Neighborhood 48H guide
Lake Nona: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
A new town by the airport: Boxi Park, the USTA campus and a design hotel.
Lake Nona is a planned community about 15 minutes south of Orlando International Airport, built around a walkable Town Center with Boxi Park’s shipping-container food hall, art in public spaces, the USTA National Campus and the Lake Nona Wave Hotel.
Photo gallery
Photo: PoultrySaga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
It is the closest real neighborhood to the airport, with Town Center dining walkable from the hotels.
Who it's for: Early flights, tennis trips, and anyone who wants a calm modern base with good food on foot.
Pros
- 15 minutes from the airport
- Walkable Town Center dining
- Quiet and new
Cons
- 30–40 minutes to the theme parks
- Not much history or nightlife
- Spread out beyond Town Center
48H in Lake Nona
Town Center on foot, tennis, a lakeside dinner.
10:00 – USTA National Campus
Book a court or watch college and pro events.
13:00 – Boxi Park
Lunch from the container kitchens with a drink outside.
19:00 – Canvas Restaurant & Market
Lakeside dinner in Laureate Park, a short drive from Town Center.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Eat
Eat
Boxi Park
6877 Lake Nona Blvd
Shipping-container food and drink park with a lawn and live music.
Official site / map →Eat
Canvas Restaurant & Market
13615 Sachs Ave
American dinner on the water in Laureate Park.
Official site / map →
Shop
Shop
Lake Nona Town Center
Lake Nona Blvd & Tavistock Lakes Blvd
Walkable shops, restaurants and public art.
Photo: PoultrySaga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Outdoors
Outdoors
USTA National Campus
10000 USTA Blvd
The national home of American tennis, with public courts.
Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
Lake Nona Wave Hotel
6100 Wave Hotel Dr
Wave-shaped design hotel in Town Center with three restaurants and a pool.
Check rates on Expedia →Hotel · Expedia
Courtyard Orlando Lake Nona
Lake Nona Town Center
Simple, cheaper rooms in Town Center with free parking.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Lake Nona.
Browse vacation rentals in Lake Nona on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Orlando
- International Drive — The wheel at ICON Park, big convention hotels, and Universal ten minutes up the road.
- Disney Springs / Lake Buena Vista — Walk to Disney Springs dinner, shuttle to the parks.
- Epcot Resort Area / BoardWalk — Walk to EPCOT, boat to Hollywood Studios, dinner on the BoardWalk.
- Universal / CityWalk — Walk or boat to the Universal parks, CityWalk at night.
- SeaWorld / Sea Harbor — SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove on one doorstep.
- Downtown / Thornton Park — Lake Eola mornings, brick streets, and a real city dinner.
- Winter Park — Park Avenue shops, the Tiffany chapel at the Morse, and a boat through the lakes.
- Celebration — Disney’s planned town: lakefront, Market Street, and 10 minutes to the parks.
- Kissimmee / US-192 — Big pool homes, Old Town, and the Disney gate down the road.