Orlando Neighborhoods

College Park is one of the older neighborhoods in Orlando, with craftsman style houses and modest bungalows dating back to the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Despite the name, College Park is not the home of any of the Orlando area's major universities or colleges (the University of Central Florida is on the east side of town, off of University Avenue; Full Sail is further west on University and Rollins College is in Winter Park) but in keeping with the neighborhood's name, visitors will find residential streets named after Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Vassar and Smith, with Princeton Street being the major thoroughfare.

And for anyone who was an English major in college, it is worth noting that beat generation author Jack Kerouac lived in College Park right around the time that “On the Road” was published in 1957. The house has been restored to its Kerouac-era furnishings and is now a must-see destination for literary history buffs and aspiring writers.

For Orlando residents, College Park is best known for its eclectic mix of independently owned shops and restaurants clustered around the intersection of Princeton and Edgewater Drive. Longtime residents of Orlando have been patronizing some of these small businesses for more than a generation. Some local favorites include Gabriel's Submarine Sandwich Shop, College Park Cafe and American Pie Pizza Company, all of which are on Edgewater Drive. To visit College Park, take the Princeton exit off of I-4 and head west.