Plan ahead for Central Florida Fall Jazz!

One of our favorite things to do is to attend a Leu Garden’s Jazz Stroll. These wonderful night time events take place from 6-10pm. We never miss the Spring & Autumn strolls. Guests have already contacted me about when the next one will be as they want to fly down here from PA just so they can stay here at our North Orlando B&B again, and also attend this October event. They were here at Thurston House during the Spring event but were obligated to attend a wedding.

Path through Leu Garden’s Sculpture Garden

Our North Orlando lodging is the perfect place to stay when visiting Leu Gardens as we are only a short drive away. Get creative and pack a scrumptous picnic dinner to bring. Be sure to include your favorite beverages!  Throw in a couple of chairs or even a blanket and you’ll be all ready to set up near one of the three jazz bands. Get yourselves settled, grab a glass and fill er up, then stroll the many lighted paths that meander through this gorgeous 50 acre botanical garden. This year the Fall Stroll is October 15th. Tickets go on sale a couple weeks in advance and they do usually sell out!

Rollin’s College Architecture

Rollin’s College in Winter Park Central Florida has some of the most beautiful architecture in this area. Many of their buildings date back to the college’s founding in 1885. This complex of buildings at the end of Park Avenue is one of our Thurston House B&B guests favorite places to wander around.

The college campus is on 70 acres overlooking beautiful Lake Virginia. It is in an attractive residential neighborhood, adjacent to the City of Orlando. The campus is a short stroll into the heart of Winter Park, Park Avenue.

Announcing Bocce at Thurston House!

Throwing balls toward a target is the oldest game known to mankind. As early as 5000 B.C. the Egyptians played a form of bocce with polished rocks. Graphic representations of figures tossing a ball or polished stone have been recorded as early as 5200 B.C. While bocce today looks quite different from its early predecessors, the unbroken thread of bocce’s lineage is the consistently common objective of trying to come as close to a fixed target as possible. From this early objective, the basic rules of bocce were born.

Thurston House bocce set

Now that Joe has finished working on our side lawn area, it’s a perfect place to be our bocce court. Book your room, check-in, grab the bocce bag, pick your color and have some outdoor fun at our Central Florida bed & breakfast.

Sizzling Summer Central Florida B&B Special!

Thurston House front porch

Our Central Florida bed & breakfast announces SIZZLING rates for the month of July & August. Enjoy a stay that is two or more consecutive nights and automatically get a 20% discounted rate! Just use the coupon “Summer Sizzle” when booking online.

There is lots to do in the Maitland Winter Park area of Central Florida, and Thurston House B&B is right in the middle of it all. Before or after your wonderful breakfast enjoy our nice & cool porches, then head out to tour museums or step into fabulous shops. At lunch there are so many choices, most with Al Fresco dining options. Come back to your beautiful guest room for a short rest and cool down, then enjoy the porch again at 5pm for a snack while trying to decide which of the many restaurants to go to that night. Our location amid 8 acres of lakefront land assures you of a peaceful nights sleep!

Full Sail University, For Over 30 Years!

For over 30 years, Full Sail University has been providing advanced classes for those who want to learn about the music and film industry. Now their cutting edge campus teaches anything that has to do with the entertainment business. Classes offered include computer animation, film, games, music recording and show production, just to name a few. The campus has steadily grown into a technological and creative playground, with studios, labs and amazing facilities.

Full Sail students filming

We have enjoyed many Thurston House Central Florida B&B guests who are coming into Full Sail for one of their monthly graduations, or to settle in a new student to the area. Students have actually filmed a movie here, and NBC News filmed Matt Lauer doing an interview on our porch. Our North Orlando bed & breakfast is just a short drive away from their Winter Park campus, and also from downtown Winter Park and Park Avenue.

Birds of Prey in Central Florida

The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Central Florida is just minutes away from our North Orlando bed & breakfast. Founded in 1979 in Maitland, FL, the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey has treated over 12,000 injured or orphaned birds of prey (raptors), releasing more than 40% of these former patients back into the wild. The Center handles the largest volume of eagles, owls, falcons, hawks, and kites east of the Mississippi River–averaging more than 650 admissions, or injured or orphaned birds of prey, each year—and is a leader among all North American rehabilitation centers for specialized eagle care.

The Center also provides environmental education programming to over 20,000 local students, teachers, and visitors annually, while promoting a culture of conservation towards birds of prey and their habitats. A nationally renowned research institute, the Center is an influential voice in the ongoing fight to save endangered and threatened birds of prey.

Thurston House Central Florida B&B owl

Of course, sitting on our Maitland Winter Park b&b porch or strolling our grounds can feel like a birds of prey center too. We often see osprey fishing in the lake, or hear the hoots of owls. Sometimes the owls even allow their photo to be taken, as was the case this past weekend.

Lake Eola Park, Orlando

Lake Eola Park is popular destination in downtown Orlando, with many people taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings to stroll around or sit on one of the many benches. The sidewalk that circles the lake is .9 miles in length, making it easy for visitors to keep track of their walking or running distances. Other activities available to park visitors include renting swan-shaped paddle boats, electric gondola boats, feeding the live swans and other birds inhabiting the park, seeing a concert or a play in the Walt Disney Amphitheater, grabbing a bite to eat at Relax Grill on Lake Eola or relaxing amid beautiful flower beds and a spectacular view of Orlando’s skyline. Don’t miss the Battle of the Bulge monument too! Sunday mornings bring a wonderful farmer’s market to the park, with a variety of produce, great eats, and gift items.

Lake Eola Park Fountain

In the middle of the park is the well photographed curved shaped fountain. It is undergoing a major renovation right now, but the city hopes to have it done by the yearly 4th of July festivities. This amazing event brings people from all over to see spectacular fireworks. Arrive early, set up a blanket or chairs and enjoy all of the day’s events. Once it gets dark, the fireworks will begin, set off over the water. Book your room now at Thurston House our Central Florida B&B and come see what this Orlando event is all about! We are only 6 miles from the park.  

Taylor Swift Coming to Orlando!

Coming June 4th to the Amway Center in downtown Orlando is Taylor Swift and her Speak Now Tour 2011. This is one of the most highly anticipated musical experiences of the year. Renowned for incredibly high-energy theatrical presentations, this show will featue amazing graphics, sets and visuals. Taylor herself will play a variety of instruments and will have a multitude of wardrobe changes. Special guests to the show will be NEEDTOBREATHE.

Hurry and buy your tickets before they are sold out. Then book your room at our north Orlando B&B Thurston House, located in Maitland and just 5 miles from the Amway Center!

Lady Gaga Orlando!

The Monster Ball Tour, the latest from Lady Gaga, arrives in Orlando on 4/15/2011. The show is at the new Amway Center, just minutes from our North Orlando lodging, Thurston House.

Enjoy the thrill of this lively show, and later spend the night in the peace & quiet that our Maitland Winter Park bed & breakfast is well known for.