Gotha Florida 34734

Population: about 800

Gotha offers easy access to the Orlando International Airport, the convenience of Highway 50, the ease of East-West Expressway, SR 429 (the Western Loop) and the Florida Turnpike.

There is a small restaurant in Gotha called Yellow Dog Eats Cafe. It is located at the main intersection of Gotha Road and Hempel Avenue. The old general store building boasts a charming atmosphere, tast food and an extensive wine collection. The eclectic menu has something for everyone. Consider the Black Hound wrap - smothered in black beans, yellow rice, caramelized onion and salsa. A variety of sandwiches are offered, like the Johnny Rocket, stuffed with honey-mesquite turkey, orange-cointreau mayonaise, peppers and smoked Gouda. Evening diners may choose from a variety of sandwiches, salads, paninis, thin-crust pizzas and an extensive wine list. Yellow Dog Eats is a popular lunchtime destination and reservations are not accepted. Outdoor dining available. The restaurant is located alongside the Gotha Country Store where you can browse a collection of antiques and gifts.

Yellow Dog Eats Cafe
1236 Hempel Ave
Gotha,
Florida 34734
407-296-0609

Gotha Florida is also home to the "Palm Cottage" - Dr. Henry Nehrling first planted the garden in 1890 making it one of Florida's first experimental botanical gardens. In 1890, he took the post of Custodian of the Public Museum in Milwaukee where he was given the opportunity to collect plant specimens for their greenhouse. Nehrling then used his knowledge to develop a garden in Gotha, Florida, where he had purchased land in 1884. Nehrling grew, hybridized, and popularized many unusual and exotic plants for the general public. Caladiums, palms, bamboo, and amaryllis were all introduced to the United States by way of his Palm Cottage Gardens. Nehrling’s garden became so well known during the 1890s that people like John Burroughs, Thomas Edison, and Theodore Roosevelt came to visit and learn gardening tips. Nehrling had resigned his post with the Public Museum of Milwaukee and permanently settled in Gotha in 1894.

His first book, Die Nordamericanische Vogelwelt (North American Songbirds) was published in 1891. A two-volume work, Our Native Birds of Song was published in 1893; a second edition was printed in 1896. His next work, Die Amaryllis (The Amaryllis), was published in 1908. Between 1922 and 1929, Nehrling wrote columns for The American Eagle, a weekly horticultural paper published in Estero, Florida. Henry Nehrling passed away on November 22, 1929, and was laid to rest in the Gotha Cemetery.