Our Orlando logo carries Florida's alligator over "Florida Territory · Est. 1845," the year Florida joined the Union — the shared emblem of every Merlin Classics Florida place. Printed black-and-white with the worn look of an old citrus-crate stamp, the gator reads as wild Florida in shorthand: tough, sun-baked, and unmistakably of the place. What makes this one Orlando is the country behind it — Lake Eola, the swans, and the orange groves of the City Beautiful.
Orlando's older downtown still holds that history: "Old Orlando" along Orange Avenue, the 1889 Church Street depot, the historic neighborhoods around Lake Eola, and the oaks and brick streets that give the City Beautiful its name. It is an inland city of lakes — dozens of them across Orange County — set in the subtropical flatlands of Central Florida, about an hour from either coast.
Why People Visit Orlando
Orlando draws the world for its attractions, but its enduring charm is the City Beautiful underneath — lakes, oaks, swans, and a citrus-country past. Visitors who slow down find gardens, historic downtown streets, and lakefront paths that feel a world away from the crowds.
