North Orlando After Holiday Relaxing

Okay, you made it through most of the December holiday times and you really need to relax and restore your spirit. What better way then to spend a day at beautiful Leu Gardens in North Orlando?!  Explore an amazing 50-acre botanical oasis minutes from downtown Orlando. Visit the many varied garden areas, each designed specifically to inspire visitors to appreciate and understand plants. The Leu House Museum located in the heart of the gardens reveals turn-of-the century living for the families who once called this home. The gardens and historical home were donated to the City of Orlando in 1961 by Mr. Harry P. Leu and his wife, Mary Jane.

Right now the gardens are alive with hundreds of camellia blooms, many gorgeous roses, fantastic fruits & vegetables, and all sorts of other plants. The pathways all around and through the gardens offer peaceful places to sit, relax and reflect.

So, book a room at Thurston House bed & breakfast, only a short drive away from the gardens, and start taking care of YOU!

10 Ways To Enjoy Your North Orlando Holidays

Let’s face it, the holidays can be tough on your time and energy. What are some of the ways you can step back, relax, and really enjoy the holidays?

 

 

1. Attend the Culture and Cocktails Event at the Maitland Art Center on Friday December 14th. Art, history and good food offerings combined together to make it a wonderful night out in a beautiful place.

2. Go skating – There are two places that offer skating to the public, RDV Sports Center in Maitland and the City of Winter Park. Yes, it is cold and icy some places in Central Florida!

3. Walk around beautiful Lake Lily and enjoy the park decorations and the Christmas tree.

4. Stroll Park Avenue in Winter Park for fabulous dining and shopping.

5. Shop for holiday gifts at the Maitland Art Center gift shops. Find one of a kind items for fabulous prices!

6. Park at Lake Lily, stroll around a bit then take a short walk to one of the great dining options that are right there. From Rangetsu Contemporary Japanese dining, to So Napa’s wine inspired food offerings, to Antonio’s Cafe and Trattoria…what more could you desire?

7. Be inspired at the Morse Museum’s fabulous collection of Tiffany. The museum is all decorated inbeautiful holiday splendor.

8. Try to find the Waterhouse mouse, hidden among the Victorian decorations at the Waterhouse Residence Museum.

9. Stroll around Winter Park Village where fine dining, shopping and even a movie theater await you. Try Mitchell’s Fish Market or Truffle’s Grill, two of our guests favorite places to dine.

10. And the most important suggestion – book a night at North Orlando’s finest bed & breakfast, Thurston House in Maitland. Everywhere you look there are holiday decorations and soft music playing. Relax in your room, or on one of the porches and just enjoy the calm that is what we are most famous for. Don’t you deserve this?

The Holidays Arrive in Central Florida!

This weekend kicks of the official start to the holidays in Maitland, North Orlando Central Florida. The Season of Light is a beautiful event, starting at 5pm at Lake Lily Park. Many will be on hand to witness the tree lighting, and a surprise guest will be showing up during the evening. Could it be Santa? The Waterhouse Residence is all decked out and will be open for tours too!

Thurston House Bed & Breakfast is just a short stroll away from all the festivities. Think of us while you are reviewing your “Naughty or Nice List” too. Thurston House gift certificates make a perfect gift for those who really don’t need anything, but would appreciate a bit of innkeeper pampering. You can call us at #407-539-1911 or even easier, purchase online. For those who purchase in the next two weeks, for each $100 you buy you will receive an additional $15 gift certificate!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Thurston House!

The Holidays Are Coming to Central Florida!

They are almost upon us and what do you have planned? Come stay at Thurston House Bed & Breakfast in Maitland and enjoy the wonderful offerings in this area. From ice skating, to shopping, to Tiffany windows in the park, to fabulous dining, to museums decked out in finery, and holiday tree lightings…. We have it all in the Maitland-Winter Park area! Area shopping venues have already polished their finery and have been hanging greenery, lights and bulbs everywhere. What a wonderful gift for you!

26th Annual Festival of Trees Coming Soon….

The Orlando Museum of Art presents the 26th annual Festival of Trees, “Once Upon A Time … A Fairy Tale Festival”, November 9th -18th , 2012. The art museum will be  transformed into yet another Holiday Wonderland, with this years theme incorporating the whimsy and tradition of everyone’s favorite fairy tales, along with the latest design trends, with trees trimed into amazing holiday creations.

This is a must not miss event, and a great opportunity to start holiday shopping. Gifts can be purchased both at the event and in the art museum’s gift store. Find one of a kind items, just perfect for those special someones.

Thurston House, Central Floridas premier bed & breakfast accommodation is less than 15 minutes away. Why don’t you plan a nice getaway too? Book now… 

See Maitland & Winter Park by Bicycle!

When planning your escape to beautiful Central Florida, plan something different by renting a classic bicycle from Breakaway Bicycle and roam around all our beautiful side streets. Visit all the little hidden parks, travel from museum to museum, go to the Audubon Birds of Prey Center, grab some food and stop for a picnic lunch at Lake Lily…so much to enjoy! 

The icing on the cake, is the fact that you can spend the night at North Orlando’s premier bed & breakfast, Thurston House!

Reflections on 20 years at Central Florida B&B

Who would have thought when we opened for business 20 years ago, that we would still be here and going strong? After 10 months of planning & zoning meetings, and one year of extensive renovations, Thurston House our Maitland, Florida bed & breakfast proudly opened its doors to guests on September 15, 1992. Since the first day, we have constantly been fine tuning our accommodations, and have kept up with whatever changes there have been in the hospitality industry.

20 years ago there was no home computer or internet. We were one of the first B&B’s to have a website and our own domain name.  We now have complimentary wireless Internet throughout the inn. It is always great to see guests being able to catchup electronically, while enjoying our beautiful wraparound porch. 

We started with a variety of  furniture, amenities and linens, and have since upgraded all to the best we can possibly afford to offer. Breakfast started out as a more basic meal, and now we are known for our fabulously creative offerings. Every type of special needs diet has been accommodated, from Atkins to Vegan to Celiac and more. Our cookbook “Cooking Thurston House Style” is recently hot off the presses and available for purchase too.

Guests have come from all over the world, including 24 countries, every state, 4 territories and even from Maitland itself! We enjoy many repeat guests who have become our friends too. Here’s to another 20 years for our fabulous North Orlando bed & breakfast!

Central Florida Bed & Breakfast Debuts Cookbook!

Thurston House, North Orlando’s finest bed & breakfast, has finally self published a cookbook – Cooking Thurston House Style. Guests have been asking for this for quite some time! Innkeeper Carole shared some of her all time favorite recipes, along with a few photos and some helpful hints. The book is available at Thurston House in Maitland, selling for $25. Book a room now, and ask that the innkeeper add this to your bill too. ENJOY!

Back To School at Rollin’s College!

It’s that time of year that students start heading back to this area to settle in for the new school year. Rollin’s College is just minutes from Thurston House and over our 20 years in business we have had our share of parents and incoming students stay here. Just now we have a mother & daughter from Switzerland. This is the 2nd daughter to be attending there. She and her sister are on tennis scholarships.

We feel a great connection to Rollin’s because besides being less than a 10 minute drive away from us, the college opened in 1885. That is the same year that Thurston House was built! For students this area is a wonderful mix of upscale city and small town feeling. Park Avenue, right next to the campus, is home to wonderful restaurants, galleries, stores and museums. What a wonderful experience for them!

Parent’s Weekend comes fast and this year it is November 2-4. Two rooms are still open but they always go quickly. Book now!