Interior Design in Florida

As you arrive in sunny Orlando, Florida, you’ll get acquainted with your guide. Spend the evening strolling around the shopping, dining and entertainment complex at Disney Springs.  

Your first activity will be a volunteer day at Give Kids the World Village. This nonprofit resort and mini-amusement park provides kids who have life-threatening illnesses along with their families cost-free vacations. With a motto of “Happiness inspires hope,” their aim is to help children and families just have a fun time without having to worry about their illnesses or paying for a family getaway. GKTW works in partnership with programs like Make-A-Wish to provide accommodations while kids are at Central Florida attractions such as Walt Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, LegoLand and more.

As a volunteer, you could be scooping ice cream, serving meals in the restaurant, greeting families, helping with rides, assisting with arts and crafts, serving popcorn at movies or helping load families onto the train, along with many more opportunities.

Today you’ll visit Seminole State College, a leader in interior design. Located in Sanford/Lake Mary, it’s about 30 minutes from Orlando. The college’s program is nationally recognized and accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). Afterward, while you’re in Sanford, check out the plants and animals at the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. 

This evening, enjoy a performance by the popular Blue Man Group at Universal CityWalk.

Today, you’ll take a tour of the on-site luxury hotels at Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World. Universal hotels include the Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Portofino Bay and Cabana Bay. Then, you’ll head over to Walt Disney World to check out the Michael Graves-designed Swan and Dolphin Resort, the Victorian-inspired Grand Floridian and the Robert A. M. Stern-designed Boardwalk Resort and Yacht and Beach Club. Finally, visit the tropical vibe of the Gaylord Palms Hotel.

This morning you’ll visit the Baker Barrios Architecture firm, which specializes in architecture, interior design and landscape design. The company has worked with luxury hotels, sports stadiums, performing arts facilities, corporate offices and schools and universities.

Next up is a stop at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park, about a 20-minute drive. More than 200 of the Czech-American sculptor’s works are on display in the gardens. You can tour his residence, a gallery of rotating exhibits and the museum, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, you’ll visit the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. It’s home to 20th-century paintings, American art pottery and the biggest collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany found anywhere. Included in Tiffany’s collection is the reconstructed Byzantine-Romanesque Tiffany Chapel, which was created for the 1893 World’s Fair. Other exhibits include works by Frank Lloyd Wright, Peter Carl Faberge, Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent and Edward Hopper. 

For a unique treat, you’ll visit the Chocolate Museum and Cafe in Orlando. You’ll learn about the chocolate-making process and where the beans come from, sample chocolates from around the world and view famous sculptures recreated in chocolate.

On your last morning in Orlando, enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee or fresh-squeezed orange juice before packing up to head home.