what to do besides WDW , Universal and Sea world

[twoeeyy]

We just got back from 9 nights and we booked for next year with the free dining. We are planning on not doing WDW except for MNSSHP and 1 day at Epcot.
We plan on using the free dining at all the various hotel restaurants. We wll have a car.

We are staying again for 9 nights we are thinking of cutting 2 or 3 days off and heading to the Keys.

We are also thinking of Kennedy Space center but would like some more ideas. We are 2 adults and a teenager ( we are not beach people )

Thanks in advance.

 

[Darcy03231]

I was in Orlando in August with teens and they loved US/IOA. In fact, we spend 6 days there (we were there for 16 days). They also really liked Busch Gardens. Tampa also has a great aquarium. Another thing that my kids enjoyed was an everglades tour (we did that a few years ago). There's also the indoor sky diving. While we didn't do it in Orlando, we did it in NH and the kids had a great time!

 

[SanFranciscan]

My husband and I just returned from Orlando going on two weeks ago. We stayed off property in a rather isolated industrial area and used public transit to get around Orlando and to Disney World, which is not something that we would care to do again. However, riding on the Lynx system did show us quite a bit of the Orlando area, even though it was slow and sometimes rather uncomfortable.

If you just want to relax and be entertained, there are actually quite a number of things around International Drive that will pass the time and amuse you.

There is the I-Ride Trolley that goes through the tourist area. We were just passing through on the Lynx buses on our way to Walt Disney World because this was our first trip to Disney World after only two trips, 16 years apart, to Disneyland so everything was new to us. We were, therefore, probably easier to impress than you or anyone else who has made repeated trips to the Orlando area. That said, we found that even the multitude of miniature golf places looked charming. San Francisco is only two square miles larger than Disney World so we just don't have that kind of space to dedicate to things like that. You need only walk a matter of blocks here and the change in neighborhoods can look like a different world because we are such a small city.

We did go to Kennedy Space Center with someone who had a car, and the space shuttle simulator ride there is fun. On the bus tour there, we saw the space shuttle in its launch pad in preparation for an upcoming launch later this month. If your family has any interest in NASA, you will enjoy Kennedy Space Center.

I do think that the original poster here is right that taking a little break from Disney while on a vacation that includes Disney will help Disney fans maintain their enthusiam for Disney. I'm glad we took that day to go to Kennedy Space Center. When my husband and I return to Disney World, as we hope to do in a couple of years, we are hoping to stay on Disney property. We are still planning to take at least one day to go do something non-Disney so that things done at Disney don't feel like chores on a check list.

 

[sympatico]

Try Cypress Gardens it's about 45 min. south of Disney. www.cypressgardens.com

 

[Mysteria]

Gatorland, Wet n' Wild, Air Boat rides, Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens, Old Town, Air Balloons. I'll add as I think of things.

Wonderworks, Dinner theatres, Haunted Grimm House

Myst

 

[colieolie]

Kennedy Space Center is a really nice trip. It was about 45 minutes away.

There is always a day at the spa at Saratoga Springs which is nice, if you have a daughter and the two of you want to spend time at the spa together.

Otherwise, there is golfing on the different courses in Disney where you could take golf lessons or go to the driving ranges.

Then there is the ultimate shopping areas all over. They are outlets for everything in a 30 minute radius from Disney. I love to venture out finding the Disney outlets. I then can see the Disney merchandise at the parks and laugh at how much i just saved buying it at the outlet.

I tend to do research before i leave home so i take the directions and stuff with me to go on my adventures.

I am always finding new things while i am there. some good some not so good. i learn by trial and error.

Can't wait for my trip next month...........

 

[A_NY_Outlaw]

Wonderworks sounds like fun, Ive seen exterior pictures, quite a sight.

Have you given thought about a day trip to say Daytona Int'l Speedway?

I wouldn't mind going myself, I'm not sure how far it is from WDW though. Does anyone know?

 

[jeff968]

We typically only do the parks for a day or two. The rest of the time we hang out poolside at the resort. The resorts usually have a regular schedule of events for the family or kids to do but again, we sit by the pool and read or swim. When we do venture out we'll hit the outlet malls and go out to eat. Downtown disney and city walk are fun, no cost evenings with free entertainment. We've done wonderworks.

 

[Todd&Copper]

Is there still a Ripley's museum in the area? I liked that when I was an older teen, and my parents enjoyed it as well. We did that and mini-golf one day, I think.

 

[Detailor]

I'd second the thought about Busch Gardens particularly if you're up for roller coasters. Depending on the timing of your trip you might think about the water parks - the two Disney parks are outstanding and the one near Busch Gardens is a lot of fun. The Tampa area is also interesting to visit as a counterpoint to Orlando's Disney way of life. If you go between November and March, there are a couple of power plants on the bay that have manatee viewing decks (manatees are attracted to the warmer water around these plants).
I don't know how Silver Springs (Ocala) is these days but it used to be an interesting diversion into old Florida - about an hour and a half north of the Orlando area.
If your interested in shopping, there are several outlet shopping areas nearby. And for upscale shopping there's the Millenia Mall in Orlando. Or you could try the Park Avenue area in Winter Park (just north of Orlando) for more shopping, art exhibits, dining. There's also an old style narrated boat tour from Winter Park that takes you around a couple of lakes mixing nature and some historical information about the area.
Have you visited Celebration? This community is close by I-4 and Route 192 and I think it was originally conceived of by the Disney people but has since been incorporated as a village without Disney involvement. Great walking paths and a good place to see a gator or two.
There's really lots to do in the general area if you're willing to go beyond the theme parks.

Enjoy!

Dick Taylor

 

[twoeeyy]

We have a built in pool at home so swimming is not very high on our priority. we did not go into the pool even one time this past Oct. trip. We also are not that much into the beach as we have a summer house on Cape Cod. I know the beaches are better in Florida but we are just not that interested in sitting out.

We will probally do Sea -world and maybe bush gardens. We always go to Don Garlits drag racing museum in Ocala . So maybe this trip we will see about doing Silver Springs in the same day, as we only spend about 2 hours at the museum sincewe have gone so often.

We will either do Key West for 2 or 3 days ( depends on when the crowds for Fantasy Fest start comming in ) or we will stay onsite at Universal for a few nights.

I have also been looking into snorkeling with the Manatees or some sort of Kayacking trip, just not sure where yet.

 

[englishteacha]

Kennedy Space Center was awesome. We went in 2006 and loved it. We also had a really nice day at Busch Gardens this summer in '07.

 

[Figment22]

Have you given thought about a day trip to say Daytona Int'l Speedway?

I wouldn't mind going myself, I'm not sure how far it is from WDW though. Does anyone know?

It's about a 50 minute drive. Just take I-4 east to Daytona.