Orange County Regional History Center will play host to multiple public events in December, including sessions that look back at Cypress Gardens and return to the early days of Orlando’ s Colonial Plaza shopping center.
On Dec. 5, the downtown Orlando museum’s Lunch & Learn session is titled “The Legacy of Cypress Gardens.” Jeremy Hileman, assistant curator of collections, will guide participants through the origins of the Winter Haven attraction, its famed ski shows and its large gardens. Cypress Gardens opened in 1936 and is now the site of Legoland Florida theme park. Admission is $5 ($17 with pre-ordered lunch option).
On Dec. 6, a former history center Lunch & Learn ventures out of downtown for “Colonial Plaza and the Era of the Malls.” It will be held at the Nook on Robinson, a tavern that’s one block south of the shopping complex, which opened in 1956. The session, set for a 7 p.m. start, will be led by history center historian Rachel Williams. The session looks at suburban grown and retail in Central Florida.
SENTINEL FILE
Astronaut John Young rides in a parade at Colonial Plaza Mall on John Young Day after his Apollo 10 flight in 1969. (Orlando Sentinel file)
During daylight hours of Dec. 6., the history center hosts “Highlights of the Museum,” featuring guided tours to explain how its artifacts are preserved and catalogued. Tours are scheduled for 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Also at the museum now are “125 Years of Audubon in Florida,” a pocket display about the organization’s conservation efforts for birds and their habitats in the state, and “Orlando Collected,” a large display that covers 150 years of the City Beautiful. Its run ends Jan. 11.
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For tickets and more information, go to thehistorycenter.org.