Welcome to Monday Morning in Orlando
In Thursday’s issue, I mentioned Pumpkin Pie shakes at Beefy King. If you drove down Bumby Ave on Saturday around noon, and saw a tall skinny dude passed-out from a shake coma in the bushes out front, that may have been me!
In today’s issue: 👇
- Sanlando Springs
- No Pup Left Behind
- Johnny’s Diner
- ….and much more
Did someone forward this email to you? Join over 20K insatiably curious Orlandoans, right here.
Let’s dive in!
- Philip
P.S. Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
(GREATER) ORLANDO REWIND ⏪
Central Florida's Coolest Saturday Used to Cost Less Than a Dollar
Before Central Florida summers got unbearable indoors, there was Sanlando Springs, and on a hot Saturday, there was nowhere else to be.
For nearly five decades, this natural spring west of Longwood was the region's favorite escape. Families spread across a sandy beach, kids launched off a towering slide into 72-degree water, and after dark, a terrazzo dance floor hummed under the oak trees. Betty Robinson, in an Orlando Memory oral history, remembered the price of admission: 35 cents. For that, you got the whole day.
The spring traces back to Indiana transplant Ingram Fletcher, who platted the land in 1885 and called it Hoosier Springs. Developer James Franklin Haithcox renamed it in the 1920s by stitching "San" from Sanford and "lando" from Orlando, a marketing move that quietly embedded itself into local road maps for the next century.
Then in 1970, a private buyer closed the gates for good. The high dive came down, the dance floor went quiet, and the slot machines, (yes, there were briefly slot machines) were long gone by then anyway. The water, though, never clocked out. It still rises cool through the limestone, feeding the Little Wekiva, largely forgotten behind a guarded gate off SR 434, tucked inside a private subdivision called The Springs.
📜 Thirty-five cents bought you the whole day. A few more minutes buys you the whole story, including the pageant crownings, the missing historical marker, and the environmental pressure quietly working against the spring today. Jump in right here.
THE SQUEEZE 🍊
Pour Decisions? Not in Orlando, America's Top Coffee City
Orlando didn't just edge out the competition for best coffee city in the United States, it lapped it.
According to a new WalletHub study, local households spend more than $154 on coffee every year, the city leads the nation in free Wi-Fi coffee shops per capita, and it ranks among the top cities for affordable, highly rated cafés.
Anyone who's made the rounds: from Qreate Coffee and Haan in Mills 50 to Lobos in Audubon Park, or Deeply and Craft & Common in the City District, already knew that, including my fam!
Oh, and donut shops? Orlando has more per capita than anywhere else in the study. WalletHub sized up the 100 most populated U.S. cities across 12 metrics, and Orlando came out on top.
Orange County's Unsung Sidewalk Squad
Nobody thinks about the sidewalk, until the sidewalk thinks for them.
Across unincorporated Orange County, Public Works Roads and Drainage quietly oversees more than 2,700 miles of sidewalks, and they're not waiting around for you to stub your toe, or worse.
County crews proactively walk the streets, hunting down cracked panels, uneven surfaces, and the slow, silent damage of tree roots doing their worst. Last year, that hustle produced 1,072 completed repairs.
Not every crack gets the same treatment. Crews grind, patch, or fully replace panels depending on what each spot demands.
The stakes get real fast for anyone using a wheelchair or mobility device, where a small flaw can become a full stop.
The dream? Sidewalks so good, nobody ever thinks about them.
Spot a problem? Report it through the Orange County 311 app or call 407-836-3111.
👉 You can grab the Orange County 311 app, right here.
No Pup Left Behind
In mid-September, five puppies boarded a small aircraft in Alabama with absolutely no idea how good life was about to get.
Puppy Rescue Flights, a volunteer-powered nonprofit, pulled off a relay mission from Alabama through Enterprise Municipal Airport all the way to Apopka, Florida, where partner rescue organizations were ready and waiting.
Founder Michael Young has personally flown more than 8,500 dogs over 15 years and built the whole operation on one simple belief: no pup gets left behind.
With zero paid staff and donations fueling every flight, the group lifts dogs out of overcrowded, high-euthanasia Alabama shelters and into something they deserve, a permanent home.
🐶 You can check out Puppy Rescue Flights, and kick in for the puppies if you desire, right here.
👉 Partner With Orlando Signal 👈
💼 Who’s Hiring in Orlando?
Sourced from the Orlando Signal Job Board!
🏠 Area Manager, Affordable Housing Asset Living | Orlando (25-50% travel)
Oversee multiple multifamily communities, leading on-site teams, hitting financial targets, and keeping residents happy at one of America's fastest-growing property management firms.
💰 Competitive salary | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🏘️ Property Manager, Multifamily Cushman and Wakefield / Enclave at Lake Ellenor | Orlando
Run every aspect of a beautiful apartment community from leasing and maintenance to budgets and team development, building a place residents love coming home to.
💰 $68K-$80K/year + comprehensive benefits | 👉 Learn More & Apply
⚖️ Case Manager Morgan and Morgan | Orlando (On-site)
Fight for everyday people at America's largest personal injury firm by managing cases from intake to settlement, ordering records, negotiating with insurers, and making sure justice gets done.
💰 Competitive salary + full benefits | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🚛 Warehouse Manager FleetPride | Orlando
Lead the warehouse team at the country's largest heavy-duty truck parts distributor, scheduling shifts, coaching staff, and keeping parts moving with 99% accuracy.
💰 Competitive salary | 👉 Learn More & Apply
Hiring? Post a job
Hunting? Peep 100’s of jobs on the Orlando Signal Job Board, right here.
Know someone looking? Send them here.
✈️ Orlando’s best flight deal - Antebellum charm and oyster season edition
If there's a more beautiful American city in October than Charleston (well, perhaps Savannah), we haven't found it. The oppressive summer heat is gone, the light is golden, and this city's architecture, those grand antebellum mansions, the church steeples, the rainbow-colored facade, looks like it was designed specifically for fall. Oyster season just kicked off so you're eating exceptionally well, the Plantation tours along Ashley River are sobering and essential, and the City Market is worth a long, unhurried morning. Bike out to Sullivan's Island for a beach day that feels nothing like summer, and end every evening in a candlelit restaurant on King Street.
Orlando (MCO) → Charleston (CHS) for 143 bucks* (non-stop!), round-trip Thursday through Sunday, mid-October. See the deal.
*Price shown above is accurate as of the time this newsletter was sent.
TASTY NEWS 🧑🍳
Orlando Area Eateries Coming & Going
1️⃣ COMING SOON: The French Cafe - Paris has a new zip code
The French Cafe (Insta), the Winter Park favorite that's had central Floridians making the drive since 2020, is bringing its magic to Village Park Drive this October. Think brioche French toast, eggs Benedict, flaky pastries, crepes, coffee that actually deserves the hype, and quiche Lorraine. Same winning formula, brand new address.
2️⃣ IN ABOUT 6 MONTHS: Turci Italian Deli - An Italian Deli With a Drive-Thru
Turci Panino is leveling up, and becoming Turci Italian Deli on Edgewater Drive. Turci Italian Deli (Insta) is rolling in with focaccia panini, imported meats and cheeses, house-made pastas and sauces, gelato, and proper Italian coffee, plus a drive-thru for those mornings when you need an espresso and a breakfast sandwich without leaving your car. Stay tuned.
#ORLANDOSIGNAL 📸
Pumpkin Pie shakes are indeed back, and the one on Saturday hit nicely!
📷 via @orlandosignal |📍Milk District
Tag @orlandosignal to get your photo featured in the newsletter!
FOODIE FIND, FORK YEAH! 🤩
Johnny’s Diner
📍3335 Curry Ford Rd, Orlando, FL 32806. Map to this location.
Since 1995, Johnny's Diner has operated on one golden rule: hot food, fresh coffee, and zero strangers, just neighbors who haven't met yet.
What started as a scrappy 8-booth spot has become Orlando's favorite excuse to order pancakes at noon.
Everything hits the plate fresh daily: fluffy blueberry pancakes, loaded omelettes, golden French toast, biscuits drowning in sausage gravy, and breakfast sandwiches that mean business.
Thirty years in, and the griddle's just getting warmed up.
👉 Check out the menu, right here 👈
Source: Johnny’s Diner
MORE PULP! 😎
Weekday things to check out
🍔 Tasty Takeover in The Milk District
📅 Tuesdays | 6:30-10pm
📍 The Milk District – 2424 E Robinson St
Orlando's premier weekly food truck block party featuring diverse culinary offerings behind the shops and bars.
👉 Dine Alfresco
🎭 Shop Happy Hour: Madame Butterfly Behind the Scenes
📅 Tuesday, September 22nd | 6pm
📍 Opera Orlando Shop, 3438 Maggie Blvd
Get an exclusive backstage tour of Madame Butterfly in progress, watching original sets and costumes come to life before opening night. Appetizers and wine included!
👉 Behind the Curtain
🎼 Young People's Concert: Bach to the Future
📅 Wednesday, September 23rd | 12pm
📍 Walt Disney Theater, Dr. Phillips Center
Time-traveling inventor Millie Second crash-lands in the present and only the Orlando Philharmonic can power up her Chord Explorer and send her home through musical history!
👉 Great Scott
🌱 Make and Take: Fall Wildflower Starter "Earth Balls"
📅 Tuesday, September 22nd | 6-7pm
📍 4Roots Farm Campus, Education Building
Roll your own wildflower seed balls to take home and plant, supporting pollinators and bringing a little piece of the farm to your backyard for $25. ASL interpretation available upon request.
👉 Grow Something Wild
🎭 The Rat Pack Lounge
📅 Previews: Thursday, September 24th at 7:30pm and Friday, September 25th at 2pm
📍 Winter Park Playhouse
Frank, Dean, and Sammy get one last night on earth to settle some unfinished business, swing their greatest hits, and save a supper club. What could go wrong?
👉 Swing Into It
🎬 Global Peace Film Festival: The Energy That Heals
📅 Thursday, September 24th | 7:30-9pm
📍 Timucua Arts Foundation
Groundbreaking documentary exploring the frontier of healing science, preceded by a mindful meditation from Orlando Is Joyful. Come with an open mind and leave with big questions.
👉 Expand Your Mind
🎭 Want to share an event? Use this link.
THANKS!
✅ Want to connect with 20K+ curious Orlandoans for your business?, start a conversation here.
🌟 Know a community superstar? Tell me about them, right here.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you again on Thursday’s weekend fun issue.
My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal
