The Historic Edgewater Hotel: Tasting Room Brunch and a 1927 Downtown Landmark
Inside Winter Garden's nearly century-old hotel — and why this Plant Street icon matters to Central Florida
The Historic Edgewater Hotel is a 1927 bed-and-breakfast located at 99 W Plant Street in downtown Winter Garden, FL, approximately 14 miles west of downtown Orlando. Construction was completed in 1926 and the hotel opened in 1927 with 53 guest rooms; after a 2003 restoration it operated as a 44-room B&B with on-site dining including The Tasting Room (small plates and weekend brunch), Chef's Table fine dining, and Thai Blossom. The hotel ceased operations in August 2025 and is being revitalized under new ownership, with the Tasting Room brunch and other on-site restaurants paused during the transition. The Edgewater anchors Winter Garden's National Register Historic District and sits directly on the 22-mile West Orange Trail.
Quick heads-up: as of August 2025, the Historic Edgewater Hotel officially closed and is being sold to new ownership. The on-site restaurants — including the Tasting Room weekend brunch — are paused while the property is restored. The owners say the Edgewater is "not at risk — it is being revitalized," but no reopening date has been announced. Consider this part history lesson, part travel-watch list.
What Is the Historic Edgewater Hotel?
The Edgewater Hotel sits at 99 W Plant Street in Winter Garden, smack in the middle of one of the most walkable downtowns in metro Orlando. It's a three-story brick building with 28,855 square feet of original 1920s charm: a manually operated Otis elevator, antique fixtures, a vintage switchboard at the front desk, and a sprinkler system that was state-of-the-art when Calvin Coolidge was president.
For most of the past two decades, the Edgewater functioned as a 44-room bed-and-breakfast with retail and dining tenants on the ground floor: The Tasting Room (small plates and weekend brunch), Chef's Table at the Edgewater (fine dining, three-course prix fixe), Thai Blossom, Scoops Old Fashioned Ice Cream, and Earl Brigham's Barbershop — Winter Garden's hometown barber for over 50 years. It was the kind of place where you could ride a 1926 elevator to your room, walk downstairs for eggs Benedict, then step outside onto the West Orange Trail.
A 1927 Hotel With a Wild Backstory
Construction started in 1924 with a $120,000 investment from a group of local businessmen. The original builder went bankrupt almost immediately, work stalled, and the hotel didn't open until 1927 — with 53 guest rooms renting for $2 to $2.50 a night. It was considered one of the most technologically advanced hotels in Florida: in-room telephones, switchboard service, steam heat, modern plumbing, and a building-wide sprinkler system that, remarkably, is still operational today.
From Spring Training to Walt Disney World Construction Crews
The guest list reads like a strange slice of 20th-century Americana. Players from the Washington Senators stayed here during 1940s spring training. Clark Gable bunked at the Edgewater during a Florida visit. Then came WWII, when the hotel housed U.S. Army soldiers waiting to ship overseas.
By the late 1930s, the hotel had pivoted toward bass fishing tourism on Lake Apopka, just about a mile north. Local businessmen leased the property in 1936 and added fish-cleaning stations on every floor. (Yes, really.) In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Edgewater housed crews building Walt Disney World a few miles south. Then, in 1968, it closed.
The Save: A Foundation Born to Stop a Wrecking Ball
The hotel sat dormant for roughly 25 years. By the early 1990s, Winter Garden city officials were openly discussing demolishing the building for a parking lot. In response, residents formed the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation in 1994 — a nonprofit created specifically to save the Edgewater from the wrecking ball.
They never had to actually buy it. In 1995, Max Blanchard and Mike Lanza purchased the building, signing an agreement with the Heritage Foundation to preserve the historic exterior. After eight years of restoration, the Edgewater reopened on November 8, 2003, and stayed open for 22 years before closing again in August 2025. The Heritage Foundation, meanwhile, went on to restore the Garden Theatre and convert two railroad depots into museums.
The Tasting Room Brunch: What to Expect (When It Returns)
The Tasting Room is the casual sister concept to Chef's Table — same kitchen, same chefs, much lower stakes. While Chef's Table runs a $74.99 three-course prix fixe and requires reservations, the Tasting Room was a walk-in spot serving small plates, large plates, and craft cocktails in a more relaxed setting. Most recently it added weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The 50/50 burger built a cult following, the eggs Benedict pulled in regulars, and the Tasting Room had also picked up "Best Appetizers in Orlando" honors from Orlando Magazine readers.
None of this is operating right now. But based on the new owners' public statements about revitalization, the smart bet is some version of the Tasting Room concept returns when the hotel reopens.
Why Edgewater History Matters to Orlando Homebuyers
Most people moving to Central Florida aren't picking a neighborhood based on a hotel. But the Edgewater story tells you something important about Downtown Winter Garden: this is a community that organized to save its own history. Twice. That's directly responsible for one of the most charming, walkable downtowns in metro Orlando.
Plant Street today is lined with restaurants, breweries, and boutiques, with the Winter Garden Village shopping center a few miles east. The West Orange Trail — 22 miles of paved trail for biking, walking, and rollerblading — runs directly past the Edgewater's front door. The Crooked Can Brewery at Plant Street Market is a five-minute walk. The Saturday farmers market draws crowds from across Horizon West, Ocoee, Gotha, and Windermere. If you're house-hunting in West Orange County, the energy of downtown Winter Garden is one of the biggest selling points in this part of metro Orlando — and the Edgewater is the building that started it all.
Visiting the Edgewater: Practical Info
Even with the hotel closed, the building is still there and worth a stroll-by:
- Address: 99 W Plant Street, Winter Garden, FL 34787
- From downtown Orlando: ~14 miles west via SR 408 / Florida's Turnpike
- From MCO airport: ~19 miles
- From Walt Disney World: ~12 miles via SR 429
- Parking: Free public lots throughout downtown; metered street parking on Plant Street
- Nearby: Winter Garden Heritage Museum (one block away), Plant Street Market, Garden Theatre, the West Orange Trail
For more on getting around the area, our guides to the 429 Expressway through Winter Garden and Highway 50 through Winter Garden cover the main routes West Orange County drivers use to reach downtown Orlando.
What the Locals Know
Three things every Winter Garden local will tell you about the Edgewater:
1. The Otis elevator is the real deal. The original 1926 manually operated Otis is widely cited as the oldest operating elevator in Florida. It can only be run by a hotel team member, and the gate has to be closed by hand. Most guests rode it once for the experience.
2. Scoops drew bigger crowds than the hotel. The line for Scoops Old Fashioned Ice Cream regularly snaked out the front door on weekend evenings. Whether Scoops returns post-renovation is one of the open questions.
3. The brunch was the hidden gem. Chef's Table got the awards, but locals knew the Tasting Room weekend brunch was the move — no reservation, full bar, same kitchen, half the formality. When it comes back, expect lines.
For the latest on the property's status and future plans, visit the official Historic Edgewater Hotel website.
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