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Park Avenue Review

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Park Avenue

  • Address: Park Ave. between Fairbanks and Canton Aves., Winter Park, FL | Map It

Fodor's Review:

Unquestionably one of the most inviting spots in Central Florida,

Park Avenue in downtown Winter Park offers a full day of shopping and entertainment. The last couple of years have seen a mass exodus of the chain stores that came to dominate shopping on Park Avenue, leaving the street open to the return of boutique shopping. Most of these stores are privately owned and offer merchandise that cannot be easily found elsewhere.

On the north end of Park Avenue is the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, of which the centerpiece is the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. It's a great little museum with a fantastic shop selling lots of Tiffany-theme gifts and books. On the other side of the street is 10,000 Villages, a fascinating little store dealing exclusively in fair-trade items. Across the street is Shoooz, which sells funky but functional Euro shoes. Just a short walk from there, Jacobson's is a chic clothing boutique.

Toward the south end of Park Avenue, you'll find Peterbrooke Chocolatier, which makes all of its chocolates on premises and almost always has something on hand to sample, such as its to-die-for chocolate-covered popcorn. Next door is Red Marq, a truly hip card shop that goes way beyond anything Hallmark has to offer. Across the street, NFX Apothecary sells indulgent soaps, lotions, and cosmetics. Shoúture, a high-end shoe boutique, stocks such designers as Hollywould, Constanca Basto, and Lily Holt. And if your feet are weary from shopping, don't worry, most Shoúture purchases will qualify you for a complimentary pedicure. If you're looking for the popular upscale pet boutique that used to be called The Doggie Door, go north a block. This shop has been combined with another venture owned by the same people, a former gourmet food and wine shop known as Olive This Relish That, to create Bullfish. A pet store/wine shop might sound like an odd combination, but the new combined business is as popular as the old separate businesses were.

For shoppers and nonshoppers alike part of the fun of Park Avenue is exploring the little nooks and crannies that divert you from the main drag. Tucked in an alley between Lyman and New England Avenues is Palmano's, a great little coffee bar that will sell you a hot cup of brew or a pound of its fresh roasted beans. It's also a great place to grab a glass of wine in the evening. Between Welbourne and Morse avenues, around the corner from Barnie's Coffee, you find Greeneda Court. A walk to the back reveals a delightful fountain and wrought-iron tables and chairs where you can sit and relax with a cappuccino from Barnie's. Of course the antiques store hidden there could keep you on your feet.

In the middle of the next block are the Hidden Garden Shops, which house Pooh's Corner, a delightful children's bookstore specializing in hard-to-find titles. Also on Park Avenue are numerous art galleries, antique jewelry stores, a cigar shop, and a gentlemen's barber shop where you can treat yourself to a haircut and a shave.

The third weekend in March brings the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival (407/672-6390); more than 40 years after its debut it still attracts thousands of art aficionados and a few hundred of America's better artists.

  • Open: Most shops Mon.–Sat. 10–5, some also Sun. noon–5

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