While much has been written about the charms of Winter Park, one intrepid company brings it to life. Original Orlando Tours lures tourists away from the theme parks and locals away from their daily routines to experience some of the magic that lies within Winter Park. There are seasonal tours like the ghost tour and Christmas lights boating tour, and year-round tours like the foodie tours, historical tours and the popular Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood tour.
 
While Winter Park isn’t the only destination -- they also offer tours of Clermont, the beach, Sea World, old Florida roadside attractions, UCF and an airboat ride combo, to name a few – Winter Park is definitely one of their most popular destinations. “The Winter Park foodie tour is No. 1 and the new Flavors of Icon Park tour is a very close second,” says Dan Bradley, vice president of operations.
 
With more than 70 million visitors every year, the Orlando area is typically flush with potential customers, and locals are often seeking new ways to entertain out of town guests. That is how this family business was started – through their desire to find unique experiences for their own guests. In a non-COVID year, most of their customers are from Great Britain, Brazil and the U.S.
 
During the past two years of the pandemic, their tours became very popular with locals, especially anything that was outside. “Even living in Winter Park, there’s always something new to learn. You’d be surprised how many residents come on our tour and learn not just one new thing but many things,” says Bradley. “Everything we do is based on history and fact. We reference as many sources as possible – the library, first-hand accounts, the historical society. We want to get the most accurate information to tell the best story,” he says.
 
As an example, he shares how the Mr. Rogers tour started as a 90-minute tour, and it was a struggle to fill the full 90 minutes. “We got very close to some of his surviving family members and they shared stories and anecdotes that aren’t in any history books. Now we struggle to fit it all in to two hours,” he says. They are also cognizant of what Mr. Rogers would have wanted on a tour dedicated to him, and that includes allowing kids to go for free.
 
“We are a two-factor business. We create experiences people may not have ever had, and we help drive business for the local business community,” he says. “But we’re also cognizant of keeping our Winter Park tours smaller and more manageable. We’re conscious of not bringing in too many people.” He also explains that their food tours, for instance, are designed to be compatible with their vendors, so they typically are scheduled during off-peak times for the restaurants.
 
It gives the people on the tours a better experience to not be in a crowded space and gives the restaurants extra business during slower times. Bradley says they are entering their peak season, which typically runs March through August. He also notes that they will be launching this year daycation experiences. “A vacation from your vacation,” he describes. “We’ll take small groups on a 30-passenger bus on a day-long excursion to a destination outside of the tourist bubble.” The Best of Winter Park will be one of those curated experiences, offering some of the highlights of our city, including the Scenic Boat Tour, the Morse Museum, and a unique tasting experience at The Ancient Olive. “We want to grow these day trips and start to go beyond our region and offer daytrips to Tampa or St. Augustine potentially. But Orlando will always be our priority. We want to make sure we continue to support the many businesses and attractions locally.”