Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour
Running since 1938, the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour loads a pontoon at the end of Morse Boulevard and drifts through the chain of lakes and the narrow, tree-shaded canals between them.
The Short Version
The lakes set the pace
The anchor is the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour, running since 1938: a pontoon out of Morse Boulevard that drifts through the chain of lakes and the narrow, tree-shaded canals between them while the skipper narrates the lakeside mansions and Rollins College from the water. It is the rare family plan that works for grandparents and small kids in the same hour, and it sets the tone for everything after: outside, unhurried, and nowhere near a turnstile.
The rest of the list keeps that pace on land. Casa Feliz, the storybook Spanish revival farmhouse on Park Avenue, and the Winter Park History Museum, telling the town’s story from its old railroad depot, give the day its stories. The Albin Polasek Museum pairs a sculptor’s historic home with serene lakeside gardens, and Mead Botanical Garden is the wild, shady one, boardwalks and a butterfly garden with room to roam. Boardwalk Pizza closes the day out, a Jersey shore pizzeria on Lake Howell Road where the whole family stays in the game.
The move: boat first, while everyone is fresh, then let the museums and gardens fill the middle of the day. Boarding is first come and sailings can fill, so the tour is the one stop worth arriving early for.
The Picks
Every family pick in Winter Park
The complete family list for the district, in the guide’s own order. Tap any name to open its own page.
Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum
Casa Feliz is a storybook Spanish revival farmhouse on Park Avenue, romantic and intimate, the kind of historic home guests say they could happily live in.
Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens
The Albin Polasek Museum pairs a sculptor's historic home with serene, lakeside sculpture gardens in Winter Park.
Mead Botanical Garden
Mead Botanical Garden is Winter Park's wilder, shadier green space, peaceful and a little untamed.
Winter Park History Museum
The Winter Park History Museum tells the town's story from inside its historic railroad depot, a small, charming space run with obvious care.
Boardwalk Pizza
Boardwalk Pizza brings a Jersey shore, old-school pizzeria feel to Lake Howell Road, with an open kitchen and a room guests describe as small-town and welcoming.
Before You Go
Practical notes
How the district fits together
- Park Avenue holds Casa Feliz and the history museum, and the boat tour leaves from Morse Boulevard just off the avenue, so the core of the day is a stroll; Mead Botanical Garden and Boardwalk Pizza sit a short drive out, as the day’s second act.
- Each pick’s finder card carries its address and details. Check the card before you set out, especially for the boat tour: boarding is first come, and sailings can fill.
Using the finder
- The family view below opens the finder filtered to the occasion across every district, including the International Drive family list for a bigger-energy day.
- This list is the quiet register of a family trip. The district story and the district view add the rest of Winter Park, the shops, galleries, and dining rooms, for the days that include the grown-ups’ list too.
Keep Going
The district, and the whole guide
This page is one cut of the guide: family in Winter Park. The district story covers the neighborhood itself, and the finder carries every place in the guide with search, filters, and a map.