things to do in Orlando

B

briancbyrne

Registered User
Messages
615
Hi,

Better halfs parents are travelling to the U.S in April, doing a city hop for a couple of weeks and finally spending the final 5 days in Orlando.
Does any one have any experience of this area and what is there to do outside of the usuall amusement parks.?
If they were to avoid Orlando, where in florida general area would be good to visit for a relaxing few days?

Thanks

Brian
 
If they don't like parks then Florida Mall is a short drive from Disney World if they fancy shopping, also Orlando Premium Outlets is very close by too. I would also recommed about an hours drive from Orlando to Clearwater bay on the gulf of Mexico for a really quiet relaxing time. Stop off in Tampa on the way too the zoo there is fab!

45mins drive the other way will get you to Kennedy Space centre which is well worth a visit.

There is a ton of things to do other than parks.
 
we went for a nature drive outside titusville and saw manatees swimming in a river -amazing! We also went to Sarasota to siesta key beach which has white sand and is regularly voted among the top ten beaches in the world. They were the highlights of my holiday!
 
They could take an airboat ride in the Everglades to see the alligators. It's exhilarating!

Actually, if they have no interest in theme parks, they might be as well off avoiding Orlando and staying near some of the beautiful beaches there (if they haven't already booked a hotel in Orlando, of course). The Florida Keys are lovely too, apparently (I haven't been there, so have no personal experience). Or there's a lovely city called St. Augustine in North Florida that is full of interesting museums and historical buildings.
 
Going to Orlando without visiting the attractions is like going to Vegas and avoiding the Casinos. If they don't want all the hustle and bustle of the regular attractions I would recommend Epcot. Orlando/Kissimmee offer great deals in accommodation and entertainment. Some things to do other than the attraction would be:
- Rent a villa with private pool - check out holiday-rentals.co.uk for offers
- Stay at an International Drive hotel, within walking distance of lots of bars and restaurants also check out their freebies e.g. complementary breakfast and evening happy hour, etc.
- Belz Outlet: belz.com/oldwebsite/factory/locations/bdoc/index.html (personally I would give this a miss but a must for the shopaholic)
- Events Guide: orlando.eventguide.com/months/09apr.htm

Outside Orlando I would recommend Cocoa Beach - 1 hour drive east of Orlando. I'm not familiar with areas recommended by other posters other than to say stay away from Miami. One of the most spectacular and unforgettable sights is to watch a night time rocket or shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center while relaxing on Cocoa Beach. The NASA web site will carry tonight's Kepler rocket launch and next week's Discovery launch, the only launch I see for April is the GEOS-O rocket launch on the 6th.
NASA: nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html
Cocoa Beach: cocoabeach.com/index1.shtml be sure to visit the Ron Jon Surf Shop
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top