I’ve traveled to Orlando a few times over the years, but it’s been quite awhile since I went to Disney World and Epcot. In fact, my niece, Lauren was 5 years old the last time her mom and I took her to Disney for a kid’s trip that she wouldn’t forget. So, that’s over 25 years. But, I headed to Orlando a week or so ago for some relaxation and that didn’t mean hitting Disney World. I think my amusement park days might be numbered. As much as I loved them growing up, the thought of walking around for hours in heat and humidity, standing in line for rides, and paying astronomical amounts of money for food just doesn’t appeal to me like it used to. Call me crazy!
But, I got the chance to go to Orlando and went down there for a few days. One of the places I visited was Celebration, FL. Have you ever heard of it? I had heard it in passing, but really knew nothing about it. Here’s the community profile if you want to read all about the town, but the beginning of development was in 1996, with several phases of homes built over the years. With 4,060 homes and over 9,000 residents, Celebration is not a small community and has lots of appeal for retirees and those who want to live in a small-town feeling environment. It really is a pretty place!
I had fun seeing all the beautiful homes throughout and had to take pics to share. The homes and condominiums are a cross-pollination of Classical, Colonial, French, Coastal, Mediterranean, and Victorian exteriors with modern floor plans. Most homes have a welcoming front porch and access to rear garages via a service alley. I think you’ll enjoy seeing Celebration.
Check out those welcoming curtains on the front porch. How cozy is that?
There’s a downtown area around a lake with lots of shops and restaurants. And The Bohemian Hotel is there too.
We ate at the Celebration Tavern several times, great food.
The golf course is so pretty and the homes bordering are not bad either. What a life, right?
With miles of walking trails, beautiful homes, shops and restaurants, it really is a self-contained community. Celebration is a beautiful place, so if you get a chance to visit next time you’re in Orlando, do it!
My friend, Beth, lives in Orlando too and she and I visited Downtown Disney one day. I’ll share that later too!
Today, I’m curating a sale with Wayfair on fun patio items for the home! I’d love for you to take a look and check it out. Thanks!
Rhoda I’ve benn there a few times, most recently a few months ago. I love it! Sort of reminds me of Stepford…… Thinking that considering my crazy life, that wouldn’t be so bad!
It’s a pretty little town that has that Disney feel to me. Back in it’s development days Southern Living’s Idea House was in one of the homes. I toured it in awe – and lo and behold many of the design bits made it into my decor over the years!
Great photographic tour of a wonderful little community. My sister-in-law owns a salon/spa there — Salon 720 Beauty & Spa. So next time you go and need salon/spa services, you should go there.
Hi Rhoda,
That is one beautiful community designed around a neat concept! I loved seeing the Carolina style homes with the porches running down the side of the house and the front door creating privacy. That’s how the historic homes in Charleston, SC are built. The idea was to capture the ocean breezes and the front wall with door created privacy to the porch from the street. My daughter is back in SC studying for her MBA and she’s renting an apartment on a cobblestone street. So neat!
I love Celebration…we would make a day trip there quite often when we lived about an hour and a half away from there years ago..it is such a quaint little town!!!…When they were first building the community, we were told that they purposely built the home close to the sidewalks for people to be able to sit on their porches and visit with neighbors walking by…to build a sense of community…I love that the garages are in the back of the houses accessible via an alley way….Glad you had a wonderful time.
Beautiful Rhoda. Reminds a bit of New Town Saint Charles. We love that place and have often thought of moving there.
I ended up there by accident a few years ago – we were on vacation, looking for a bank, and the one in the middle of Celebration came up. We drove up and down the streets in awe. I don’t think that was one house we saw that we didn’t love. Such beautiful designs.
Since then I’ve found out that they actually style of the front of the houses that are unoccupied, to make sure that it still looks busy when people drive through. They also blow leaves down the main street in the fall and fake snow around Christmas. It really does feel like the town that Disney built 🙂
Lovely Rhoda! We will be searching the country for a place to retire soon so this post is going to be bookmarked.
Hi Rhoda, Celebration is one of the communities we are considering buying a home in. We have viewed a couple of homes in there but haven’t found the right one yet.
xx,
Sherry
So beautiful, it doesn’t seem real…Glad you made a trip and shared these beautiful pics 😉
I lived in the Orlando area for eight years … there were two places I spent ‘lots’ of time in (NOT WDW) … Mount Dora and Celebration. I even chose Celebration Hospital to have my first hip replacement in! Thanks for the memories, the photos are great.
My husband had a medical emergency while at a conference near the Celebration community. He was taken to the Celebration Hospital and they were amazing. The staff was so careful with my husband’s health, and his stay went quite well. Glad to hear others have had great experiences there as well.
funny. my dad just got had prostrate surgery at celebration hospital. he drove 4 hours to be there. something about an amazing and highly recommended surgeon.
What a lovely place! I remember reading about it in Better Homes and Gardens many years ago when it was just in it’s infancy.
What a beautiful and relaxing place to live!!
Judy
I am a huge Disney World fan but have never made it to Celebration. It’s look so charming! I’m thinking I need to make a trip next time it’s just me & my husband. In the meantime, I will just have to enjoy your wonderful photos 🙂
I love Celebration! Many years ago when it was just being built I went to visit my sister in Orlando and we went to a house tour there, I do believe it was a Southern Living house and I can still remember specific details about that house. Funny but I often have trouble remembering a person but it is very rare that I ever have trouble remembering a house. It was fabulous, it had a dining room as soon as you entered on the right hand side, wonderfully decorated, and to the left was a room set up as a sitting room with 4 leather chairs, this room also had a bathroom that could be entered from the room so that it could easily be a bedroom. I have always wanted a sitting room with 4 leather chairs after seeing this space, and I still do. LOL!
Thanks, Patty
I love Celebration. They have a Community Garage Sale in March. Would love to shop at it!!! They also have a Sunday Market every Sunday by the park, selling bake goods, crafts, Jewelry, veggies and fruits, etc. Loved the pics. you took! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been there and the homes are so cute.
It’s a pretty planned community with HOAs, but it looks like one might get their monies worth.
I also had to opportunity to visit the Southern Living Idea house several years ago that was located in Celebration. What a neat neighborhood and planned community. All the houses are lovely and we noticed how friendly everyone was in the shops and cafes, as well as the people we passed on the streets.
We love Disney and go almost every year, we are already planning our next trip.
Thanks for the memories Rhoda.
I think it would be so much fun to live in a planned community like that.
I wouldn’t turn down any of those houses.