Exploring Orlando by bike

By Sarah Peddie

My enduring memory of Orlando in July 2005 was of the stifling heavy heat that made venturing outside an exercise in endurance.

The fleeting impression the city made was of a car-centric place with wide sprawling streets, a city of strip malls and diners with a slightly seedy edge to it. This was not a welcoming place for pedestrians, cyclists, or even people, for that matter; an environment, that left to itself, would rapidly revert to wilderness. 

Arriving in late autumn 15 years later, my visit this time was an entirely different experience. The weather was a balmy mid-twenties, perfect for exploring. My brother Matt, whose family I was visiting, suggested a cycle ride through the city.

The Thornton park intersection in Orlando.

I was surprised at how accessible the city is, and the number of community spaces and grassroots initiatives happening.  Orlando is not completely set up for cyclists, which means that in stretches we needed to cycle on the footpath, something I haven’t done since I was a kid, and which added an edge of wary excitement to the trip.

However, in other areas the city is perfectly suited to cycling, with wider paths and cycle-friendly additions like bike stands, should you stop. 

Dickson Azalea Park was originally a watering hole for cattle herders in Orlando.

We took a route that encompassed an eclectic mix of places, incorporating history and contemporary art. By bicycle, the city emerged as a dynamic and colourful place, visually rich with history and culture. 

We set off on a cycle trip into the city through the new hourglass district and on to the Greenwood Urban Wetlands, looping around the ponds en route to the Greenwood cemetery.

From there, we cycled into the city to Gertrude’s walk and along the railway line, where we found murals surprisingly including one done by a kiwi artist, Andrew Reid. 

Detailed railway murals are part of the vibrancy of Orlando.

From there we pedalled back through the city, via the Orlando Public Library and the Thornton Park District, including its wide walkable streets and trees that reach right over the road.

We stopped off in a sunken garden, HH Dickson Azalea Park. The adjoining Park, Langford Park, has huge old oak trees covered in Spanish moss. We ended the trip at Colonel Joe Kittinger Park, by Lake Underhill, dominated by an aeroplane used in the Vietnam War.

Joe Kittinger Park honours those who served in the Vietnam war.

My impression of Orlando city this time was of a dynamic and vibrant place. In amongst the concrete sprawl there are bright murals, detailed paving and beautiful landscape details. The city is rich in places for the community to meet, with wide footpaths on some streets, pocket parks and community gardens shaded by massive trees. 

* Sarah Peddie is a landscape architect at Glasson Huxtable Landscape Architects