Possible to walk from SSR to South Apopka-Vineland Road?

[Miffy]

I just saw that there are a couple of vegetarian-friendly restaurants not that far from SSR, but I can't tell from the map I'm looking at if it's possible to walk or cross these streets/roads as a pedestrian.

We won't have a car at SSR, but of course we could always take a taxi/Uber. Yet walking would be the most convenient.

One of the places I saw was Sweet Tomatoes at 12561 South Apopka-Vineland Road, and there's a Jamba Juice in the same vicinity.

The walking route Google Maps is suggesting is along Hotel Plaza Boulevard and then across South Apopka-Vineland Road. But just because this is on Google Maps doesn't mean it's walkable!

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[Alesia]

I have found that if Google maps shows a walking route, then there is one. They won't show a walking route along highways unless there are sidewalks.

 

[Miffy]

Thanks, Alesia. I'm hoping that someone who's actually familiar with these roads might still respond.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

The satellite view of Google Maps clearly shows sidewalks all the way to that location, the shopping center with the Gooding's grocery store. Nice that Sweet Tomatoes is still open. They closed all of their locations near us in northeastern Illinois, and I miss their food (and discount pricing with the coupons they used to send us in regular emails). It looks like you would cross Buena Vista Drive at Broadway coming out of SSR or go through Disney Springs to get to Hotel Plaza Blvd, then stay on the north side of Hotel Plaza Blvd all the way to the the shopping center across South Apopka-Vineland Road. The sidewalk on the south side of HPB appears to end at the DoubleTree complex, although it could be hidden by trees in the satellite imaging. Google Maps says 2 miles from the main building at SSR. Your mileage will vary depending on your room location.

 

[Miffy]

Ralph&Pam--Thanks so much! I hadn't thought to look at the satellite view. So smart of you. I've never been to a Sweet Tomatoes but I was reading a review and it sounds great.

Thanks to both of you who answered on this thread! The DIS is the best!

 

[joelkfla]

Absolutely - possible & well-used.

Walk to DS, then take the pedestrian overpass to Hotel Plaza Blvd. (take the first exit), then walk the landscaped walkway out to Apopka Vineland. I believe Sweet Tomatoes is in the Crossroads Shopping Center, which is right across the street via a signalized crosswalk.

There's also plenty of pedestrian traffic along Apopka Vineland between Hotel Plaza & Palm Pkwy. I'm not sure whether there's a sidewalk under I-4 going south on A-V, but I think there is.

 

[joelkfla]

The sidewalk on the south side of HPB appears to end at the DoubleTree complex, although it could be hidden by trees in the satellite imaging.

I believe that is correct. Most likely a safety issue, because of the large amount of traffic turning right on A-V to get to I-4.

 

[Miffy]

Many many thanks again to all of you. I'm printing this thread right now and putting it in my vacation folder!

 

[bumbershoot]

We won't have a car at SSR, but of course we could always take a taxi/Uber. Yet walking would be the most convenient.

Hmm. I would go for a car of some sort. Walking doesn't sound fun to me.

Sweet Tomatoes is lovely, and they mark the vegetarian items. Great salad bar, though they tend to use *pickled* beets rather than just beet-beets, which can be a surprise when you're not expecting pickled!

 

[richmo]

Sweet Tomatoes is fun and I try to go every trip, sometimes more than once. Sign up for emails on their website and you'll get discount coupons every week or two.

Its not a short walk to Crossroads Plaza (home of Sweet Tomatoes and many others), but it is doable. As part of the Disney Springs construction, a pedestrian overpass was built that crosses over Buena Vista Drive and Hotel Plaza Blvd. Stay on the sidewalk on the Wyndham side of Hotel Plaza Blvd as that will line you up for crossing Apopka-Vineland Rd (SR-535). There is a light with a pedestrian crossing there...it's a huge intersection with loads of traffic, but be patient and wait for the pedestrian crossing and make sure cars really aren't coming.

It is a nice walk when the weather is good, but be aware of thunderstorms in the area, but I can see where your walk from SSR to Sweet Tomatoes could be maybe 1.5 miles or so. I think Hotel Plaza Blvd is about 3/4 of a mile and Sweet Tomatoes is as far back as you can go in Crossroads Plaza.

 

[Miffy]

richmo: Thanks so much.

And many thanks to everyone on this thread. I've printed out the detailed directions.

SSR is not exactly a vegan haven, particularly not for lunch or dinner, although nearby DS is a help, but adding Sweet Tomatoes and Jamba Juice to the mix will help a lot.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

It will be about a 30 minutes walk each way. If it is that important to you to go all the way over there I would rent a car since is sounds like you plan to make several visits.

 

[Miffy]

It will be about a 30 minutes walk each way. If it is that important to you to go all the way over there I would rent a car since is sounds like you plan to make several visits.

Shelly F: We'd probably go there once or twice, so no car will be necessary. That would be an enormous expense for such a small thing, and we'd never use the car otherwise. We're city dwellers and are used to walking everywhere. Even at walk-centric WDW!

 

[DOOM1001]

Sure you can walk but remember that its not close and the intersection of Hotel Plaza blvd and Apopka Vineland is a 10/10 in the traffic scale,very busy road.

 

[joelkfla]

Sure you can walk but remember that its not close and the intersection of Hotel Plaza blvd and Apopka Vineland is a 10/10 in the traffic scale,very busy road.

But there is a nice long "walk" light crossing A-V. Just need to watch out for traffic right-turning onto HPB from A-V.

 

[gdrj]

I just saw that there are a couple of vegetarian-friendly restaurants not that far from SSR, but I can't tell from the map I'm looking at if it's possible to walk or cross these streets/roads as a pedestrian.

We won't have a car at SSR, but of course we could always take a taxi/Uber. Yet walking would be the most convenient.

One of the places I saw was Sweet Tomatoes at 12561 South Apopka-Vineland Road, and there's a Jamba Juice in the same vicinity.

The walking route Google Maps is suggesting is along Hotel Plaza Boulevard and then across South Apopka-Vineland Road. But just because this is on Google Maps doesn't mean it's walkable!

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Just a couple thoughts. The walk is about 2 miles which by itself may not be too much for you, but personally if I'm spending time at Disney, not sure if I want to waste time walking off site. For me UBER would be worth it. Also at the Wyndham across from SSR there is a Dollar rent a car that at times can be very affordable. Having it for a day or 2 and doing some shopping for the room can pretty much pay for itself. Also depending on when you are going the heat/humidity may make the walk, or being near other diners less desirable.

 

[Miffy]

I agree that it would probably be ideal to have a car, but the expense and bother of it are not something either DH or I wants to deal with when we're at WDW--or we already would've planned to have a rental car. We take the train down and use a car service to/from the resort, with a grocery stop on the way. This always works out fine for us. If it were even mildly reasonable to rent a car at the Orlando or Kissimmee Amtrak station, we'd do that, but it isn't. At least not anytime that I checked.

We're going at the beginning of March, so I sincerely hope that heat/humidity won't be a factor in our stay. I was at WDW once, many years ago, the last week in May and first couple days of June and it was already too hot for me, so I'll never plan to be there in the really hot weather again.

It's not like we're thinking we'll make this walk every day. Probably just once or maybe twice.

Thanks again to everyone!

 

[joelkfla]

B

The walk is about 2 miles

Google Maps puts the walking distance from SSR Congress Park bus stop all the way to Sweet Tomatoes at the far end of Crossroads as 1.6 mi. The route displayed by Google looks pretty accurate (except for going down the wrong side of HPB), but the distance may be slightly longer because the walkway along HPB is landscaped and undulates somewhat.

Another option is to take Lynx bus #50 from the corner of HPB & Buena Vista Dr. (near the 2nd exit of the pedestrian overpass) to the entrance of Crossroads. That will cut the total walking distance in half, divided between the beginning and end of the trip. Bus fare is $2 per person one way, exact change only. Schedules at www.golynx.com; also on Google Maps when you select the train icon above the directions panel.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

The satellite view of Google Maps clearly shows sidewalks all the way to that location, the shopping center with the Gooding's grocery store. Nice that Sweet Tomatoes is still open. They closed all of their locations near us in northeastern Illinois, and I miss their food (and discount pricing with the coupons they used to send us in regular emails). It looks like you would cross Buena Vista Drive at Broadway coming out of SSR or go through Disney Springs to get to Hotel Plaza Blvd, then stay on the north side of Hotel Plaza Blvd all the way to the the shopping center across South Apopka-Vineland Road. The sidewalk on the south side of HPB appears to end at the DoubleTree complex, although it could be hidden by trees in the satellite imaging. Google Maps says 2 miles from the main building at SSR. Your mileage will vary depending on your room location.

You just broke my heart. I heard about the Sweet Tomatoes bankruptcy, but I didn't know the locations in the Chicago burbs closed suddenly like that. We're in Chicago and loved Sweet Tomatoes. Damn. :-(