Audubon Park: where Orlando's food people actually eat

What Audubon Park is

Audubon Park is a mid-century neighborhood on Orlando's east side, between Mills 50 and Baldwin Park. Its center is a short stretch of Corrine Drive lined with independent shops, coffee bars, small restaurants and East End Market, a local food hall in a converted church building. Around it are ranch houses, lakes and quiet streets.

The area calls itself the Audubon Park Garden District, and food is the reason to come. Many of Orlando's local food businesses got their start here.

How to spend a few hours

1. Park along Corrine Drive or in the lots behind the shops. Late morning is easiest.
2. Eat at East End Market, which has small counters selling everything from sandwiches and pastries to wine, plus a sit-down restaurant.
3. Walk Corrine Drive east and west of the market for the record shop, plant shops, boutiques and coffee bars.
4. Drive five minutes to Harry P. Leu Gardens for camellias, roses and a lakefront walk.
5. Head back toward Mills 50 or Baldwin Park for dinner.

When to go

Weekend late mornings are busiest and most fun, when the market and coffee shops are full. Weekdays are calmer. Some small shops and counters close one day early in the week, so check hours if you have a specific stop in mind.

The neighborhood is about 10 to 15 minutes from downtown and 30 to 45 from the Disney area, so it suits a free day you are already spending in town, not a quick hop between parks.

What else is nearby

• Harry P. Leu Gardens: 50 acres of gardens on Lake Rowena, a few minutes southwest.
• Lake Druid and Park Lake: small lakes with neighborhood paths for a short walk.
• The Cady Way Trail: a paved trail that runs east of the neighborhood between east Orlando and Winter Park, good for a bike ride. The Cady Way trail guide has the details.
• Baldwin Park: the planned neighborhood just east, with a lake loop and a small town center.
• Mills 50: a short drive southwest for pho, banh mi and bars.

What to eat and how to get there

East End Market covers most needs in one stop: coffee, sandwiches, baked goods, local produce and drinks. Corrine Drive adds a few casual restaurants, a brewery or two and coffee shops with patio seating. Dinner choices are limited compared with Mills 50 or Thornton Park, so many people eat lunch here and dinner elsewhere.

The market is also a good place to shop for food gifts that are actually local, such as hot sauce, coffee beans, honey and baked goods, instead of the souvenir shop versions near the parks. Bring a cooler bag if you are driving back to a hotel with a kitchen.

Audubon Park sits east of Mills Avenue and north of Colonial Drive. From downtown, drive north on Mills, then turn east on Corrine Drive; it takes about 10 to 15 minutes. From International Drive allow 25 to 30 minutes, and from the Disney area 35 to 45, more at rush hour. There is no rail stop nearby, so plan on a car or rideshare.

Parking is the easy part. The market has its own lot, and side streets usually have space outside the busiest weekend hours. Once parked, walk: the core of Corrine Drive is only a few blocks long.

A good full day pairs it with Baldwin Park or Winter Park in the morning, lunch here, Leu Gardens in the afternoon and dinner in Mills 50. Every leg is a short drive.

Mistakes to avoid

• Expecting a big district. The core is a few blocks; give it two hours, not a whole day.
• Arriving late on a Sunday afternoon. Some counters at the market sell out or close early.
• Skipping Leu Gardens when it is so close. The two together make a full, easy half day.
• Walking along busy roads between areas. Use the car or the trail; the main roads have little shade and long crossings.