The Orange County Regional History Center will host several public events in December, including sessions looking back at Cypress Gardens and going back to the early days of Orlando’s Colonial Plaza Shopping Center.
The Dec. 5 lunch and learn session at the Downtown Orlando Museum is titled “The Legacy of Cypress Gardens.” Jeremy Heilman, assistant curator of collections, will guide attendees through the origins of Winterhaven’s attractions, its famous ski show, and its expansive gardens. Cypress Gardens opened in 1936 and is now the site of the Legoland Florida theme park. Admission is $5 ($17 with pre-order option for lunch).
On Dec. 6, Lunch and Learn, the former history center, will pop out of downtown for “The Era of Colonial Plaza and the Mall.” It will be held at Nook on Robinson, a tavern one block south of the shopping complex that opened in 1956. The session is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be moderated by Rachel Williams, historian at the History Center. This session will focus on suburban grow and retail businesses in central Florida.
sentinel file
Astronaut John Young participates in a parade at Colonial Plaza Mall on John Young Day after his Apollo 10 flight in 1969. (Orlando Sentinel Files)
During the day on Dec. 6, the History Center will host “Museum Highlights,” a guided tour that explains how artifacts are preserved and cataloged. Tours are scheduled at 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:45 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.
The museum also currently features “125 Years of Florida Audubon,” a pocket exhibit about Florida Audubon’s bird and habitat conservation efforts, and “Orlando Collected,” a larger exhibit covering 150 years of the Beautiful City. The service period ends on January 11th.
History Center: New “Orlando Collected” exhibit commemorates the city’s 150th anniversary.
For tickets and more information, visit thehistorycenter.org.
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
