2 weeks in orlando (no Disney) - What to do? Beaches, state parks, other attractions?

[15MinutesFromWDW]

NASA may be a little hard with that cutie-patootie little one. (Even with 8-year-old nephew we had to skip the bus tour half of NASA, because he just couldn't take it.)

If you're into browsing, let me first advise that you stay away from the Florida Mall. There is not one single store there you don't already have in your malls at home, the parking is HORRIBLE, traffic is HORRIBLE, and the mall is always crowded 'n' crabby. The Mall At Millenia is interesting to some people because it's got all the fancy stores (I'm poor, so it just bums me out, lol). Even though it's not very full yet, I highly recommend Festival Bay at the north end of I-Drive. (www.belz.com) It's got some unique stores and restaurants, and is a nice couple of hours of strolling (it also has the only Cinemark theater in town -- NICE!). Downtown Orlando is tiny, but is also nice for an afternoon's stroll.

You might check the Calendar section at www.orlandoinfo.com I don't know if it's your thing, but there are almost always lovely Tiffany glass exhibits at the Morse Museum, and I just read about an interesting-sounding exhibit in St. Petersburg about Princess Diana's life. There's also the Leu Gardens (hurricane restoration began the second the winds died down).

When you head to the beach, I also highly recommend budgeting time to stroll through Cocoa Village (Bankers Bar & Grill is always a fun restaurant, built in an old bank building, complete with vaults!), and Merritt Island. If you get to Merritt Island, don't miss The Wacky Hut & Downtime Patio(www.thewackyhut.com -- call, because the hurricane blew them one street over from the address listed on the site). It's the one of those only-in-Florida kind of places, lol. They've got a store full of cool/artsy/fun gifts and souveniers, a dining patio, outdoor dance floor (carpeted -- upside-down, lol!) and band stage, and a second building (the inside is shaped like a ship -- hard to describe, but neat to see) with an indoor dining room. The owners are about the friendliest people you'll meet, and the food's yummy!

 

[reddixie]

"I would visit St. Augustine if your willing to travel as it is one of the oldest Fl. towns which an interesting history to it. "


LOVE this response! St. Augustine founded in 1565 it is the oldest occupied city in the United States. I too give a big thumbs up to St. Augustine. I also love Mt. Dora, Blue Springs, Silver Springs, Juniper Springs, Cocoa Beach, Ponce Inlet(St. Augustine's and Ponce Inlet Lighthouses are still working). There is so much to do in Florida whether you like nature or man made. Only thing I haven't done is the Space Station in Central Fl. I also would love to head over to West Palm Beach and Miami. http://www.ci.st-augustine.fl.us/visitors/history.html Here is a link to St. Augustine. HTH

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I did not read all the responses so I apologize if this has already been suggested. I say go to Gatorland. It is fun if you have children especially boys. We usually bring in a pound of cheap hot dogs to feed the gators. MY sons loved it.

 

[annabelle]

Anna Maria Island! Just south of Tampa... talk about old Florida... no highrises, concrete boxes, neon signs... just a nice tropical, laid back feel with plenty of restaurants, family owned hotels and boutique shops... and plenty of gorgeous beaches! We're going there after a week at Disney to decompress. There's a "dolphin cruise" you can go on that's $20/person for a 90 minute boat ride. For $30/person, the ride lasts 3 hours and they'll take you to an island that has ruins from an old fort... plus a great sandbar off the coast. My kids can't wait to see the dolphins!

 

[Immelman]

the keys. most beautiful place in the world.

 

[madisonsmom]

I would reccommend De Leon Springs State Park, they have a neat restaurant there that is inside the park where you sit at a table with a griddle, order your food and then you get to cook it. Especially fun if you have older children. Then you can stay and swim during the day and have a picnic for lunch if desired. I would also recm'd Wekiva Springs for Canoeing and Swimming.

If you goto the West Coast, Weeki Wachee is fun...the world of mermaids!

 

[kikipug]

the keys. most beautiful place in the world.

I agree, however, that's not a car trip I'd want to take with a little one!!!!

 

[madisonsmom]

I also meant to put in my prior post that if you go towards the Ft. Lauderdale area there is "Lion Country Safari" which is a TON of fun, you get to drive your car, or you can rent one of their jeeps and drive through the safari yourself where there are giraffes, lions, rhino's, ostrich, emus, etc, etc, and then there is a zoo area that you can walk through as well. Definitely worth the drive, not sure of the cost as it has been years since we have been there, but I am sure they have a website if you do a search for it.

Also, the Orlando Science Center is incredible, lots of hands on stuff and worth going to, especially a good rainy day activity.

 

[Susie]

Anna Maria Island! Just south of Tampa... talk about old Florida... no highrises, concrete boxes, neon signs... just a nice tropical, laid back feel with plenty of restaurants, family owned hotels and boutique shops... and plenty of gorgeous beaches! We're going there after a week at Disney to decompress. There's a "dolphin cruise" you can go on that's $20/person for a 90 minute boat ride. For $30/person, the ride lasts 3 hours and they'll take you to an island that has ruins from an old fort... plus a great sandbar off the coast. My kids can't wait to see the dolphins!

We are going there in October to round off our Florida holiday. We reckoned that after 2 weeks in Orlando we need 1 week to just chill out. Last October we did the same 2 weeks in Orlando and 1 week at the beach but we went to Clearwater which was fine. One of DH's work mates had told us about Ana Maria Island so we drove there and spent a fantastic day there - the closest to paradise we've ever been so this year we're having a week there and can't wait. So if anyone can reccommend shops, restaurants etc it would be much appreciated.

 

[26555]

Great thread and I'm glad no one is calling you crazy for not doing theme parks while in Orlando for two weeks (given this is the Disney crazy boards). I think its a great idea to check out stuff you may have missed on other trips. (like time to relax) You might also book a couple of PS lunches or dinners at some Disney resorts in case resort touring seemed fun. For doing the beach, you might want to go ahead and book 1 night someplace even though you have CP accomidations. 1 night gets you two beach days and you'll have a place to go if it rains or you need a break from the sun. Cocoa beach was sort of old FL in places and the Ron Jon surf shop was fun to tour. Stop at the welcome center and ask about where locals go for seafood or for breakfast.

 

[26555]

If you have a zoo, museum, or COSI membership, check their reciprocal agreements with institutions in FLA. COSI has agreements with the space museum in Orlando and most other space museums in FLA. Admission is often free or greatly reduced.

I agree with this. Join http://www.amod.org/ in your home state and get into OSC (www.osc.org) free. (Young kids and even my 6 year old enjoy playing with those pretend oranges.) If you end up in Tampa, you can also check out the MOSI. Tampa also has a nice aquarium and zoo that may be free if you have joined a zoo in your area.

http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/

http://www.flaquarium.org/

www.mosi.org

 

[Ted and Holly]

I think June is a little late, but if you are going to visit a Gulf Beach, be sure to check the Red Tide Report before you go.

Ted