Thurston House Celebrates 25 Years!

As they say, time does fly. In 1992, September 15 to be exact, Thurston House opened its doors to bed & breakfast customers. After a slow start trying to get the word out, there was no internet back then, of course, we eventually have become known to a worldwide audience. Featured in many publications over the years, including the New York Times and USA Today, we are proud of what we have been able to accomplish here. At last count, we have enjoyed guests from 32 countries, every state, and 6 territories!

Thurston House Celebrates 25 years!

Thurston House Celebrates 25 years!

Guests from a variety of different and interesting backgrounds have found their way to us. Their reasons to stay have ranged from everything such as wedding nights, vacations, business, birthday’s, family holiday visiting, to just wanting to run away from home. We have many who we consider “guest friends”, those who come back over and over again. I cannot count how many hours we have spent with guests on the porch solving all the problems of the day. It has all been extremely rewarding!

So, in honor of our upcoming 25th anniversary, we are offering special rates for multiple night stays from 7/5/17 through 9/10/17. 

Stay for two consecutive nights and receive $25 off per night. Stay for three consecutive nights and receive a 25% discount! Go to our “specials” page for all the fine print.

Thank you all, our past and future guests, as Thurston House Celebrates 25 years! We have had a wonderful time.

Rollin’s College Family Weekend 2016

Rollin’s College Family Weekend 2016 is almost upon us! The college looks forward to welcoming families to campus for this special weekend. Activities include spending time relaxing with your student, meeting with distinguished faculty members, and becoming better acquainted with the Rollins community! It’s always a special weekend for all.

Rollin's College Family Weekend 2016 Accommodations

Rollin’s College Family Weekend 2016 Accommodations

Thurston House Bed & Breakfast in Maitland has enjoyed hosting Rollin’s parents for over 24 years now. Our location just 3 miles from the school, yet in a very quiet secluded location, makes us a prefect location to stay. Enjoy the activities in busy Winter Park, then come “home” to your lovely room, one of only 3 offered to guests. After a great nights sleep and an excellent full breakfast you will be ready to enjoy another full day with your family.

Rollin’s College Family Weekend 2016 starts in two days. We unexpectedly received a cancellation for our most popular room, the O’Heir Room, the only one overlooking Lake Eulalia. Make your reservation NOW!

Art Under the Stars 2016 – Maitland

Come one, come all to the 40th Maitland Rotary Fall Arts Festival, now known as Art Under the Stars. This juried art show attracts artists from a lot of locations and has become known as one of the premier North Orlando Central Florida shows.

The Performing Arts Stage Band featured Saturday night 2016 Art Under the Stars

The Performing Arts Stage Band featured Saturday night 2016 Art Under the Stars

Held this year from 11/11 – 11/13, Art Under the Stars features continuous music by the Performing Arts of Maitland. There is even a stage band to enjoy Saturday night when the event is open until 9pm. The Enzian Theater will be bringing short films to enjoy too, so pack up your chairs and blankets and head on over for some fabulous entertainment. Food and beverages will be available too!

Thurston House, the only area bed & breakfast is just a short stroll from the Art Under the Stars. Why don’t you make a weekend of it and book your room now! Be sure to book for both Friday and Saturday nights as the show is open late both nights. If you book by the end of August, you can take advantage of our “Pay Ahead Special”. The money you save can be spent on some fabulous new art for your home, or even some beautiful jewelry and other wonderful items.

Central Florida Kayak Tours!

Peace of Mind Kayak Tours for Central Florida Kayak Tours

Peace of Mind Kayak Tours for Central Florida Kayak Tours

Since Central Florida enoys an abundance of lakes, kayaking is very popular. The Winter Park area is very popular for Central Florida Kayak Tours and  a local company called Peace of Mind Kayak Tours awaits your reservation.

The Winter Park Chain of Lakes Tour is quite popular and it leaves from the Rollin’s College area, just 3 miles from Thurston House. See Florida at its finest, traveling in 3 lakes by way of tropical canals that were originally built for logging.

Other locations are available for Central Florida Kayak Tours, or you can just rent a kayak and go off on your own. The City of Maitland has 22 lakes, all natural, and just waiting for you to explore them.

4th of July in Orlando

Beautiful celebration of 4th of July Fireowrks over Lake Eola

Beautiful celebration of 4th of July Fireworks over Lake Eola

The City of Orlando will celebrate 4th of July in Orlando for the 39th time this year. Enjoy food, drink and entertainment while awaiting the 9pm fireworks. The festivities take place around beautiful Lake Eola. Come early to find a special place to set up your chairs, then wander around the park. The swans will entertain you, the sculptures will amaze and the landscape will be beautiful. People will be plentiful as these fireworks are very well known and they come from all around the area to enjoy this special event.

Thurston House, a great accommodation choice for July 4th in Orlando!

Thurston House, a great accommodation choice for July 4th in Orlando!

This park is convenient to Thurston House bed & breakfast, only 6 miles away. Drive the short distance or take a taxi so you don’t have to worry about the crowds when you leave. It will be a very special evening, this 4th of July Orlando, and even better you get to spend the night with us too! Book now for best selection as we are a small inn, tucked away but close to everything too. You can look online at the guest rooms and can conveniently book your room there too.

Winter Park Arts Festival 2016

Winter Park FountainWinter Park Arts Festival 2016 is almost upon us. This year the show is on the dates – 3/18-19-20. The Festival features a wide variety of fine arts and crafts including the categories of clay, digital art, drawings & pastels, fiber, glass, graphics & printmaking, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media 2D, mixed media 3D, painting, photography, sculpture, watercolor and wood. Attendees travel from far and wide to go to this well known and respected art show.

Winter Park Arts Festival 2016 is held along Park Avenue, an area well known for wonderful shops, wine stores and eateries. Guests at Thurston House, the only Winter Park area bed & breakfast, love that we are located so close to the show, yet in a quiet setting amid 8 acres of lakefront land.

Winter Park Arts Festival 2016 - Thurston House porch

Winter Park Arts Festival 2016 – Thurston House porch

After a busy day enjoying the beautiful show art and perhaps making a purchase or two, the guests gather back on the wraparound porch sipping a beverage and enjoying the complimentary 5pm snack. Winter Park Arts Festival 2016 will once again bring a full house of guests here to Thurston House.

Special Friday Nights at the Morse!

 

This is the time of year when the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park opens its doors for free every Friday evening – Special Friday Nights at the Morse!!

The free events planned for this Friday night include live music by Beautiful Music Three Flutes at 5 p.m., a family tour of the galleries at 5:15 p.m., an art demonstration by Orlando artist Sandy Lent at 6 p.m., and a curator’s tour of the exhibition “Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Laurelton Hall” at 7 p.m. Enjoy one of these activities or just stroll around this magnificient place on your own. Admission is free from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

North Orlando’s Thurston House bed & breakfast in Maitland offers wonderful accommodations, and are located just over 2 miles away. Check in around 4pm, relax and refresh, enjoy a complimentary cheese & beverage snack at 5pm, then head over to Special Friday Nights at the Morse! There are many dining options up and down Park Avenue in Winter Park, or come back into Maitland for a wonderful dinner at Antonio’s, Francesco’s or Rangetsu. Wind down your evening by sitting on one of the porches sipping your complimentary peach schnappes. You may just catch a glimpse of an owl flying by as last nights guests did. They loved hearing the distant hoots of thesw neighbor birds. Our setting in the middle of 8 acres of wooded land gives us the feeling of being many miles away, yet we are close to everything.

Thurston House owls during your stay for Special Friday Nights at the Morse!

Thurston House owls during your stay for Special Friday Nights at the Morse!

Check our website for special reservation deals, and also shop for those special people on your list by purchasing gift certificates. You won’t be sorry that you chose to stay here for Special Friday Nights at the Morse!!

Upcoming Winter Park Car Show

This Friday night 11/13/15 the premier Upcoming Winter Park Car Show starts – Concours de Elegance. From classic cars parading down beautiful brick streets, to viewings for all on the Park Avenue in Winter Park, this show has everything a classic car enthuisiast would love!

Come and enjoy the events lasting all weekend, hob nob with the rich and famous, listen to wonderful music and enjoy great food offerings. Thurston House Bed & Breakfast, just minutes from all the festivities offers great accommodations. Just over 2 miles away, yet situated in a very secluded setting, we are the perfect place to stay for Upcoming Winter Park Car Show!

Relax in the morning over a great cup of custom roasted coffee, sit in a colorful rocking chair overlooking Lake Eulalia, enjoy a full complimentary breakfast in the beautiful dining room, then head over to the Upcoming Winter Park Car Show.

Tesla Charging Stations at North Orlando Inn Upcoming Winter Park Car Show

Tesla Charging Stations at North Orlando Inn Upcoming Winter Park Car Show

If you happen to be a Tesla owner, we offer complimentary charging stations too! Book now before it is too late. Check out our pay in full special too for a great deal. We want to show off for you!

Central Florida Art Under the Stars 2015

Coming up soon is a Maitland Rotary event Art Under the Stars. It is held 11/13-15 and will feature only 135 artists. Only the best have been chosen to be in this show. It is one of the only art festivals that starts on a Friday and goes into the night. Live entertainment will be playing softly in the background, and food & drink will be available to purchase.

Set on the shores of beautiful Lake Lily, the show is only a few minutes walk from Thurston House, North Orlando’s finest bed & breakfast. Make a great getaway weekend plan, book your room, bring your walking shoes and enjoy Art Under the Stars in Maitland.

 

Besides the show, enjoy some of the other wonderful attractions in this area such as the Audubon Birds of Prey Center, Maitland Art & History including their art center and historic house museum, the Morse Museum of American Art, the Scenic Boat Tour and so much more. Ask the innkeeper for ideas of other things to do, and also where to eat. Many different types of restaurants are within a 10 minute drive, and a few are walkeable too.