Stuff to do on a not so Disney trip, relaxing, ect.

becca011906

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 23, 2005
Messages
1,284
Ok me and dh are taking the kids down to in a few weeks, my mom and step dad are joining us in the condo, they have not been in YEARS (my mom took me and my sister 10 years ago) and my step dad when with family 20+years ago! We went to disney 5 (to long) days last trip in sept and kinda burnt out and would rather wait for a LONG disney trip again when all the kids are out of diapers and strollers, ect.
stuff we plan to do are like going horse back riding, mideveil times dinner show, riplies' believe it or not, day to the coast, gator land, any thing eles you have really enjoyed, that wasn't priced to bad, yet could be 1/2 day or less...
My dh is thinking about taking my step dad out to the gamaling boat one night so it'd be a me and mom and kids night too.
 
You can got to the Kenedy Space Center, Old Town Kissimmee, You can go see the Manatee's. Here are some links for some things you can do. Seaworld is a nice day not too hectic! Dolly Parton Dixi Stampede, Outlet Malls.
Gatorland is fun for a short day and it definately does not have the Disney Effect but it still is quite fun.
http://www.floridasparadisevilla.com/attractions.htm
 

There is great shopping to be had at Florida Mall and Mall at Millenia and the Outlets at the east end of I-Drive, if you're into that sort of thing. Florida Mall is definitely my favorite! Lots of rare and/or unique stores all in one spot.

There is also great dining in the attractions area. Timpanos, Samba Room, Seasons 52, and Roy's, among many others, can be found in "Restaurant Row" on Sand Lake Road between Apopka-Vineland Rd and International Dr. All have fantastic food and very nice atmosphere. Whenever my husband and I or our friends have something special to celebrate, those are the places to which we always head. Definitely take advantage!
 
Going to Celebration is far from the maddening crowds, you can get a coffee or smoothie at Barney's and take it go sit on the one of the rocking chairs (piped in music) playing and you sit and rock in front of a man made lake.......
relaxing!
After 8pm, mostly locales who eat inside, the tourists eat outside, being both the tourist for years, now a part time resident, we prefer the quietness of the inside--of the resteraunts, especially Market Street, one of our favorites.
The later you go, the less touristy.........
Gets very thinned out down town! On Sundays Celebration offers the Open Market, where people sell food as well as crafts, every Sunday all day.
That's free, interesting and some nice vendors, especially the guy who sells the Jerk Chicken.

There are enough resteraunts for every taste there.

There is also a nice walkway that goes around the entire perimeter of the lake in front of all the shops, you can walk on, it's illuminated at night.
There's also a small AMC theatre, so if you are interested in seeing a current movie=you don't have to deal with all the crowds going to DTD, they only show 2 movies there!
Right next door to the Columbian Resteraunt, inside is a tapas bar.
If you like Spanish food.
You can even rent a electric car or bike and ride around Celebration.
I can't wait, I miss it alot, 25 more days!!!!! and counting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Old Town is also an option, way out of the way of the bustle of the parks crowds as well.
Many shops, including A & W, all kinds of Surf shops, lots of places to rest, we took my parents there, they enjoyed it!
There's also the Mall down town, that you can walk around (I can't think of the name) but it's where the old FAO Toy Store was, they are out of the way, and there's alot of different shops you don't find in the reg malls per say.
The Orlando Science Museum, they would enjoy.
If anyone else has any more tips, send them along, we are always looking for some out of the way places to enjoy.
I would suggest Amelia Island to you, or Mt Dora, but I am not sure how far, you want to travel, both places are quaint, have galleries, shops, bistros, etc, but are a drive from Orlando.

You could always go to any of the resorts and try out their resteraunts on the Disney properties, you don't have to be staying on property to do that.
Or go rent a Pontoon Boat at either Key West Marina or Port Orleans and you pick up lunch at Olivia's Rest. at Old Key West and Pontoon yourself slowly down to down town Disney area. That was very fun, my kids loved that one, me too*!!!

Hope this helps!:cool1:
so much to do, so little time!!!!:hourglass
Have fun!!!
:wizard: :wizard:
 
If you want to find some quiet bistro/art gallery or walk around some little stores try Winter Park, Rollins College area.
It's very artsy, eclectic and very interesting.
Varied ethic resteraunts and interesting place to explore.:woohoo:

Hope this helps!:wizard:
 
I really liked Celebration as well! The Market Street Tavern had one of the best meals we have had in Florida!!! We will go back there many more times!
It was a nice sports bar kind of feel.
 
There are many places for dinner shopping around there. There are enough resteraunts for many tastes there. You could go to any of the resorts and try out their resteraunts on the Disney properties
 
If you're going when it's still "winter," consider a trip to Blue Springs State Park in Orange City. The warm spring there attracts manatees who come into the spring to get out of the colder waters of the St. Johns river. We've seen manatees there as late as the middle of March, we were there last weekend and saw around 20 of them in the spring. The earlier in the morning that you get there, the more likely more manatees will be in the spring. They go out in the river to eat. They are wild creatures, so the numbers do fluctuate, there are no guarantees. One year we saw only 2 and another year we saw about 50 in the spring.

There's a $5 charge per car admission. If you like, there's a boat excursion on the St. John's river narrated by naturalists, or you can rent a canoe/kayak for extra charges.

Orange City is about an hour from Orlando, and it's off of Rt. 4.

Bobbi:goodvibes
 












Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top