Lis of Non Disney activities

[toyotaae86lg]

Hello all, the lovely fiance and I are to be wed Feb. 1, 2008. We will be staying at the world for 14 nights. I want to compose a list of different things to do in Orlando. Last trip we did the titanic tour which was awesome, ripleys, wonderworks, and etc....So we've done a few things. I just wanted to get your ideas of activities we can do on a non disney day...Thanx for all your suggestions.
chaser

P.s. Are there any haunted tours or anything like this in the orlando area? My fiance would love something like this!!!

 

[HopperFan]

Sky Venture - indoor skydiving

 

[spiceycat]

yes Orlando has some haunted areas. but I think they only show tours in Oct?

here is 207 things to do - but some of these are Disney
http://www.orlandoinfo.com/articles.cfm?content=-<+&S7U)"N52WY!@9W

if she likes history - then Kissimmee is older than Orlando
http://www.floridakiss.com/do/index.php

 

[FLParadisevilla]

Hello and Congradulations!!!
Sea World, Discovery Cove is a wonderful day!

Gatorland is a kind of fun day well its about half a day.
http://www.gatorland.com/

http://www.old-town.com/

http://www.manateecam.com/

A day at a beach...
I am just throwing some things out there Have a great time planning!

 

[5mins2disney]

I have a webpage with lots of fun area things listed to do:

http://www.5mins2disney.com/thingstodo.htm

Beaches, to boating, to fishing, to driving a real Nascar, one thing's for sure, you will not run out of things to do in Orlando, 14 days barely scratches the surface! In 4 trips over the last 2 years we still feel like we haven't come close, we still haven't even been to the water parks or Universal yet, KSC, and more.

Enjoy!
- George

 

[Darcy03231]

Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, Discovery Cove, one of the dinner theaters (Arabian Nights, Pirates, etc)., beaches (Clearwater, Daytona), Wet n' Wild Water Park, just to list a few.

 

[ducklite]

Winery Tour. Lakeridge Winery. 35 minutes from WDW. While you're in the area, go to the top of the Citrus Tower for a breathtaking view, and stop at Lake Louisa State Park to see the wonderful wildlife.

Anne

 

[KayR]

If you are into Historical Walking Tours try

http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/8428/historicalseries.html

Not quite a haunted tour there, but certainly one to a cemetary!

-Kay

 

[shelemm]

Go to the Springs!

Just north of Orlando are a series of freshwater springs (all in county, state parks, or national forests) that are thrilling, make for great swimming and snorkeling, and are a tropical paradise. Rock Spring in Kelly Park is the closest to Orlando, but Blue Spring State Park and Wekiva Spring are also not far. Just do a web search for Springs Fever, an informative website. Old Florida Tourism at its best.

 

[Mo-Yo]

I second the suggestion to visit a spring.

We canoed Wekiva Springs many years ago (B. C. - Before Children). It was so fun, and there was a little cafe/bar along the waterway that you paddle to...a great spot for lunch.

Watch out for gators.

 

[meta]

We loved Cirque De Soleil. It was wonderful and so entertaining.

 

[shelemm]

Yes!!! I forgot that you could also canoe down the length of Wekiva. I think it's a State Park.

Anyway, the natural areas of Florida can be beautiful and exciting. My first two trips down to Orlando with kids, we didn't do any of the amusement parks. I can't stand waiting in lines, and I felt they were too young to justify the expense.

So we did the Springs - we hit about eight of them - and the Morse Museum in Winter Park (dedicated to a rare collection of custom Tiffany pieces salvaged from the Tiffany estate).

 

[makinorlando]

Might I suggest this book - Day Trips from Orlando Guide Book - tihs has things to do within 2 hours of Orlando - some might be a bit further than you would want to go, but I have found it very helpful in finding different things to do around Orlando. Since we moved here 3 1/2 years ago, we focused so much on Disney - we needed to start venturing out!

I might suggest

Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island Wildlife Preserve

Cypress Gardens - we have not gotten there yet, but neighbors were there over the weekend and said it was a pleasant change from Disney - much like an old time amusement park.

For a laid back day or evening of some fun maybe some mini golf - DD and I did a mini golf marathon on Sunday for her birthday - we did three different courses on I-Drive and had a great time. Her favorite was in Festival Bay shopping center - Putting Edge - Glow in the Dark mini golf. We also did Pirates Cove & Tiki Island (we chose those who had coupons in the Entertainment book)

We still haven't ventured too too far - it is hard to go places to spend more money when we have passes for Disney, Sea World/Busch Gardens and Universal - but we are trying!

 

[dizneyrules]

I would really recommend an airboat tour. We have done both the daytime and night-time tours and had a great time. It is very peaceful and interesting and we did get to several alligators in their natural habitat. We used Boggy Creek Airboats both times. Our family now actually considers this a must do on our of our Florida trips now.

Happy planning!

Ann Marie

 

[Evil Princess]

If you're into nightlife, I suggest you go to Howl at the Moon on International Drive.

It's my all time favorite bar ever:
www.howlatthemoon.com

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

Great thread... keep those ideas coming. As DVC members we go annually BUT don't leave property. This year I want to do the parks for a few days but also the surrounding areas. We have Universal and Sea World here in CA so I can skip those but looking for some other fun activities for the kids. Loved Gatorland several years ago.

 

[leanan]

Skip Gatorland and do the airboat tour instead. Maybe go out to one of the orange grove you pick farms to pick your own oranges as well. The most important Florida activity that everyone forgets is enjoy the weather by hanging out at the pool, on the beach or doing the boating thing. This goes 10 fold for northerners visiting in the dead of winter.

I have not found any haunted tours around yet. I love them. I have been to the winchester house in Cali and quite a few in the "deep south". I remember staying in a haunted hotel once. It was somewhere in south Florida though. I will quiz my dad tomorrow about it. I was a teenager back then and my mind is foggy.

 

[MouseGirl]

I would highly recommend Discovery Cove - we did that yesterday and absolutely loved it. We got to swim with a dolphin, snorkel with tropical fish, and lots more. It was a fun and wonderful time for both the adults and kids in our party. There were lots of couples there obviously enjoying themselves.