Lake Eola is where downtown Orlando exhales. The circular park around the lake is a genuine public space — runners, dog walkers, families with pedal-powered swan boats, and the farmers' market that occupies the eastern shore every Sunday morning. The Walt Disney Amphitheater hosts outdoor concerts and events throughout the year.
The park sits at the edge of Thornton Park, one of the more appealing neighbourhoods close to downtown, with tree-lined streets, a cluster of wine bars and restaurants, and Victorian cottages alongside newer apartment blocks. The lake itself holds a flock of mute swans and a sizable colony of American white pelicans in winter.