Mentioned as one of the top ‘natural’ playgrounds in the city, Lake Eola Park allows audiences to experience the natural beauty of the area while also being able to interact with the history and culture of Orlando, Florida. With a variety of individual landmarks, set activities and places to relax, Lake Eola Park has become a top attraction in the city on account of the legacy that it represents for the present and future of the entire community.
Ensuring That the Area Be Kept Beautiful
Lake Eola Park was built around the small lake within the South Eola neighborhood of Downtown Orlando. In the late 1800s, a prominent Orlando resident offered the land around the lake to the city on the condition that it be beautified and turned into a park. Informally established in 1888, the park is still maintained according to the requirement that the area be kept beautiful according to this original mandate.
Today, Lake Eola Park is defined by a sidewalk that circles the lake, making it easy for visitors to keep track of their walking or running distances. Numerous grassy areas allow audiences to sit and relax but there are various defined activities that have been cultivated across the park. Events that range from firework displays to dance festivals take place in Lake Eola Park on a regular basis.
The Walt Disney Amphitheater hosts monthly events such as fundraisers, open-air movie screenings, live performances, and festivals. A Farmer’s Market is held every Sunday and features everything from locally sourced produce to ready-to-eat food to a beer garden. Audiences can also rent swan-shaped paddle boats or take part in organized Tai Chi and Kung Fu sessions.
All of these activities are in addition to the various landmarks that have come to define the space in ways that resonate across the entire community.
Monuments and Modern Art
The most famous monument in Lake Eola Park is the Centennial Fountain, which has become an icon of Orlando. Installed in 1957 for the 100th anniversary of Orlando’s founding, the fountain would be completely rebuilt in 2011 to feature a sound system and lights that now define nightly shows. However, it is just one of the landmarks located in the park.
The Chinese Pagoda provides visitors with one of the best vantage points to view downtown Orlando from across the water. This bright red Chinese-Buddhist monument also has light installations that attract further attention in the evenings. Nearby are monuments dedicated to the heroes of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II as well as a row of markers honoring everyone from Jose Marti to Simon Bolivar to Mohandas Gandhi. A smaller “Lest We Forget” marker that honors the Orange County boys who gave their lives in the World War is located between them. Pieces of modern public art have been installed across Lake Eola Park in a way that blends in with the natural surroundings and with these historical monuments.
A sculpture by artist S. Hardthalae depicts a princess kneeling on her swan. The “Take Flight” sculpture on the water depicts a flock of birds ascending into the sky. “Union” is a group of six 25-feet tall steel aluminum poles adorned at the top with numerous curved wings that make unique noises when the wind blows. The yellow form of “Centered” pays tribute to Orlando’s clear and sunny weather.
These historic and modern monuments showcase what it has meant for Lake Eola Park to represent a legacy that spans multiple eras of the city, enabling audiences to connect with the space and landmarks it contains in ways that meaningfully resonate in their hearts and minds.
A Legacy of the Past and Present
Various monuments celebrate the history and cultural connection they have to a given space or city but few have connected with the past and present of an entire community like Lake Eola Park. This connection has compelled surrounding businesses to utilize the branding and identity that it has cultivated in a way that is especially meaningful.
The natural and monumentous surroundings of Lake Eola Park have cultivated attention from across the region, highlighting what it can mean when a legacy connects the past and future of an entire community.
