Located along Plant Street, visitors and local residents can enjoy a little piece of the past. The old brick road forces you to slow your car down and take a moment. The clock tower centered between the brick paved road is a major focal point of the downtown area. Numerous shops, restaurants, and museums line the street to attract both the locals and visitors. On Saturdays, there is a Farmer’s market which attracts the locals looking for a great both a stroll along Plant street and a good bargain.

The downturn of Winter Garden began with the pollution of Lake Apopka. Water quality damage became apparent from years of effluents dumped by sewage treatment and citrus processing plants, as well as fertilizers and pesticides from vegetable farming around the lake. High-nutrient effluents in the lake encouraged wide-spread algae blooms, blocking sunlight, choking productive submerged plants and causing a decline in gamefish populations. By 1970 Lake Apopka was no longer a fishing destination. In 1991, a group of real estate partners created the Friends of Lake Apopka to help save the lake. The District and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchased almost all the farms creating havoc on the lake for restoration between 1988 and 2001. This contributed to reducing discharges of excessive nutrients from farms to the lake. Then in 1996, the Lake Apopka Improvement and Management Act authorized the District to set a phosphorus concentration target. The combination of voluntary and financial support has had a measured effect on the pollution that made Lake Apopka nationally infamous as the most polluted body of water in Florida, however gradual or tough to notice. There is still much work that needs to be done to recover Lake Apopka, but the Lake is on its path to recovery. 

The West Orange Trail when completed will be a 36 mile long 14 foot wide paved trail for hiking, biking, skating, and other physical activities.The first 22-mile segment of the Trail is complete from the Killarney Station to Welch Road in Apopka. The trail will eventually continue north of Apopka (Phase 4) to Kelly Park. Phase 5 will link the Trail to Lake County. The trail is located along the former abandoned railroad that serviced the Winter Garden Citrus industry. The trial is enjoyed by over 55,000 people monthly. Along the trail, travelers can enjoy a butterfly garden, restrooms, water fountains, air stations for bicycles, Picnic areas, Playgrounds, a basketball court, and even a portion of the trail is available for horseback riding.

Winter Garden Village at Fowlers Groves is an open air type strip shopping centers. The mall has some of the large box stores such as Target, Lowes, Ross, and Best Buy as well as a LA Fitness and lots of other stores. There are many restaurants both fast and sit down for your dining pleasure. The Winter Garden Village is located just off from the 429 and Daniels Road. The Winter Garden Village is the center of the majority of the shopping for the Winter Garden and Windermere area. The roads leading into the village can be congested at times, but there is ample parking. Fowler Grove Map.

There are numerous elementary schools for the Winter Garden area: Sand Lake, Sunset Park, Independence, Keene’s Crossing, Whispering Oak, Maxey, Dillard, Tildenville. The three middle schools for the Winter Garden area include Bridgewater, Sunridge, Lakeview. The high school for all of Winter Garden is currently West Orange, but there is an anticipated new school which has been approved to aid in the overcrowding of West Orange.  Once the new school is opened, the county will re-zone the area schools.  School zones do change so be sure to verify the school by address before purchasing a property with Orange County Public Schools. The school grades also change. It is a good idea to look at grades over a few year period to get an idea on the overall character of a school.

Over the past 10 years, Winter Garden has soared in the development of homes. With little available land in Dr Phillips and Windermere, families looking for new homes and space ventured into the southern part of Winter Garden as a few new builders explored the area north of Walt Disney World and East of Windermere. Now 10 to 15 years later, these communities and builders, have gone through the recession and come out with another growth spurt. Many of these lucky homeowners have experienced a vast increase in home prices.If you are looking for homes in the Winter Garden area, please take a look at all the homes currently on the market in the MLS in Winter Garden. We can help you with finding the home of your dreams.This is the most accurate list of available homes in the Winter Garden community.