Crowds at the Mt. Dora Craft Festival. Credit: mountdoracraftfair.com.
By Derek Brown
Professional golf, a juried craft show and master winemakers aren’t normally what come to mind when people think of going on a cheap Florida vacation. However, fall’s an excellent time to discover a grown-up Orlando. October 21-23 will bring all of the above to The City Beautiful, Orlando.
- PGA Tour players return to the Children’s Miracle Network Classic (Oct. 20-23) at Disney’s Magnolia and Palm courses. This year’s tournament purse is $4.7 million. Past winners include Vijay Singh, Raymond Floyd and Tiger Woods.
- Hundreds of artisans return for the nationally-ranked 27th annual Mt. Dora Craft Fair (Oct. 22-23). Sculptors, painters and woodworkers, are among the artists and crafters who compete and showcase their work in the historic Mt. Dora community. About 300,000 visitors attend the two-day show.
- Sip wines from around the world at the 14th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (Sep. 30-Nov. 13). Learn chefs’ kitchen secrets and taste wines as a master winemaker’s pupil during demonstrations and seminars. This is a festival of gourmet tastes.
Dusk at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.
Take time to relax, too. Most luxury Orlando hotels have great deals and cheap rates during the off-season period. Rooms at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek are $177 per night, Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge has rooms for $151 per night and rooms at the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration are just $67 per night.
Related resources
Derek Brown, a member of the Orbitz editorial team, lived and worked in Orlando for many years.