Rollins is a walking campus. The college sits at the south end of Park Avenue in Winter Park, and the street's shops start just north of campus, so "near campus" in this guide means on foot. Hannibal Square is a few blocks west of Park Avenue on New England Avenue. You only need a car for the big grocery run.
Start at the campus edge on Fairbanks Avenue, where Tuni (143 W Fairbanks Ave) sells women's clothing and accessories. Head north up Park Avenue and the first stop is AJ Chocolate House (552 S Park Ave), a chocolate cafe with coffee, waffles and gelato.
The 300 block is the densest stretch for students. Bobbles + Lace (348 S Park Ave) has affordable, trend-driven dresses and tops. Warby Parker (356 S Park Ave) and SEE Eyewear (342 S Park Ave) sell frames and sunglasses a few doors apart. Siegel's (330 S Park Ave) dresses men and women, Southern Tide (331 S Park Ave) carries preppy polos and shorts, and The Vin.Tage Vault (323 S Park Ave) is a wine shop with cheeses and pantry gifts.
Keep walking. Synergy (202B S Park Ave) sells comfortable everyday sportswear next to Ocean Blue Galleries (202 S Park Ave). The 100 block has Be On Park (152 S Park Ave) for fine jewelry, John Craig Clothier (132 S Park Ave) and its younger sister shop Current by John Craig (128 S Park Ave) for menswear, and frank. (112 S Park Ave) for minimalist basics.
North of Morse Boulevard you'll find Pop Us! Collectibles & Toys (119 E Morse Blvd), Writers Block Bookstore (316 N Park Ave), and a building at 329 N Park Ave holding Dear Jane, Orlando Watch Company and Trade Routes Collective. Around the corner on Canton Avenue are Rieker Shoes (108 E Canton Ave) and Gasp Gifts (106 E Canton Ave).
The official store is the Rollins College Bookstore on campus (1000 Holt Ave). It sells Rollins T-shirts, polos, hoodies and hats, plus alumni keepsakes, drinkware and gifts. It also stocks school supplies, backpacks, dorm essentials and electronics.
Hours posted by the college are Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 4:30pm, Friday 8:30am to 2:30pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm. It is closed Sunday, so buy the sweatshirt for parents' weekend before then. The college's main line is 407-646-2000.
For late-night basics, the Fox Lodge C-Store on campus sells snacks, groceries, sundries and gifts, with allergen-free and organic options. It is open until 1am every night (7am weekdays, 8am weekends), and staff will look for items you can't find. The campus bookstore also carries dorm essentials and backpacks.
For a full shop, drive to Publix Winter Park Village (440 N Orlando Ave). It is open daily 7am to 10pm and has a bakery, deli, hot bar, sushi, a pharmacy and curbside pickup. It is the easiest one-stop run for a first week's groceries.
On Saturdays, walk to the Winter Park Farmers' Market in Central Park's West Meadow (150 N New York Ave, at Morse Blvd), 8am to 1pm. Vendors sell produce, plants, flowers, bread, honey and jams. A few times a year it moves to Seven Oaks Park, so check the city's social accounts first.
We have not verified a hardware or big-box home store within walking distance, so plan a separate drive for furniture or storage bins.
For books, Writers Block Bookstore (316 N Park Ave) is the independent bookstore on Park Avenue, with regular author events. For clothes on a student budget, start at Bobbles + Lace for women's trends and frank. for clean basics. Current by John Craig is the more casual of the two John Craig shops, and Synergy sells comfortable sportswear.
Need new glasses? Compare Warby Parker and SEE Eyewear on the same block. Rieker Shoes sells comfortable walking shoes and sandals, which help on brick streets. Pop Us! Collectibles & Toys is the stop for pop-culture collectibles and is open until 9pm Monday to Saturday.
Park Avenue doesn't have thrift or record stores. For those, see the last section.
Rifle Paper Co. (558 W New England Ave, Suite 150) is the brand's flagship in Hannibal Square. Go for graduation cards, wrapping paper, prints and home accessories. Nearby, Lauren Sigman Collection (227A W New England Ave) makes colorful gemstone jewelry.
For a bigger graduation gift, Be On Park does custom gold rings, Almut Belote Jewelry (216 N Park Ave, Suite K) makes fine jewelry in its own workshop, and Orlando Watch Company sells fine watches and handles repairs. For parents, The Vin.Tage Vault has wine, cheese, jams and olives, and AJ Chocolate House packs gift boxes and truffles. Dear Jane has candles and home gifts. Official Rollins alumni keepsakes and drinkware are at the campus bookstore.
Coffee first: Barnie's Coffee & Tea Co. (118 S Park Ave) opens at 7am and serves breakfast and lunch. AJ Chocolate House stays open until 10pm Sunday to Wednesday and 11pm Thursday to Saturday, which makes it the late study-break pick. On Saturday mornings, the farmers' market has bread, pastries and prepared food. For a cheap dinner, the Publix hot bar and sushi work.
For a sit-down meal, Prato (124 N Park Ave) serves wood-fired pizza and is in the moderate price range. The Ravenous Pig (565 W Fairbanks Ave) is a gastropub with Southern-leaning food, west of campus on Fairbanks.
When parents are paying, book AVA MediterrAegean (290 S Park Ave) for Greek shared plates and seafood, or Ômo by Jônt (115 E Lyman Ave), a tasting-menu restaurant just off Park Avenue. Both are in the Michelin Guide's top price tier.
SunRail's Winter Park station (148 W Morse Blvd) stops at Central Park on Park Avenue. Trains run weekdays only, so weekend visitors need to drive or use rideshare.
Driving in, on-street spaces around Park Avenue allow up to 3 hours, and city lots within a block of the avenue are free for 4 hours. The North Park Avenue garage is free on its 4th and 5th floors for up to 4 hours. The South Park Avenue (Truist) garage at 131 E Comstock Ave charges by the hour, though the Rollins Museum of Art validates tickets for free parking there. Complimentary valet runs at New England and Park avenues. For campus parking, call Rollins Campus Safety at 407-646-2999.
For vintage and records, drive to Audubon Park on Corrine Drive, where Park Ave CDs (2916 Corrine Dr) and The Owl's Attic (3106 Corrine Dr) sit a few doors apart. Mills 50 has Out of the Closet (1349 N Mills Ave) for thrift.
For electronics and beauty, The Mall at Millenia has Apple Millenia and Sephora (4200 Conroy Rd). All three districts are a drive from campus.
