Myths and misconceptions about Celebration, Florida

Downtown Celebration, Florida, has rockers lining the lakefront.

Celebration, Florida, is often known as the "town that Disney built." Situated outside Orlando, near the junction of I-4 and 192, it's a quiet oasis in the midst of the theme park bustle and the tourist strip loaded with tacky souvenir shops and Sony stores.
 

Many myths persist about Celebration. Here are three common ones:
 

1) Celebration is the "real" Epcot. The name Epcot was originally an acronym for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow." Walt Disney envisioned a high tech place where everyone would rent their homes and cars would be banished to below-ground roads. Celebration bears no resemblance whatsoever to that vision. It's more of a traditional town blended with some New Urbanism concepts.
 

2) Disney owns Celebration. Celebration is situated on land that was originally owned by Disney. For several years, The Celebration Company (TCC), a Disney subsidiary, owned and managed the downtown shopping district and the apartments over the stores and around the area. All of these properties were sold in 2004, and the apartments were converted to condominiums. Disney's main involvement lies in vacant land it still owns, which is being sold off for development. It also has workers and offices housed in various Celebration buildings.
 

3) Celebration is a town. Even though it's often referred to as the Town of Celebration, it's actually an unincorporated part of Osceola County. Celebration could more accurately be called a massive subdivision than a town.
 

Many hotels and timeshare complexes advertise that they are located in Celebration. This is technically untrue; there are only two hotels, the Celebration Hotel located in the downtown area, and the Mona Lisa Condo-Tel, located on Celebration Boulevard near 192, that can truly claim to be in what is considered "Celebration." The others may be nearby, but they are not within the accepted boundaries.
 

Also, you cannot buy Disney souvenirs at any of the stores in Celebration. There are gift shops, clothing stores, and merchants who sell Celebration-logo items, but Mickey and the gang are nowhere to be found. You don't have to go far to find touristy t-shirts, beach towels, and cheap plastic trinkets though. There are endless souvenir shops a short drive away on 192.
 

Celebration remains a popular tourist destination, and events are still hosted downtown throughout the year. A current list can be found at celebrationtowncenter.com/ee/index.php/events/

A list of downtown restaurants can be found at celebrationtowncenter.com/ee/index.php/dining/

Shopping information can be found at celebrationtowncenter.com/ee/index.php/shopping/