ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s official. People who don’t live in Orlando also know the City Beautiful rocks.
Miami-based Thrillist writer Matthew Meltzer published a feature Wednesday gushing about Orlando’s neighborhoods, food scene, sports and infrastructure.
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Those who don’t live in Orlando may not realize there is much more to the Central Florida city beyond the theme parks down the way on I-4 families plan their vacations around.
Meltzer draws attention to Orlando’s popular Main Street program neighborhoods including bustling Audubon Park and Milk District.
Audubon Park’s East End Market “is a prime example of Orlando as (an) Actual Town,” writes Meltzer.
Downtown Orlando is home to Orlando City Soccer’s new stadium in Parramore, the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, a bubbling nightlife and the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.
Camping World Stadium also just hosted the wrestling even of the year, WreslteMania. How many cities can say they have a 12-foot championship title belt?
Meltzer writes that with downtown as the city’s core and neighborhoods moving out urban planners say Orlando is “the only proper city in the state.”
One thing the story doesn't mention is Orlando's big rainbow-colored heart. You can't drive through a neighborhood without seeing an Orlando United sign or noticing the beautiful array of memorial art dedicated to the 49 killed at Pulse nightclub on June 12.
Yes, it’s true. Orlando doesn’t suck and the people don't either.
Read the full story on Thrillist.com here.
What are some of your favorite locally-grown places and things in Orlando? Leave a comment below and tell us.