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Celebration - A Town Like No Other

With tree-lined streets, captivating architecture, and a welcoming mix of shops and restaurants, Celebration invites visitors of all ages to explore and indulge.

A sunny tree-lined street with colorful homes and businesses in Kissimmee, Florida.

The history of Celebration is one of a kind. Founded by The Walt Disney Company in the mid-1990s, this master-planned community was fashioned after historical American small towns, with civic buildings designed by world-famous architects like Philip Johnson, Cesar Pelli, and Robert A.M. Stern.

Today, Celebration is a welcoming and charming town with a character all its own (in fact, Forbes Magazine named it one of America’s ten prettiest towns). The picturesque downtown is compact and walkable. The community features a diverse and exciting mix of housing—condos, townhouses, and grand “Estate Homes,” all situated on attractive, pedestrian-friendly streets.

Visitors can learn much about Celebration by taking the self-guided architectural walking tour (pick up the map at Town Hall). The tour covers Celebration’s downtown and explains the stories behind the town’s most architecturally interesting buildings (including the original Preview Center designed by Charles Moore, which once let prospective residents survey lots from its tower; the SunTrust Bank building by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown; and the post office by Michael Graves).

You’ll pass some of Celebration’s restaurants and cafes. After your walking tour, rent a bicycle and explore Celebration’s miles of scenic trails. Celebration Bike Rental, located behind the Celebration Hotel, will rent you a bicycle, hand you a map and a bottle of water, and direct you on an 8- to 10-mile journey along lakeside nature trails (where you’re sure to see wildlife), quaint residential streets and the brick-lined roads of downtown.

The main shopping promenade in Celebration is Market Street, but shops can be found throughout downtown. Shopping options include a bakery for dogs, clothing boutiques for men, women, and children, and the Market Street Gallery, which offers home décor, jewelry, and a year-round Christmas room. Downtown also offers plenty of places to relax and enjoy the outdoors, including the tree-shaded Market Square Park, with its water fountain surrounded by benches.

One of the most scenic spots in Celebration is the Lakeside Promenade Fountain, overlooking the vast Lake Rianhard. Surrounded by palm trees and benches, the fountain is interactive, which means kids love to splash and play in its three rings of water jets. Some of Celebration’s downtown structures were designed to encourage people to congregate. An example is a Philip Johnson-designed red brick building that previously served as a Town Hall and a Welcome Center. Its “forest” of white columns and sloping metal roof creates covered “porches.”