(Above) Rosallie Le French Cafe is different from all of the other restaurants in Downtown Winter Garden. Rosallie aims to give their guests a taste of authentic Sounthern French food with their exceptional menu and amazing food options, their atmosphere is also ment to resemble a traditional French vibe. Rosallie Le French Cafe actually originally opened in 1983 in France as an actual French cafe; they then opened a location in Winter Garden in the summer of 2017 to share the taste of France to make guests feel as if they have been transported to France through the environment, service, and extraordinary flavors.
Downtown Winter Garden may not be the first location that comes to mind when people think of places to spend their time, but it actually is a great and very underrated spot to visit with friends and family. Winter Garden, adjacent to Lake Apopka, is a tight-knit community with a lot of historical background and small-town charm. Similar to Park Avenue in Winter Park, Winter Garden has a wide variety of local restaurants, shops, cafés, and boutiques. Winter Garden also has a farmer’s market every Saturday morning where local farmers, vendors, and small business/restaurant owners set up stands to promote their goods, along with live music playing in the background to enrich the atmosphere. On a similar note, Winter Garden often hosts local events like music festivals where multiple bands come to play a live show simultaneously, each of their stands being a reasonable distance away from each other so the music can be differentiated from each band playing. This brings the community together since people get to explore different parts of Winter Garden while also discovering the various bands, which makes the festival more enjoyable. During the fall season, Winter Garden has many upcoming events including Halloween Flix at the Garden (October 25) and the Craft Affair 2025 (November 8). They also have other fun activities like a hay maze, a Halloween market, and downtown trick-or-treating on Halloween.
(Above) Besides Winter Garden being a destination for shopping and dining, it also has an interesting and deep history. Winter garden had an old railroad station apart of the Tavares & Gulf Railroad, a crucial line for the area’s citrus industry and transportation. Now, it is a museum for people to discover and learn about. (Yara Koteish)(Above) Many people know about Writer’s Block on Park Avenue, but they might not know tht Winter Garden also has the same exact store. Winter park has many shops and places that people are not aware about, bringing light on these establishments can further influence people to consider spending time in Winter Garden. (Yara Koteish)(Above) The Winter Garden Interactive Fountain and Splashpad includes a center area with swinging chairs, benches, a centerpiece fountain. People enjoy mingling around in this mini park with pets, family, friends, or just to sit down, and have a good time. (Yara Koteish)(Above) Winter Garden is also a place to sit back, relax, and enjoy drinks and live music at local restaurants, adding to the fun gems of Winter Garden. (Yara Koteish)(Above) One of Downtown Winter Garden’s most popular brunch spots is Three Birds Cafe. Their menu consists of a wide selection of sweet and savory foods, like waffles, avocado toasts, sandwiches, bowls, salads, pastries, seasonal food options, and especially a variety of different drinks. Their cozy and well decorated atmosphere is the cherry on top to making their customers keep coming back for more. (Yara Koteish)
Yara Koteish is a staff member for Lake Highland Preparatory School’s newspaper class. Yara has been a student at Lake Highland for 12 years and has a younger brother in 10th grade. She is on the Lake Highland varsity and club swim team and has been swimming for 15 years. When not in school or sports, Yara enjoys traveling and likes to spend time having fun with her friends and family.
