Winter Garden Spring Fever

Winter Garden Sprouts With Spring Fever

It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon today in Winter Garden. Saturday, the official first day of…drum roll, please……THE WEEKEND!! WOOOOOO!!!!

Friday is the unofficial first day of the weekend, and Friday night is the first time us Monday through Friday workers can breathe, relax, and think, I can stay up till 2 in the morning if I feel like it! And by 2 in the morning, I mean fall asleep watching whatever show or sports game was just on t.v.

On a whim, I decided to check out an event nearby called “Spring Fever in the Garden!” It was a little bit of a drive to Winter Garden. But it’s a cute, quaint town, andddd I finished my Lilly Singh “How to be a BAWSE” audio book (which I will review in a future post). So I didn’t mind the drive. Lilly’s book was the driving inspiration behind my little trip today.

Winter Garden Chalk Art Spring Fever

Walking in a Winter Garden Land

By 8 a.m., I was out the door. I got my oil changed, and then I was on my way to Winter Garden!

It was beautiful! I could already feel the history of the city as I stepped out of my car and onto the old railroad tracks. I stepped through the pebbles, turned around the corner, and I was surrounded by… plants, flowers, dogs, families, couples, older folks, young folks, food tasting booths, local vendor booths, booming restaurants, chalk artists, live musicians strumming their guitars and singing to their heart’s content.

The sun was shining. It was chilly in the morning, but it quickly warmed up with the sun beaming. Not a drop of rain in sight. Not a whiff of sticky humidity either!

I walked through downtown, not quite sure where to look. There was so much going on! It was great.


Winter Garden

Local businesses stood in the shade of their tents. One in particular handed out free bookmarks and stickers, with special artwork. The digital artwork displayed images of places, fruits, and nature we’ve come to love in Florida. Lake Eola, oranges, cardinals, azaleas, and the Winter Garden Clock Tower were some of the popular images.

As I walked down the street, there were wood carvers, painters, planters, tons and tons of different flowers, beautiful colors and species. I kept walking because I could spend a whole hour at one tent!

Winter Garden

The farmers market was also going on during Spring Fever. I didn’t know this, so at first I thought the Spring Fever event was HUGE. (Side note: IT WAS.) But it was even bigger because of the joined farmers market, just around the corner.

Winter Garden Farmers Market

Simply Savory Gourmet Dips, Here We Come!

That good ole Simply Savory dipping station was at Spring Fever and the farmers market. Two dipping stations! YES!

If you haven’t tried this before, do it! Now! They pop up at just about any city event. They’ll give you a cup of pretzel sticks, and you can try as many dips as you’d like! It’s addicting.

This time I fell in love with: Banana Cream Pie, Garlic Asiago (OH. MY. GOSH.), Sea Salt Caramel, and Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake. I never tasted the sweet, dessert dips, so this was a nice surprise!

Simply Savory Winter Garden

Local Lunch Time

I grabbed a slice of pizza at the Winter Garden Pizza Company. It was my first time eating there. It reminded me of Pizza Palace, a college favorite in Lakeland. This place even had garlic knots! Mmmm.

After lunch, I stopped in an antique shop called adjectives. They had old decor, clothes, books, furniture, and statues. I walked out of the store, and a booth right outside caught my attention.

It was a display of photography projects and products. The girl behind the booth greeted me. I was ready to walk away, and then I saw the photo tiles again. But I also saw panorama photos. And an email list. And…before I could browse anymore, the photographer started a conversation.

Winter Garden Pizza Company

Photo Frenzy

I had my Canon around my neck, and my camera bag on my right shoulder. In my eyes, I either looked like a total tourist OR a savvy photographer.

She told me about her photography, her travels, and asked what I was looking for. I’ve been looking into reaching out to local bloggers and photographers, so I was so excited to stumble upon this! We chatted for a bit, and then I walked away with her business card and information on her photography sessions. (Her name is Danielle Werner if you’d like to check out her work. Take a look at her website, Live Wonderful.)

Lately I’ve been looking into shadowing a photographer to learn more about engagement photos, portraits and getting back into photographing people. I feel comfortable with it, but I want to get better. I want to learn more! And I want to understand how someone else sees scenes through their lens. Needless to say, I was very excited.

Winter Garden

Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots! (Photography shot, that is.)

I snapped a few more photos, picked up a cute little succulent for my stepmom, and then I was on my way home. It felt great to get out. Walking around, speaking with people, and getting familiar with the area got my creative juices flowing.

 

Winter Garden Succulent
Winter Garden Succulent

 

A notable mention from the day: the tile coaster booth. I saw a few of these during my walk. I think this is an awesome idea. It’s very personable and creative. I didn’t want to spend money on it while I was at the event, but I thought, maybe I can make my own. Once I got home, I researched DIY coasters and thought of a few ideas to surprise my dad. I can’t wait to create!

 

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