NATURAL BEAUTY IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Exploring Leu Gardens and More

By Carolinearnoldtravel @CarolineSArnold

Shaded path at Leu Gardens in Orlando, Florida.


In August, my brother Tom spent several days in Orlando, Florida, before and after his trip to Paraguay. While most people think of Orlando as the home of Disney World, the city has much natural beauty too. One day Tom and a friend visited the Harry P. Leu Gardens, and sent me these photos.

Tom at Leu Gardens


Tropical plants flourish at Leu Gardens.


Colorful potted plants.



On another day in Orlando Tom wrote: Today I saw two cranes just in a park. Also, today we went to a natural spring, which was very beautiful. Water comes out of the earth--millions of gallons a day--and forms a river. We saw two manatees and there are also many fish that you can see.

Look for the large silhouettes in the water to see the manatees.


Tomorrow we will go kayaking at another spring. It is very hot here in the afternoons and humid!

With many thanks to Tom for sharing his photos of Orlando.

Go to the Leu Gardens website for information about hours and admission.

From the website: Explore an amazing botanical oasis nearly 50-acres minutes from Downtown Orlando. Each garden is designed specifically to further our mission: inspire visitors to appreciate and understand plants. The garden and historical home were deeded to the City of Orlando in 1961 by Mr. Harry P. Leu and his wife, Mary Jane. We hope you enjoy your visit.