Winter Garden Tutors Come To You

Residents and visitors to Winter Garden, Florida, who are curious about the city’s past need look no further than the Winter Garden Heritage Museum. Located in the old 1918 Atlantic Coast Line Depot, the museum’s 5,000 artifacts will explain why Winter Garden calls itself “a charming little city with a juicy past.”

“Juicy” in the slogan refers to, of course, the citrus industry. At one point, Winter Garden shipped more fruit than any other place in the U.S., utilizing the two railroad lines that passed through the town.

During World War II, scientists discovered how to make frozen concentrated orange juice. The concentrate was easy to ship and store, and it spurred a huge increase in citrus production. In the 1950s, almost half of all fruit in Florida became frozen concentrated orange juice. However, citrus production began to decline in the 1960s due to new priorities for land. Florida’s population increased, and throughout the state, citrus acreage was sacrificed for commercial and residential development. For example, in Orange County, where Winter Garden is located, citrus production decreased by 95% from 1970 to 1990.

Yet there is plenty of memorabilia in the museum to testify as to Winter Garden’s reliance on the citrus industry—the city’s economic backbone for more than seven decades. Visitors will delight in seeing an orange picker’s bag and ladder, old orange crates, and an entire wall of citrus labels.

As the city shifted away from citrus, it found itself leading in commercial growth in west Orange County. Adjacent to Lake Apopka, Winter Garden is twenty minutes from Orlando’s theme parks. Its historic downtown is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, and its twenty-two-mile West Orange Trail is being connected to the grandiose Coast-to-Coast Trail, used by over a million people each year.

Because of its proximity to Orlando, Winter Garden is a pleasant place to get revitalized away from the crowds. Visitors and potential residents will find a thriving small-business scene, amenities such as the historic Garden Theatre and a new art center, a fantastic farmers market, live music at “Fridays on the Plaza,” fishing and boating at Lake Apopka, and lots of eateries and accommodations.

There’s plenty to do in thriving Winter Garden, and kids who work with a Winter Garden tutor will realize they have more time to fish, hike, ride bikes, watch movies, and play. And Winter Garden tutors can take advantage of the Heritage Museum to help their pupils learn about central Florida history, including the citrus industry.