Are any of our readers familiar with Celebration, Florida? This is the Disney-planned community in Osceola County, Florida (2.5 miles from Walt Disney World Resort). About 3,500 people live in the town that’s modeled after a “southern American village from the 1930s.”
I visited Celebration a couple years ago with some friends who live in Orlando. We brought our kids to the Oktoberfest celebration, where giant fans blew colorful paper “leaves” into the air and onto the meticulously clean streets below. Another popular celebration takes place in the seasons-challenged town around the holidays, when fake snow is blown all over the streets — enough for making soap-bubble snowballs.
I felt like I was at a Disney theme park, frankly. Or a movie set. It was all too Stepford-Wives perfect for me. The entire town was built out of open space in 1994, so all the buildings, shops and homes are brand new. Its set on a pretty lake, with well-manicured parks and lawns. I was like, “Where’s the grit? Where are the stories? The history? The authentic charm?” I don’t think there is any other town in America that looks or feels like Celebration.
But, maybe I’m just envious about this picture-perfect community, where residents walk or use “neighborhood electric vehicles” (these sound to me like Segways, but they are speed-limited little cars or carts), to their town-center shops and cafes, and where crime is virtually nil, and everything looks so clean and crisp.
My take on Celebration, though, definitely leans toward the “This is just weird” variety. I’d love to hear from folks who actually live in the town to give me the down and dirty (or does Celebration not do dirty?). Perhaps folks are looking at real estate listings here? (I saw MLS listing for a 3 bed, 2 bath home at $415,000.) And if anyone has plans to stay in Celebration’s new Mona Lisa Suite Hotel, let me know! I’d love to hear your take on the town.
