Bad parts of Orlando?

[mommaU4]

For those of you who have been to Orlando many times and are familiar with the whole area, not just WDW, are there any "bad" parts of town? Maybe some areas that aren't safe?

I ask this because my in-laws are going with us but renting their own car and want to do some exploring of the whole area, not just Disney and the immediate area. Obviously I want them to be safe, so any advice/warnings would be appreciated.

 

[Jokerswild7]

I live over by UCF (about 20 mins from Disney) Its very "college-ey", If they even make it out that far. Also Downtown Orlando, I would want to not visit. Hope that helps.
General rule of thumb; As long as your on Disney property your as safe as possible.

Hope that helped (somewhat)


Glenn

 

[DURANFAN2]

I think if they're driving around in the day time they are pretty safe. I don't live in Otown (I live on the FL coast) but honestly you don't hear the same kind of crime stories that you hear if you're say down in Miami.
THe traffic is getting pretty busy in Orlando. I would suggest they get a map and know where they are going to. Orlando is a big place and it would be easy to get lost if they don't have a destination to be driving to. In general most of the places tourist want to go to are in close distance to Disney.
One place they might want to check out is the Disney planned community of CELEBRATION. Its nearby and a nice place to see.

 

[cleo]

The general area really is very safe. Obviously, they should take the same precautions they would take in any large city, but for the most part they're safe walking at night in any of the tourist areas (I-Drive, etc) and driving pretty much anywhere they might care to go during the day. As long as they keep their common sense with them, they'll be just fine (petty theft from hotel rooms and cars would be the only thing I'd be extra careful about).

 

[disneyholic family]

Orlando is just as dangerous as any large US city....you should always be aware of who is around you, in parking lots, etc.....
even at WDW......one year someone was kidnappyed/murdered from the DTD parking lot when we were there.....granted it was at 2 AM.....but just as in any populated area in the US, caution is always advised....

 

[OrlandoMike]

The only area I would avoid would be the Orange Blossom Trail area immediatly north and south of I-4. It's the only exit on I-4 that does not have a name, just 17-441-92.

 

[HookedonMagic]

Orlando is similar to any city its size...we have "good" and "bad" parts of town. Your parents should avoid parts of downtown at night and be careful on some sections of Orange Blossom Trail (the area of OBT near the airport is fine...even nice.) We are a generally "safe" area. Common sense should be their guide (as well as a good map, and have them keep a cell phone handy!)

As someone else suggested, your parents may want to visit Celebration (5 minutes from WDW) for a meal and some shopping. Also, Winter Park (about 25 minutes up I-4) is a very cute town. Good shopping and nice restaurants all set on Park Avenue, a brick street about a mile long. If they are into antiques, Mt Dora is nice. It's about a 35 minute drive from WDW...very pretty, rural area with a huge Antiques Mall. Also, Mall at Millenia is a great shopping Center about 15 minutes from WDW, again up I-4. They are anchored by Neimans, Bloomingdales and Macy's. If golf is their game, we have MANY great courses in the area...most in very nice communities.

Be safe and have a great trip!

 

[Feralpeg]

Please enjoy exploring Orlando, but be aware of the traffic. If you are walking, be extra careful. A tourist from the UK was hit and killed crossing Kirkman Road the other day. People are just not as careful as they should be concerning pedestrians. Do not cross streets anywhere other than the posted crosswalks! That is true around WDW/DTD!

 

[civileng68]

While I like the particular atmosphere, but, if you have small kids you may/may not want to go to the northern side of Int' Drive on a weekend.

Many locals come out and it can get a little bit loud and rowdy at times.

Just FYI>

 

[mommaU4]

Thanks to all for the info!!

 

[flbelle82]

I would say that they should be safe pretty much anywhere here, but I would tell them to avoid International Drive at night, it is very touristy, therefore, full of crime. Also some areas of downtown are dangerous like any city, but if they wanted to have dinner or go to the comedy club on Church Street they would be fine! One more thing, Winter Park is a beautiful area they might love, but it is an hour away not 25 minutes (I do the drive nearly every week, hello I-4 traffic) while Celebration is quieter and only 10 minutes away. I would go there!!!

 

[mitros]

You can go to the Orange county Sheriffs department website and type in the word "reports" and you can get an idea as to what type of crimes go on in and where in the county, since this information is public record.

 

[MAH4546]

I think if they're driving around in the day time they are pretty safe. I don't live in Otown (I live on the FL coast) but honestly you don't hear the same kind of crime stories that you hear if you're say down in Miami.

You actually do. Orlando's crime rate is worse than Miami's.

 

[cleo]

Since when? Sorry, but Miami has far more crime than Orlando if you're looking at the sort of crime you need to 'worry' about.

 

[kennancat]

Another area to be careful around is the Orlando Arena, especially near Parramore Avenue. Parramore is generally considered the bad area in Orlando proper.

 

[F-L-A]

The only real bad areas of Orlando are Parramore, Orange Blossom Trail and Pine Hills. Pine Hills is fairly far out so you shouldn't have to worry. OBT is in the middle of the city, surrounding I-4. It's basically a long stretch of strip clubs and other shady, run down businesses. There's really nothing worth seeing here, so it can be avoided. Parramore is on the western end of I-4, directly across from downtown. Downtown Orlando is actually very safe and clean compared to most other cities. It's only Parramore you have to watch out for. If you stay on the east side of I-4 there shouldn't be any problems.

 

[MAH4546]

Since when? Sorry, but Miami has far more crime than Orlando if you're looking at the sort of crime you need to 'worry' about.

If you are only going to look at city proper, which for cities like Miami and Orlando is pretty meanlingless because they have small city propers compared to their metro region, that is true. In terms of the metro region, Orlando has some of the highest crime rates in the nation, and usually ranks in the top five with Atlanta, St. Louis and others. Miami region hasn't ranked top ten since 2001. One reason being is simple: tourism. Tourism drives up the crime rates especially high, because while the rate is taken out of "XXX" residents, it doesn't take into account the largest number of tourists that skew those figures and make "XXX+YYY" residents. Not to mention tourism naturally drives up crime rates. Both cities are safe, none the less, as long as you stay out of certain areas. Miami still has part of the "Miami Vice" image it got in the 1980s, but crime is nothing like it was twenty years ago.

 

[PammyK]

The only real bad areas of Orlando are Parramore, Orange Blossom Trail and Pine Hills. Pine Hills is fairly far out so you shouldn't have to worry. OBT is in the middle of the city, surrounding I-4. It's basically a long stretch of strip clubs and other shady, run down businesses. There's really nothing worth seeing here, so it can be avoided. Parramore is on the western end of I-4, directly across from downtown. Downtown Orlando is actually very safe and clean compared to most other cities. It's only Parramore you have to watch out for. If you stay on the east side of I-4 there shouldn't be any problems.

Actually, I'd also include Eatonville on this list, at least after dark.