Free & Affordable Orlando, Florida

The Rollins Museum of Art is the Orlando region's only teaching museum, located on Rollins College's Winter Park campus. The free-admission museum was originally founded as a collection of notable natural history artifacts and portraits held by the campus at the turn of the 20th century, which eventually expanded to encompass fine arts collections. Since 1978, the collections have been housed at Florida's first American Alliance of Museums-accredited fine arts complex, showcasing over 5,000 artworks and artifacts spanning from the ancient era to the present day. Notable holdings include works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Childe Hassam, and Maya Lin, along with a large ethnographic item collection that includes donations from the Smithsonian Museum. The museum is open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays, with free half-hour docent-led tours offered on weekends.

1000 Holt Avenue-2765, Winter Park, FL 32789, Phone: 407-646-2526

Mennello Museum of American Art is a fine art museum located within the home of art connoisseur Howard Phillips, near Loch Haven park and Lake Formosa. The museum, which was opened to the public in 1998 and is overseen by the City of Orlando, showcases a permanent collection of works by American Folk artist Earl Cunningham, which was donated to the museum by Michael and Marilyn Mennello. A variety of other permanent and rotating exhibitions showcase the works of American painters and sculptors working in contemporary and traditional styles. The museum is open to the public for free each second Saturday of the month, with free docent tours available throughout the day. Family-friendly art workshops are also offered for visitors of all ages throughout the day.

900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32832, Phone: 407-246-4278

Central Florida Railroad Museum is the public museum and conservation project of the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, which was founded in 1970 to preserve Florida's railroad history and industry. The Society purchased land at the former Tavares and Gulf Railroad depot in Winter Garden in 1979 and converted it into a public railroad museum, which is open daily during the afternoon hours today with free admission. The museum showcases a large collection of memorabilia related to the history of railroading operations in Central Florida, including photographs, tools, railroad equipment, and technology and design elements from preserved railroad cars. Outside the museum, visitors can view rolling stock from the Society's collections, including the Clinchfield #1073 caboose.

101 South Boyd Street, Winter Garden, FL 34787, Phone: 407-656-0559

The Lake Mary Museum is a free-admission public museum operated by the Lake Mary Historical Society, preserving the civic and social history of Lake Mary, which has been known as a major Central Florida citrus cultivating center, railroading community, and resort area since the 19th century. Exhibits and artifacts within the museum highlight aspects of the city's history, including its connection to the South Florida Railroad and to chemist and circus performer Frank Evans. The museum is open to the public Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays during the morning and afternoon hours, with groups welcome to participate in free docent-led tours with advance reservations. Special events are hosted throughout the year at the museum, including demonstrations, workshops, holiday open houses, and special rotating exhibits.

158 N Country Club Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746, Phone: 407-585-1481

Casa Feliz is one of the best-known works designed by famed architect James Gamble Rogers II, constructed as the residence of Florida citizen Robert Bruce Barbour. The Winter Park home was relocated to a site overlooking the city's public golf course in 2000 and has been listed on the American Institute of Architect's Florida Architecture: 100 Years, 100 Places list of fine architecture within the state. The Spanish-style farmhouse is open to the public for free tours Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays during the morning and early afternoon hours, with live music performances and open house festivities showcased as part of the Sunday "Music at the Casa" series.

656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789, Phone: 407-628-8200

The Winter Park Farmers' Market is Central Florida's top regularly-held farmers' market, held at Winter Park's restored train depot facility, which has been preserved as an historic landmark in the city. The market is hosted each week between 7:00am and 1:00pm, showcasing a wide variety of farmers and vendors selling produce, meats, dairy, baked goods, and pantry items. Plants and flowers are also sold by vendors, and local food vendors are hosted on site, including Monika’s BLD Smoothies and A to Z Coffee. Visitors should note that the market is closed once a year on the third Saturday of March to make way for the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, which is also hosted at the site.

200 W New England Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789, Phone: 407-599-3397

Lake Eola Park is a downtown Orlando park surrounding Lake Eola, which features the beautiful Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain as its most recognizable sight. The fountain was originally constructed in 1957 and is known today as the city's official civic landmark, highlighting choreographed nightly fountain shows twice each evening that last approximately six minutes. A 0.9-mile sidewalk encircles the lake, popular with walkers and runners. For an additional fee, visitors can rent swan-shaped pedal boats or feed live swans that reside at the lake. A wide variety of public special events are held at the park annually, including a weekly Sunday Market showcasing produce and local cuisine vendors and a free downtown concert series.

512 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL 32801, Phone: 407-246-4484