Spring has sprung in Florida and that means it’s time to get out of the house! If you haven’t yet jumped on the Florida Sunrail now is the perfect opportunity to do so. Find out our favorite spots and the do’s and don’ts for Florida Sunrail Adventures.
Plan ahead
Flroida Sunrail, The Florida Sunrail has been around for a while now, but as time goes the local spots have amped up the experiences or highlight the must-see places at each location conveniently on the Sunrail website making your planning ahead easy peasy.
You can find everything here- Home – SunRail but if you are like me and want to get straight to the point you will want to check out these links to get to the point,
- Stations & Destinations
- Connecting Services
Under Stations & Destinations you’ll find the schedule, cost and destinations. Depending where you go you can find the local transportation if your destination is not in walking distances. Once you have that done you are set to go!
Tickets, their ticket system is so easy and convenient you’ll love it. You can purchase at their ticket booth for your entire trip; you’ll scan them at your destination stop scanner and then have them ready for the train conductor while on your trip. Two adults and two kids round trip was less than $20 making it a fun and affordable trip!
What to bring, if you aren’t traveling with a toddler you won’t need much but here’s what we packed and what I wish I brought.
- Small backpack with a book and journal. – The entire trip was screen free!
- Water bottle. This is what I wished I packed but we don’t have any that can go on a strap, so I plan to get one for next time!
- That’s it! Unless you plan on going on a day with the market you should need much more to explore with.
Sanford to Church Street Orlando
Hello Orlando, The City Beautiful.
If I am being completely honest, I wasn’t sure how this was going to pan out with smaller kids (7 & 12) but I was more than surprised and can’t wait to go back for a longer time and on the weekend.
I also knew during a weekday it would be quite around town but that just meant we were able to explore more of the local hidden gems.
Need to know,
- The Church Street area is under construction as of now. You can get into The Exchange but you will need to head to the other side of the stop for access. It is still a work in progress for renovations but worth taking a look!
- You will walk at this destination! If you are looking to get to Lake Eola without the walking you can connect via Lyft or Uber for a quick ride.
- Most restaurants/bars open after 4pm. That doesn’t mean you find a spot, you will just want to use your map to find a spot to your liking.
Walk In Our Shoes
Sanford to Church Street Orlando
Why get on at Sanford? Depending on where you are located will depend on where you want to get on. However, if you are coming from the north end of Orlando than Sanford is the destination to start.
30 Minute Trail Ride. One thing I wanted to get from the Sunrail was the ride itself. There are so many stops that you can really pick what you want or whatever is closer to you but I will say that Longwood, Altamonte, Maitland and Winter Park were pretty busy with what looked like daily commuters, and by the time we got to Winter Park some cars were standing room only. Winter Park was also a popular destination for most of the riders getting on and off. Traveling to Church Street gave the perfect scenic and city views.
Church Street Favorites.
- Nuri’s Tavern
- Insomnia Cookies
- 7-11
Nuri’s Tavern , This was the highlight of the trip for me and one of the coolest spots in Orlando. You can find vintage classic aesthetics with food that you’ll miss the next day. They are a laid back spot for lunch and something on the menu for everyone- not to mention their out of this world thin crust pizza. How they perfected the crust will be the mystery I never want to ruin. I’ll let them do the cooking with this one.
Insomnia Cookies, HOW ARE THESE LEGAL! A cookie within a cookie??? YUM! Bonus they serve their cookies and brownies warm AND you can top it with their homemade ice cream for the best brownie ala mode. We went with three scoops on our Chocolate Chip Brownie and added a scoop to the Limited Cookie Butter Deluxe to give it a try and its 100% worth it!
7-11, Yep! I said it, 7-11. Our girls could not believe there was a 7-11 in a building with no gas around. Can you tell they aren’t from a big city? LOL. Needless to say, if you kiddo has not experienced it, they will love every bit of it.
If you were thinking about riding the Sunrail I hope this motivates you to do so because you will not regret it!
Check out our photos below and let me know if you have any questions.
Check out other Orlando spots we love below.
