lists accessible parking, step-free entry and a lift. Admission is charged, with free entry on Friday evenings from November to April.”
Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens
633 Osceola Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789
A suggestion here: Walk the Polasek gardens and count the sculptures you pass, then guess which one he made first.
“The museum lists hours Tue-Sat 10am-4pm and Sun 1-4pm, closed Mondays; tickets are sold, and accessibility details are on its Plan Your Visit page.”
Food and markets
Lake Mary Farmers Market at Central Park
100 N Country Club Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746
A suggestion here: Walk the shady paths after the market and rest in the gazebo.
“The City of Lake Mary says a farmers market runs at Central Park at City Hall on Saturdays from 9 am to 1:30 pm. The park has shady paths, a reflecting pond, a gazebo, picnic tables and benches.”
Winter Park Saturday Farmers' Market
150 North New York Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789
A suggestion here: Buy one fruit you've never tasted and ask the grower how to eat it.
Libraries, crafts and shows
Orlando Public Library
101 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, FL 32801
A suggestion here: Visit the Melrose Center Fiber Arts Studio and, if you knit or sew, share a tip with someone just starting out.
Fairview Shores Branch Library
902 Lee Road, Suite 26, Orlando, FL 32810
A suggestion here: Bring a grandchild to pick out two picture books, then read one aloud together before checking them out.
Around town
Orlando Shakes – Lowndes Shakespeare Center
812 East Rollins Street, Orlando, FL 32803
A suggestion here: Stop by the box office in the afternoon and ask which play in the season they'd pick for a first-timer.
“The theater lists box office hours Tuesday-Sunday 12-5 p.m. and has an accessibility page on its website.”
Elsewhere near Orlando?
Brightwend works anywhere. Outside our named places it suggests everyday ideas at home and close by, like the library, a café they've never tried or a walk near home. Check your parent's ZIP to see what they'd get.
- A person approves every idea and every place. AI helps us word suggestions; it can't add a place or change one. How suggestions are made
- We never track where anyone is. No live location, and we never sell data.
- “Not today” is always fine. Every suggestion is optional. Skip a day and nothing breaks.
Free for your parent, for good. Your parent is never asked to pay, and never sees a price in the app. Brightwend Family, for the whole family: $139 for a year (holiday launch price through Jan 31; $179 from February 1)$179 for a year, one payment, never renews.