This post is all about hidden gems in Orlando. Here are ten underrated places in Orlando most visitors miss!
Orlando, Florida, magnetically attracts millions. Its airport (MCO) packs in families in glittery Mickey Mouse outfits and wizards and witches in Gryffindor robes, all smiles after a busy theme park week.
Walt Disney World and Universal Studios are iconic, but there’s another side to Orlando I want to share with you today. This Orlando feels a little different, less inclined to rides and resorts, but a wonderful weekend getaway nonetheless. Cafes are immersive. Shops are artsy and offbeat. Hip neighborhoods are never in short supply, and downtown is quirky (giant, inflated, neon pigeons loom over random rooftops – enough said).
If you’re looking for unique things to do in Orlando, you’re in the right place! Here are ten hidden gems in Orlando, from underhyped spots (perfect for a solo date) to an unlisted spell in Diagon Alley (because theme parks still keep secrets, too).
Haan Coffee
Haan instantly transports you to the trendy, photogenic cafes Seoul is so famous for. This South Korean coffee house looks like a gallery (the design is directed by Suzie Shin, whose art is spaced along the walls). So, within a bracket of Haan’s layout are crimped rugs, backlit ceramics, and enlarged collages.
On my last visit, Home by The Poles played softly overhead while I ordered an SJ, a latte that pulls the cinnamon-forward profile of sujeonggwa (a Korean holiday punch) into a creamy coffee.
Drinks and bakes rotate seasonally (but I’ve loved everything I’ve tried over the past two years, from Haan’s soft, flaky, croissant-bellied croffles to its mildly sweet, cold brews).
General Info
ADDRESS: 1235 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32803
COST: $-$$
Orange County Regional History Center
Hemmed in by four streets (and a tiny patch of a park), Orange County Regional History Center sits on its own little section of downtown. The structure rises taller than the surrounding palms, widening into a space so big that four floors of exhibits easily occupy the interior. But its doors open to the first, a sparse hall, emptied of artifacts and vacuumed of text, where the liveliest sections appear to be a ticket counter and corner gift shop. And I’m convinced this introduction to the museum is why Orange County Regional History Center remains a hidden gem in Orlando.
Orange County Regional History Center impresses more if you start on the fourth floor (and take the elevator or stairs down). Entire wings reel you in with ambient sounds and touch displays that aren’t kiosks (think: maps that light up at a button press, revolving racks, a Spanish moss-mimicked bed you’re encouraged to feel).
The exhibits span millennia of Central Florida history, from the flora that pushed up against flat lands (and the dinosaurs that roamed the grounds) to a deep dive into the region’s orange craze. On the third floor is a courtroom (the museum was once the old Orange County Courthouse), and on the second is a special exhibition.
General Info
ADDRESS: 65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801
COST: $10 Per Person
Authentic Books
In 2020, Natisha Asbell began an online book subscription service to help bookworms empower their reading experience. She owns a sensory bookshop in Ivanhoe Village, too, that’s open on weekends and carries the same heart.
Authentic Books is small – tiny, really – but one of my favorite hidden gems in Orlando. Books (mostly Booktok faves) are sold along with fragrant boxes of tea, spiced bars of chocolate, syrups for homemade bevvies (root beer, rose, cardamom), scented candles, linen sprays, face masks, hand creams, comfy socks. You can build your own book box or opt for items à la carte, but the goal is this: to mix reading with self-care, immerse yourself in all five senses, lean into a ladies’ night, and let the act of reading itself be as much of a core memory as the story you get lost in.
General Info
ADDRESS: 1815 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32804
COST: $$
Imperial Wine Bar
Ivanhoe Village has an outsized presence of hidden gems in Orlando, and Imperial Wine Bar (just a short walk away from Authentic Books) is more proof of that.
This neighborhood hangout is tucked into Washburn Imports, a furniture shop by day and bar by night. The vibe? Imagine the eccentric home of a hippie friend who soul-searched in India and now vacations in Bali (your sixth sense tells you there must be a copy of Eat Pray Love lurking somewhere, but you can’t spot it amongst the striated suitcases, intricate wooden doors, and Buddha statues).
There’s a little counter, past the price-tagged chairs and tables, with a chalkboard menu (food isn’t always available) and upside-down glasses dangling below a sign with the word “Imperial” carved between swirls.
Here, the bartender is friendly, and the locals chatty (I’ve gotten so many great recs for dinner restaurants in Orlando from the regulars at Imperial).
Order a fizzy white wine or Brewdog Hazy AF (nonalcoholic) beer. And feel free to sit anywhere, by the mirrors (or pots or mosaics), or outside, in a petite patio that feels like its own secret garden (with fairy lights and big, leafy plants spilling onto armrests).
General Info
ADDRESS: 1800 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32804
COST: $
Timucua Arts Foundation
If your first thought upon arriving is, “This is a house in a neighborhood,” you are indeed at Timucua Arts Foundation. So, it’s okay to park streetside on an event night (even the musicians do) and pop in through the front door.
Full confession: I was a bit nervous when I visited. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The event listing noted that tickets were pay as you wish with a request to bring a wine or nonalcoholic beverage to share. So, my partner and I carried in two tall, slender bottles of sparkling cider, which the host, Benoit Glazer, happily poured into steel cups. He showed us where the live music was and provided foamy earplugs (just in case). The venue was airy and intimate (a living room renovated into a three-story, acoustic-controlled space, with a small stage devoted to performances and benches as long as church pews).
Glazer was a conductor for Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, and he started the Timucua Arts Foundation as more than a passion project. This a place where professional and hobbyist musicians can experiment and express themselves and have fun. If you find band practice nostalgic (and love the arts), browse the concert calendar (not all events are pay as you wish, but many are) and see if there’s a show that interests you.
General Info
ADDRESS: 2000 S Summerlin Ave, Orlando, FL 32806
COST: $
Boxi Park
An outdoor assortment of shipping containers, all painted vivid colors, Boxi Park is best seen on warm weather days when the sun shines bright and the sky stays blue. Live music plays near a grassy lawn. Doors of container kitchens are flipped up, filling the park with the scents of tacos and wings. In a sandy court, families spike and block volleyballs.
Deeper within Boxi Park, away from the ‘grammable photo ops and black tarps and rotating fan blasting air, are kid-friendly activities: bounce house jumping, face painting, balloon animal modelling. So, plan an evening with your family when you crave good vibes (over good food). The meal I tried was (unfortunately) a miss, but I loved the park’s energy.
Travel Tip: Check Boxi Park’s schedule to see upcoming trivia night dates; each is themed (think Disney, Taylor Swift, Mean Girls) and a good time!
General Info
ADDRESS: 6877 Tavistock Lakes Blvd, Orlando, FL 32827
COST: $$-$$$
Hidden Mickeys
There’s no consensus on what a Hidden Mickey is (some Disney forums are very particular about how hidden a Hidden Mickey needs to be), but here’s how we see it at Passport To Eden: you’ve spotted a Hidden Mickey when you notice Mickey Mouse’s outline distilled into three circles. You could have walked by (or waited in line) at Disney World and missed these details. Hidden Mickeys are as easy to overlook as they are fun to spot. Disney’s Imagineers include them as intentional easter eggs for parkgoers (so you’ll find Hidden Mickeys in all the Disney World theme parks).
If you notice these subtle Mickey Mouse-shaped formations and they make you pause and smile and engage with the theme park in a way you haven’t before, that’s all that matters (don’t worry about whether or not each pattern is a real Hidden Mickey. Just enjoy the scavenger hunt).
East End Market
Each morning, Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney Springs swarms with tourists. But did you know another place houses Gideon’s iconic cookies? East End Market, an indoor alley of shops selling wine and cheese, biscuits and cookies.
So, pick up an espresso from Lineage Coffee, settle on a light lunch, and order that sweet treat from Gideon’s. At East End Market, Gideon’s condenses its signature goth appeal into a single stall (you can order ahead, there’s usually little to no wait time, and while you won’t find any nitro cold brews on the menu, you will find a Wednesday-only double-baked candied walnut choco chip cookie that’s decadently nutty).
Tucked away upstairs is Wafu, another dessert establishment. Pop in for soft-serve swirled into taiyaki (Japanese fish-shaped waffle) cones.
General Info
ADDRESS: 3201 Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL 32803
COST: $
SAK Comedy Lab
If you want to laugh the kind of full-bellied laugh that leaves you hugging your hips, head to SAK Comedy Lab. You can grab tickets online; just give yourself enough time to park downtown, check in at the box office booth, and pick up a small bite from the in-house bar (that smells like fresh popcorn and fruit candy) before settling into the 250-seat venue.
Improv at SAK is a battle, with local comedians competing (in teams) for the highest-rated audience reaction. The two live shows to note are Duel Of Fools (all ages) and King Of The Hill (PG-13), where improv games (like gibberish, categories, and guess the location) unleash comedy on stage.
General Info
ADDRESS: 55 W Church St Suite 211, Orlando, FL 32801
COST: $20 Per Person
Secret Spots In The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
Sometimes, the best-kept secrets are in the most-visited places, and that’s certainly true in The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter. In Diagon Alley, a line usually forms outside the left window of Scribbulus, a stationery shop where wizards and witches can Wingardium Leviosa a quill with an interactive wand. Here’s the tea: there is an off-the-map spell location on the right side window of Scribbulus as well. Wizards and witches not in the know might double-check their map and raise an eyebrow when you stand in front of the glass and pull out your wand (but trust me on this. I aced my O.W.L.S). If you flick your interactive wand (in the shape of a W) and point it towards the parchment, the page will reveal a secret message. And if you keep trying this spell, new messages will form in invisible ink!
Some more easter eggs in Diagon Alley? Enter the red telephone box and dial MAGIC to hear a mini message from the Ministry Of Magic. Then, knock on 12 Grimmauld Place and look up to see Kreacher peering out at the street from an upper-story window.
Did you find this list of hidden gems in Orlando helpful? What Orlando hidden gems would you recommend seeing? Let me know in the comments below! As always, I love hearing from you.