HELPFUL HINTS: What's your absolute MUST-DO for non-WDW ativities when you visit Fla?

[DeanCosper]

There are too many to list! An easy and very entertaining outing would be visit Celebration Florida. Follow World Drive out of WDW and as soon as you cross over I-4 you enter Celebration. We have our own schools and a beautiful town with great restaurants and shops and a lovely community of homes (what else would you expect from the town Disney built). I live here and you can email me direct if you have more questions.
If you have a car and want to drive about an hour I would suggest the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Thousands of acres and 20 some odd miles of undeveloped beaches await you! This area is the space coast and you can easily see the shuttle launch pad (visit Kennedy Space Center) while driving in. Playalinda Beach there is absolutely one of the best beaches anywhere with no, none, nada development. Bring your fishing gear and go across the street from the beach and fish Mosquito Lagoon, the redfish capital of the world!
Plenty of mosquitos and gators there but if you want more safety net go to Gatorland it is not crowded and gives you a leisurely day among more gators than you can feed with all the hotdogs in the world.
The Disney Wilderness reserve is really nice, 12,000 acres of undeveloped land south of Kissimmee with trails and wildlife, rarely any people.
Take a glider ride at Seminole Gliderport .
I haven't scratched the surface. Nature or nightlife it is still abundant in cental Florida.

 

[kimmar067]

There are too many to list! An easy and very entertaining outing would be visit Celebration Florida. Follow World Drive out of WDW and as soon as you cross over I-4 you enter Celebration. We have our own schools and a beautiful town with great restaurants and shops and a lovely community of homes (what else would you expect from the town Disney built). I live here and you can email me direct if you have more questions.
If you have a car and want to drive about an hour I would suggest the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Thousands of acres and 20 some odd miles of undeveloped beaches await you! This area is the space coast and you can easily see the shuttle launch pad (visit Kennedy Space Center) while driving in. Playalinda Beach there is absolutely one of the best beaches anywhere with no, none, nada development. Bring your fishing gear and go across the street from the beach and fish Mosquito Lagoon, the redfish capital of the world!
Plenty of mosquitos and gators there but if you want more safety net go to Gatorland it is not crowded and gives you a leisurely day among more gators than you can feed with all the hotdogs in the world.
The Disney Wilderness reserve is really nice, 12,000 acres of undeveloped land south of Kissimmee with trails and wildlife, rarely any people.
Take a glider ride at Seminole Gliderport .
I haven't scratched the surface. Nature or nightlife it is still abundant in cental Florida.

Dean ~
I feel very honored that you posted your first post here ...congrats and to the 'DIS'! (BTW ~ I gotta check out Celebration the next time we visit WDW....I always thought that it was MUCH further away.... )

 

[kimmar067]

bumping...for MORE suggestions!

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Definately Fun Spot if you like Go carts
Ripley's believe it or not Museum is neat
Point orlando- has alot of neat shops, resteraunts...
These are all on or around International Drive
There are also a few good mini golf places here too.
Oh and Skull Kingdom, a walk through haunted house, the last time i went there you could also buy a pic. at the end . They take a pic of you in the house screaming.

 

[kimmar067]

...They take a pic of you in the house screaming.

....NOT a pretty picture....my kids get ENOUGH of that at home....

 

[zara]

Go to Blue Springs national park. Look for manatees. Go to celebration and relax by the lake. Visit the Holy Land Experience.

 

[zara]

Go on an AIRBOAT RIDE..

 

[kimmar067]

Go on an AIRBOAT RIDE..

...I would like to do that...how far away from WDW is it?? Costs??

 

[isla bonita]

There are some on 192 east and also at the end of Poinciana Blvd. We have not tried either yet am going down in Feb. to do these and can give a better idea of the out come.

 

[kimmar067]

There are some on 192 east and also at the end of Poinciana Blvd. We have not tried either yet am going down in Feb. to do these and can give a better idea of the out come.

...are you talking about airboat rides???

 

[spokanemom]

I am planning a trip to WDW (ok, who isn't) but anyway, my mother thought it would be fun to come with us. This would be her first trip anywhere with her two DGS 10 & 12 (my boys). She thinks that she will only do a park or two. Crazy, but whatever. She has been looking for other things to do and now is not sure that she really wants to go because she just can not find very many things that are interesting in Orlando. I really am beginning to think she is nutty.

This thread is great. Now I can send her a list of things that she may find to do so she will still come with us.

Thanks everyone for some great ideas. I can't wait to see what other ideas there are.

 

[kimmar067]

I am planning a trip to WDW (ok, who isn't) but anyway, my mother thought it would be fun to come with us....I really am beginning to think she is nutty...

...

...Thanks everyone for some great ideas. I can't wait to see what other ideas there are.

...me too!

 

[isla bonita]

Yes the airboat rides are on 192 and poinciana blvd sorry if I was not clear.

My family is use to finishing my sentences. I type like I am having a conversation so it does not always make sense. I also do not know how to get quotes from other posts to allow it to make any sense. Maybe some day I will have a better clue as to what I am doing. But probably not. LOL

 

[zara]

Yes Kimmaro67 - There are lots of water in Orlando you know!!! Go on an airboat ride and look for Alligators. We went last year - it was cool. Can't remember how much it was, sorry.

 

[kimmar067]

Yes Kimmaro67 - There are lots of water in Orlando you know!!! Go on an airboat ride and look for Alligators. We went last year - it was cool. Can't remember how much it was, sorry.

....that's okay...mebbe I'll plan that for the "AK Day", since I know that we won't spend too much time there.....plus, we will be driving the WDW, so we'll have a vehicle to get there.... . BTW ~ did you go early in the morning??

 

[zara]

Our trip was in Feb so places were reasonable quiet. Our trip was late afternoon. We never booked - just turned up...

 

[msgrimm23]

i go to the outlets that are down there and the malls. also i head to daytona its about a 45 minute drive see the nascar stuff go to the flea market and hit the beach.

 

[kimmar067]

i go to the outlets that are down there and the malls. also i head to daytona its about a 45 minute drive see the nascar stuff go to the flea market and hit the beach.

...we went to Daytona Beach, once, a few years back, when we rented a mini van....never even got to go on the 'boardwalk'...never knew one existed... ! (However, we DID make a 'pit stop' at the corner Krispy Kreme store before heading back to WDW - the light had just gone 'on' that the donuts were ready.... )

 

[msgrimm23]

...we went to Daytona Beach, once, a few years back, when we rented a mini van....never even got to go on the 'boardwalk'...never knew one existed... ! (However, we DID make a 'pit stop' at the corner Krispy Kreme store before heading back to WDW - the light had just gone 'on' that the donuts were ready.... )

the board walk is ok they are getting rid of it. ocean walk is cool to there is a bubba gump there and we eat there every time it fun.

 

[Lisa P.]

We once took an airboat ride on a 6-passenger airboat in southwest FL's everglades near Marco Island - what a thrill!!! We'd do that again in a heartbeat! We're thinking it'd be fun to try Boggy Creek Airboats at night. They are located about a half hour's drive from WDW. Their website has photos, rates, directions, etc. I've read very good things about them.