What else does your family do...

[Andrea]

what else does your family do beside the "big" parks

i am trying to think of small things we can do while we are there

we already did

wonderworks ( and loved the building)
ripleys believe it or not

dixie stampde ( the boy who owns the shop my hubby works at family owes dollywood and all the dixie stampdes so we can do that for free)

what else can we do

 

[LEO_Magic]

There's Disney Quest & Miniture golf.

 

[Andrea]

that's cool

 

[spiceycat]

go get their guide

www.floridakiss.com

it list several hundred things in Kissimmee/lake buena vista/orlando area.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

There are the water parks as well. We did Holy Land one year which was pretty interesting...probably helps if you are Christian but isn't necessary. Also did Splendid China but that's gone now. Oh and the Space Center is pretty good.

If you have AAA my suggestion would be to go get a guide book for Florida just to see what else is there. We enjoy shopping so that's good for us but there seems to be a lot to do besides that. One year we went looking for public libraries (my mom was a teacher and my sister is a librarian so that's the source of that idea) and to look at Celebration. Riding along I-drive just to see what there is to see is another option.

 

[MaMa3Princess]

Go hang out at Downtown Disney. THe kids have a blast just window shopping and taking in all the cool stores.

It is also important for us to pick a timeshare that has good activities because we like to break up park days so that the little ones don't get to run down.

Kilee posted this cool park that had tubing, I hope someone post that again.

 

[Andrea]

thanks everyone, i am bookmarking all these sites everyone is listing

 

[tinaluis]

We do the Orlando Science Center which is just past Downtown Orlando. We have a family membership to a science museum here, so our admission is free there. It's a very "hands on" type museum with a planetarium-type observatory on top. (We got to see the Moon and Venus on our last trip there.) Our kids LOVE it and we do too!

 

[Andrea]

We do the Orlando Science Center which is just past Downtown Orlando. We have a family membership to a science museum here, so our admission is free there. It's a very "hands on" type museum with a planetarium-type observatory on top. (We got to see the Moon and Venus on our last trip there.) Our kids LOVE it there and we do too!

so is it kinda like wonder works

 

[tinaluis]

It is like Wonder Works with a little more emphasis on learning/explaining.

 

[isla bonita]

There is a great go kart place we tried last time we were down there. Also we did old town with the coupon booklet that turned out to be cheap.
http://www.fun-spot.com/hours.htm
Also we are going to try this in the enxt year.
http://www.showcaseofcitrus.com/
Have noy breen yet but will let you know as soon as we get back.

 

[kilee]

We've done multiple times:

Old Town-- I think it's just okay. It's nice if you're really just looking to kill an hour or so. It always seemed either too crowded or empty and 1/2 the stores closed.

Daytona Beach & Race Track Tour--- I liked both. This is coming from a non-Nascar fan. I found the tour to be entertaining and interesting- and like I said I'm not into Nascar one bit.

Jetski Rental-- We've done this multiple times and had a blast w/ it. We do it around our house too we enjoy it so much. Maybe someday the house will be done w/ remodeling and we won't have any trips planned and we can buy our own......

Disney Boat Rentals--- I like getting the boats from DTD and going down to POR and back. I find it very relaxing.

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

Outlet Shopping-- There are numerous outlet malls right in and around the major theme parks. Some of them offer deep discounts (a particular Gap outlet comes to mind), while other offer merchandise at near regular price.

Water Parks-- We love Blizzard Beach! Typhoon Lagoon is a lot of fun, too. We went in the heat of the summer, so I think that may be why I like BB better.

Miniature Golf-- We are always sure to play Fantasia Gardens (not the links! it's so hard!)

Downtown Disney-- Just about anything you want

Cirque du Soliel-- We love just about anything they put on

Benihanna-- It's in the Hilton in the DTD area. It's a lot less money than the Mitsukoshi in the World Showcase, and serving sizes are much larger. We've run into a number of member of N*SYNC there.

Kenndy Space Center-- LOVE it! It's absolutely a highlight of a trip everytime we get there

Leu Gardens-- I have no experience with them, but have seen some of the Disney Bride's photos from them. Stunning! And a nice retreat from the concrete commercialism!

Discovery Cove-- SeaWorld sister park where you can swim with dolphins, feed birds from your hand, and enjoy gorgeous gardens. It is pricey and books up quickly as the park is limited to about 100 guests per day. We got engaged there, so I am partial

Titanic Exhibit-- We did is not long after the movie came out. I am unsure but think I remember hearing they were closing it down. I am not sure of when though. If you had any interest, you might need to do a bit of research

St. Pete Beach-- Fabulous!

Florida Aquarium-- In Tampa. Be sure to check the schedule to see when the divers are feeding the sharks!

Mall at Millennia (Or, Millennia Mall?)-- Deisgner mall! We usually go to browse, not buy! We're talking Jimmy Choo, Luis Vuitton, Burberry retail stores!

Gatorland-- About 15-25 minutes from WDW. Have wanted to do it and have friends who have really enjoyed it, but haven't been there ourselves.

Splendid China-- Another one that comes to mind that we haven't done yet but have wanted to. It's like a miniature "China" of sorts. We visited soemthing this in the Netherlands with all the cities, etc., and it was fascinating! We loved being in the "my size" Netherlands as we were still young.

HTH!
xoxo

 

[isla bonita]

Splendid China has been closed now for about 2 years.

 

[MaMa3Princess]

We've done multiple times:


Jetski Rental-- We've done this multiple times and had a blast w/ it. We do it around our house too we enjoy it so much. Maybe someday the house will be done w/ remodeling and we won't have any trips planned and we can buy our own......

.

Where did you rent your Jetski's in Orlando? I would love to surprise my DH with this in April.