Other Orlando "things to do"

[imnotaprincess]

I'm sure most of us have "those" guests that just don't understand the Disney way or have the love of the mouse like we do. I'm currently putting together a newsletter to go out to our guests and wanted to include some Orlando activities that don't involve Disney. I already have the usual - Sea World, Universal, Discovery Cove and have even included Halloween Horror Nights since we'll be getting married in October.

Does anyone else have any ideas of things that I should include?

 

[JaxTeach]

I've seen people put shopping information in their newsletters. There are a lot of outlet malls in Orlando.

In our newsletters, we included information about *other* things to do at WDW besides theme parks. Most of our guests are going to be in the WDW vicinity so I would think they would prefer to do things close to their hotels/condos. I have found that people don't really know about some of the recreational activities available at WDW (boat rentals, horseback riding, golf, etc.). We put information about the water parks, DisneyQuest, mini-golf, spas, shopping, Pleasure Island, Jellyrolls, the Boardwalk... and some others.

I think it might be nice to include information about the coasts... the Cape and NASA, Atlantic Beaches, Gulf Coast Beaches, museums in Tampa/St. Pete. Those are all a 2 hour drive, but some might want to do that.

There are also lots of dinner shows in Orlando. The only one I'd actually recommend is Medieval Times... the others aren't so great IMHO.

I hope that helps some!

 

[Kristen14]

There's also a lot of shopping in the area. The Mall at Millenia is my favorite, its an upscale mall with just about every store you can imagine. Ooh, and theres outlet shopping.. the Premium outlets off I-4 are the best.

You can also mention that the beach (Cocoa) is about an hour away. There's a Ron Jon there that a lot of out of towners may want to visit.

There's also a bunch of dinner shows in town that arent Disney related. Midevil times is good, and there's also Dolly Partons Dixie Stampede.

 

[Ticky Toria 78]

I love Disney but Discovery Cove is excellent! So is Universal Studios and the Islands of Adventure. Bob Marley's Restaurant is great at Universal City Walk, and the Latin Quarter restaurant is my absolute favourite!
A bit of a drive but Clearwater is a lovely day out, Kennedy Space and Busch Gardens too, you can get a bus to Busch Gardens from the Premium Outlets Mall.

 

[GJLS10108]

I would definitely add Kennedy Space Center. And JaxTeach is right...Medieval Times is a lot of fun and something different to do that is not Disney related but still really close

 

[caryndisneydiva]

celebration is fun as well...there is a little pub and restaurant there and a bunch of cute little shops!

 

[M&M126]

If you have any guests that are into outdoor/nature type activities, you could always direct them to the various springs in the state parks. Wekiva spring, Blue spring, and Rock spring are some of my favorites! The water is beautifully clear for swimming. And you can canoe, kayak, hike and picnic in the parks. It's definitely a very different side of central Florida for your guests to see!

 

[Raenstoirm]

Golf is a big one as well. Disney has a few courses as well as the surrounding area.

 

[KQAN]

Believe it or not, Orlando has a downtown, too! It's not all theme parks and tourist attractions. Here are a few basic non-Disney, non-tourist things to do:
- Downtown Orlando has bars/nightclubs/live music for the 21-35yr old crowd, most popular on Friday/Saturday nights
- Have lunch or dinner and explore the boutique shops and trendy/historic neighborhood of Thornton Park (also in downtown),
- Walk around Lake Eola, in the heart of downtown,
- Explore downtown Park Avenue in Winter Park, an historic suburb of Orlando, off I-4: boutique and antique shopping, restaurants, bars, cafes, etc

Another nice place to visit is Mount Dora, about an hour from Disney in Lake County. It is a small town with a quaint downtown: think cafes, antiques, shopping, a nice lakefront, etc.

 

[imnotaprincess]

All of the suggestions are great! I'll be sure to include them in my list!

I had also planned on listing the non-park related Disney things to do.