Easter events abound in Central Florida

The days leading up to April 5 mean plenty of egg-cellent Easter celebrations for Winter Park and Maitland residents to hop into. From Easter egg hunts to Sunday services at sunrise, there’ a whole Easter basket full of things to do.

The Morse Museum in Winter Park will be hosting a free open house the weekend of Easter. From 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 3, classical guitarist Joshua Englert will perform, and there will be a curator tour of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Laurelton Hall at 7 p.m. Open house hours are 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday; 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 407 645-5311.

Children can bunny hop over to the 61st annual Easter Egg Hunt in Central Park on Saturday, April 4 – it’s an event that will provide as much excitement and laughs for adults as it will for youngsters. Children up to 10 years of age can begin lining up at 9:30 a.m., and the hunt will begin promptly at 10 a.m. Children with special needs are also encouraged to join in the fun. More than 10,000 eggs will be placed throughout Central Park’s West Meadow. As always, children who come up empty handed will still be able to enjoy special treats at the designated candy area. For more information, call 407-599-3463.

On Easter Sunday, locals can kick off the spring season at The Hannibal Square EasterFest and Parade on Sunday, April 5. Parade entertainment will include springtime floats, five horse drawn carriages, several equestrian groups, professional dance companies, church choirs, a celebrity Grand Marshal, local high school marching bands and, of course, the Easter Bunny. Live entertainment will take place on Hannibal Square’s Shady Park Amphitheater from noon to 4:30 p.m. The Easter Bunny will be stationed in the park’s gazebo for photos with kids from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

Maitlanders can find a service close by at the Church of the Good Shepherd, located at 331 Lake Ave. Things kick off at sunrise with the Great Vigil of Easter at 6:30 a.m. in the Centennial Courtyard, followed by the Easter Service at 10:30 a.m. An Easter egg hunt and lunch will be held afterward. Interested parties can call the church at 407-644-5350 or visit GoodShepherdMaitland.com for more information.

North Park Baptist Church will hold a sunrise service of its own in Baldwin Park at 7 a.m. at Harbor Park. A 10:45 a.m. service followed by an Easter egg hunt will also be held at the church’s Orlando campus, located at 2047 Prospect Ave. For more information, visit gonorthpark.com

College Park residents can join their neighbors for the annual College Park Easter Egg Hunt at 9 a.m. sharp on Saturday, April 4, at Albert Park. Families and children are welcome to come and hunt for hundreds of eggs and meet the Easter Bunny. Visit collegeparkorlando.com for more information.

Ambitious celebrators willing to travel out of town can hop over to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales for a sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. near the tower. Carillonneur Geert D’hollander will play seasonal music from the bell tower and bagpiper Benjamin Pugh will play hymns including “Amazing Grace.” Rev. Chad Reynolds of Lake Wales’ First Presbyterian Church will deliver the sermon, with music performed by the Lake Wales Chorale. The Lake Wales Brass will also perform a selection from the tower's balcony. After the service, the Blue Palmetto Cafe at the gardens will offer a buffet for $10.95 ($7.95 for children under 12 years old). Bok's Easter service has been a tradition since 1927, when Rev. G.W.R. Cadman formally dedicated the sanctuary during the first service. Admission into the gardens is free from 6 to 8 a.m. that morning.