Sure, you can set sail at Lake Eola. But instead of renting one of the swan-shaped paddleboats, you might be better off walking the lake's nearly milelong perimeter, taking in the serene beauty of the urban greenspace, which includes an amphitheater and a children's playground. On......more

Residents are still buzzing about Doc's Restaurant (1315 South Orange Avenue, 407-839-3627; www.docsrestaurant.com), a sophisticated addition to the city's otherwise ho-hum dining scene. A soaring space with wood tones and polished concrete floors, it is partly owned by a physician (hence the name), but the real......more

In Thornton Park — an old pedestrian-friendly neighborhood in downtown Orlando — Urban Think! (625 East Central Boulevard, 407-650-8004; www.urbanthinkorlando.com) is the kind of independent bookstore that, sadly, is a vanishing species. It has a smart selection of children's books, hard-to-find magazines and gay fiction, and......more

The city's budding art scene has a new home at the CityArts Factory (29 South Orange Avenue, 407-648-7060; www.dadorlando.com). Housed in a 1917 theater, the cultural center, which opened last year, has five light-filled galleries, a performance space and an artist's studio, all under one roof.......more

For those who think the history of Orlando begins and ends with Mickey Mouse, a visit to the Orange County Regional History Center (65 East Central Boulevard, 407-836-8500; www.thehistorycenter.org) is in order. The main exhibit traces 12,000 years of life in Central Florida, from the days......more

For a classic Southern breakfast served with a side of local history, start your day at Johnson's Diner (595 West Church Street, 407-841-0717; www.johnsonsdiner.com), a fixture in Orlando's sizable African-American community for more than two decades. Soul food doesn't get much better than the fish and......more

The spirit of improv lives at the Sak Comedy Lab (380 West Amelia Street, 407-648-0001; www.sak.com), a 200-seat theater in, of all places, the base of a parking garage. Anyone who has seen the television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” knows the drill: a troupe......more

Some cities have Chinatowns. Orlando has Little Vietnam, home to a large Vietnamese population that began arriving in the 1970s. The neighborhood, north of downtown along East Colonial Drive and North Mills Avenue, has lots of cheap and casual restaurants where you can feast on banh-mi......more

For a good introduction to Orlando's grown-up side, take a seat at the Eola Wine Company (500 East Central Boulevard, 407-481-9100; www.eolawinecompany.com), a wine bar and store at the edge of Lake Eola, the city's most prominent body of water. It has an urban-chic feel, with......more

Even if you're not into eating sprouts or saving the planet, there's plenty to appreciate at the Dandelion Communitea Cafe (618 North Thornton Avenue, 407-362-1864; www.dandelioncommunitea.com). There is the funky, artsy décor with hand-painted chairs and fabric-covered ceiling. There's the menu, which includes the outstanding Happy......more