Driving in and around Orlando: If you are traveling from out of state and plan on renting a car, check out some helpful tips below. Florida locals likely know all of this, so feel free to skip below if you like. :)

First, traffic in the Orlando area can be busy (Kristen: "More like chaotic!"); many of the drivers are tourists, so they tend to be distracted by their GPS, the sight of palm trees for the first time, and random rollercoasters that can be seen from I-4. The second thing to know is that while I-4 is technically an East-West highway, as it connects the East and West sides of the state, in Orlando, it runs more North and South. There are also many tolls in the area, so you may want to consider a toll package with your rental car company or picking up a SunPass if that isn't an option.

Accommodations to AVOID: When researching possible hotels, we found that there is a hotel very close to the venue (Citrus on the Lake Boutique Hotel), but unfortunately, we DO NOT recommend anyone stay there. After looking at reviews of the hotel, it appears there could be issues with service, noise, and cleanliness of the rooms. Given the risk of our wedding guests having a poor hotel experience, we decided it would be better to have everyone be a little further away, but hopefully well-rested and happy.

Accommodations to Consider: We recommend booking a short-term vacation rental (like AirBnB or VRBO) or staying at the Hampton Inn in Mt. Dora (details below). If you are looking at a short-term vacation rental, and you want to be relatively close to the venue, search in the towns of Tavares or Mt. Dora, particularly near Lake Dora, which is the lake that the venue is on. As always, please research any rental thoroughly before booking. For those looking for a more traditional hotel, please look at the Hampton Inn details below.

Photos

Some photos of us and the venue