Billed as a hip and luxurious place to stay, a brand-new Hard Rock Hotel is scheduled to open any day now at Universal Orlando. Perhaps the most picturesque part of Orlando is just outside the city limits, in Winter Park, a small community just a few miles north of downtown. A group of elderly men take turns operating the small boats, pointing out private multimillion-dollar homes and sharing local folklore with passengers. Just a few blocks from downtown is Lake Eola Park, a city park with a small lake, surrounded by a neighborhood of older homes. I discovered the park by accident one afternoon after I took a wrong turn leaving downtown.
Families have picnics and people relax on benches surrounding the lake.
Visitors can rent swan pedalboats and circle the lake's central fountain. I acceded to the Mouse. I ventured close enough to Disney World to try out the area of the park designed for grown-ups. Just inside the Disney World gates, Downtown Disney is a little village of clubs, shops and restaurants. Though it's still full of strollers on the sidewalks and kids chasing each other in the gift shops, Downtown Disney mostly caters to adults.