What do you do in FL outside of Disney?

[sydprincess]

Our next trip to Disney will be for 10 days, and we're planning on doing one day away from the parks. Since we will have a rental car, we were thinking of driving over to Clearwater Beach. Anyone been there? Would it be worth the trip? Any other non-Disney ideas? Sea World is a definite don't- we went last year and thought it was a waste of time and money, so we won't be returning. Kids are too young for Universal (2 and 5).

Thanks!

 

[Fla Gator]

Most kids that age enjoy that beach at least as much as Disney World. Pack some buckets and shovels and take the ferry to Caladesi Island State Park. The beaches are beautiful and the kids can make sandcastles and look for shells. There are bathhouses and a concession there.

 

[Rozzie]

Clearwater beach is very nice. My dad lives down there. There are so many good places to eat, a must is always Frenchy's for us.

 

[SheDaisy0088]

We do sooooo much off site. Sometimes I wish we could do more. There are several good places.

I love Gatorland. Totally fun and definitely worth the price of admission. I love the fact that you can feed the Alligators and they have several shows that are very good. Don't make the same mistake I did though and get mad at people feeding the alligators hot dogs.. LOL!! They actually sell them there for that reason. LOL!! You can check out their web site and get an idea of what it is like. www.gatorland.com It is educational and fun all rolled into one!! LOL!!

Another hit for my family is the airboat rides. It is a good thing for a first day event. If you get to Orlando in the early afternoon you can take a short trip to the Boggy Creek Air Boat rides. Very fun and you can find money saving coupons in most of the hotels. Not sure if you are staying onsite or not but it is great fun and relaxing all at the same time.

You could actually do both of these in 1 day. We did and we were not exhausted at all.

You are right that Universal is too much for your kids. Mine had no fun at 5 and was totally bored most of the day.

Even though I live in Florida I have never been to Clearwater beach. I don't do beaches. LOL!! I hate the salt water and sun.

Old Town is fun for some night time fun. You can walk up and down and look in the different shops. The town store even has Pepsi's for .25. Tons and tons of fun stuff to do here for all ages. On Friday and Saturday nights they have a classic car show that runs up and down both sides of the street. That is the thing that my DS and DH look forward to most. LOL!!

I could prpbably give you tons more ideas but don't want to get going!! LOL!!

 

[Miller1412]

Outside of Disney?? Never heard of the place!

 

[Miranda Danda]

I really like the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum, Wonder Works, and all those other tourist traps! I think the city of Orlando loves me!

 

[ECurto]

I cant believe nobody has said this yet... but OUTLETS PEOPLE!

O U T L E T S !!!!!

 

[goofyernmost]

There is positively no end to the things that you can do outside of Disney. The ones you have mentioned are possible plus there is Busch Gardens in Tampa, Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, seems like a zillion flea markets and small attractions. There's Silver Springs, not to far from Disney, I believe Cypress Gardens is open again, you can take helicopter rides or just drive the back roads and explore Florida like I love to do. I went to St. Petersburg to Sunken Gardens one time, A wax museum at St. Petersburg Beach, drove across Tampa Bay on the new Sunshine Bridge, took tours of Orange Juice factories and Citris Candy manufacturers, Tupperware Headquarters is in Kissimmee, a couple of hours puts you in St. Augustine (the oldest city in the US, I believe). It's a great historic place and has a Ripley's believe it or not there. There's Marineland near by on US 1, which in itself is a fun sea side ride. Daytona beach (drive on it) or go to the race track. If you can spare a couple of days drive down to the Key's...it is so worth the time on a clear sunny day.

For people from the frozen north, like myself, it is just a thrill to drive around with the windows open in February when it is 20 below back home. I even drove back from Naples through the everglades at mid-night. I was the only vehicle on the road. A little scarry but what a high! That is just the tip of the iceburg and the reason why I always rent a car when I'm in Florida. It's cheap and the things you can find on the roadside. A lot of the old Florida, from the 40's and 50's still exists...you just need to venture out and find it. Have fun.

 

[tink22]

I was born and raised in Orlando so I always had to find stuff to do away from the pricey theme parks! You could also go to Silver Springs with the glass bottom boats and Weekeewatchee Springs to see the Mermaids. My dad said I did that when I was younger but I dont remember it. Supposedly it's beautiful though.
There are TONS of dinner shows down here too. I recommend Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Very nice and a good time.
Downtown Orlando is so pretty. You could always take the afternoon and see church street or drive down Orange Ave and see the older parts of downtown. There are shops there and plenty of places to eat.
If you venture an hour away you could see Winter Park which also has nice shopping and dining. It is also a beautiful city to drive or walk around.
Old town is fun and cracks me up. It is so touristy but nice to visit if you have never been there. I also agree with Gatorland. Very nice price. One days admission will now purchase a ticket that is also a year round pass. All for uner $30. Lol. Can't beat that.

Suzie Q

 

[mking624]

There was only one time we did stuff outside of Disney and that's because we spent a few days with my grandparents after our Disney trtip (they live in Clermont, FL). We took a couple of days to go to Orlando and we just basically spent the day playing minature golf and going out to eat. We FOUND lots of stuff to do, but after the busy time we had at WDW, just having fun with smaller stuff really helped us unwind. It helps that we both love to play miniature golf. I'm sure that had we been more up to it, we would have done a lot more. There really is a lot to do.

 

[Mister Disney]

I really like the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum, Wonder Works, and all those other tourist traps! I think the city of Orlando loves me!

Don't forget SHELL WORLD!!!!

http://www.shellworld.com/

 

[All Aboard]

What do you do in FL outside of Disney?

Get up every morning, fight the Miami traffic... Oh, you mean for fun. Personally, I love the Florida Keys. It's just a 30 minute drive to the top of the 18 mile stretch for us. I love the fishing in Key Largo and Islamorada, the tranquil beauty of the lower keys and the vibrancy of Key West.

 

[snyderla]

I've got to 2nd that about the Keys! My brother lives about 20 minutes from Key Largo, so we usually go down and stay with him & his family for a few days and drop down to Islamorada or go over to Key Biscayne, there is a wonderful State Park there and we nap on the beach or have a picnic or whatever! We went down to Key West once, too. We plan to do that again. But it's another 4.5 to 5 hrs to Miami (the part where my brother lives anyway) from Orlando. We also like to go over to Naples. The drive from my brothers on the East Coast to my Dad's on the West Coast is really cool. You go through Big Cyprus National Forest and the Everglades. Tons of alligators and other wildlife. Plus the country's smallest freestanding Post Office still in operation is on that highway (Tamiami Trail).

Lori

 

[Metro West]

I cant believe nobody has said this yet... but OUTLETS PEOPLE!

O U T L E T S !!!!!

At the Belz outlet mall on I Drive, they have Disney and Universal outlet stores with GREAT prices on merchandise. Check it out!

 

[Aidensmom]

Clearwater beach is very nice, great sand, nice atmosphere. It can however get a bit crowded (its the beach all the tourists have heard of) and if you do go, DO NOT attempt to eat anything on the beach or you will be visited by some very hungry seagulls who will snatch your food with no regret.

We prefer some of the other beaches which are fairly near to Clearwater, our favorite is Treasure Island. It is much quieter and a great place for shell finding. And between it and Redington Beach is Johns Pass which has great shopping, food, and various "cruises" which last several hours (Dolphin Cruise, Pirate Cruise, Shell Cruise, etc.).

As others have mentioned, there are a lot of other great places in Florida to go. Gatorland is great for young kids - we took DS when he was 2 and he absolutely loved it (and I will admit, so did I, I just love those gators!) Busch Gardens is a lot of fun with plenty of things for young children. My son actually has always loved Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure (he is 3), so they can be fun for young children - there are a lot of child oriented things there - Barney show/play area, Animal Planet show, Dr Suess land, Curious George water area, etc. There are a lot of "smaller" things to do too. I am most familiar with Tampa because I live here, but there are some great lesser known things such as the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), the Florida Aquarium, and the Lowry Park Zoo (voted #1 family zoo in the country by a major parenting magazine).

 

[sydprincess]

WOW- you guys are great. Now I have the problem of picking what to do! Thanks for all of the ideas. You've been a HUGE help!!