Winter Garden Heritage Foundation

About Us

Since 1994, the mission of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation has been to preserve the heritage and architecture of West Orange County, while creating new cultural experiences. The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation has been on the forefront of restoration and preservation efforts of all kinds in the city's Downtown Historic District and West Orange County. We operate three sites: the History Research, Education, and Visitors' Center, which opened in 2015 and serves as a Visit Florida Certified Visitors Information Center; the Winter Garden Heritage Museum, which opened in 1998; and the Central Florida Railroad Museum in existence since 1983!

In excess of 30,000 annual visitors to our facilities contribute significantly to the local economy.

The organization continues to foster the preservation of regional history and its contribution to the economic impact that dramatically increased tourism has brought to the area. When the West Orange Trail opened in 1994 through Winter Garden’s Downtown Historic District, both locals and Trail users saw the cultural and economic potential of a former citrus town whose architectural legacy was ripe for preservation - and the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation helped make it happen.