What's your favorite, non-theme park, FL activities?

[tarheelmjfan]

Hi,
My sisters & I are planning a Florida trip this summer. They'll be flying into Tampa (my home), which will be home base, but we'll be staying in hotels when needed. One of my sisters says no theme parks. The rest of us are fine with that, so I need ideas for other FL destinations. Varied interests are history, wildlife, beaches or other water related activities, & shopping. So far, we have St. Augustine, Kennedy Space Center, Lion County Safari, Sawgrass Mills, Siesta Key, Caladesi Island, & possibly Bok Towers w/ a drive up Spook Hill. Anyone have any suggestions I don't have on my list. My sisters like to go nonstop from early morning to late at night, so I have to plan full days every day. TIA for your help.

 

[kalamazoo]

What about going to Mount Dora? Pretty town, lots of antiques and other shopping. I just saw that you can even take a segway tour.

 

[spiceycat]

celebration (the town) is fun to visit.

like to visit the botanical gardens in each place.

the zoos can be fine too.

like to do the pick u own (on US 27). It is definitely different.

 

[Planogirl]

We went to Bok Towers many years ago and it was quite nice. It can get awfully hot though.

How about some of the things along International Drive? We enjoyed playing mini-golf in the evening and there's also the Titanic exhibit which we never got to. At the end of International Drive are the outlets too of course.

 

[Musky]

We never go to Florida without visiting one of the beautiful springs that seem to be everywhere. One of our favorites is Blue Spring State Park, about an hour's drive from Disney. You can rent an innertube or a canoe, swim in the crystal clear water, or just observe the wildlife. In the winter you can see the manatees, and in the summer, the cold water of the spring is the only place to swim I have found in Florida that is cold enough to cool me off! These places are truly exotic looking and really beautiful. If you haven't been to one you are missing something special.

 

[SnowWtch]

St. Augustine for shopping and Tarpon Springs for Greek food and sponges.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I really appreciate them.

My DH, DS, & I took a Segway tour in San Francisco once. We had a blast! My oldest sister is all total clutz. That would be entertaining to watch.

They would love to pick your own, fruit thing. They'll be here in July though. Is there anything to pick that time of year? I know citrus would be a no go, but I'll have to check to see if there's anything in season that time of year. Spicey, do you know the name of the "pick your own" orchard you do to?

My DH, DS,& I have camped at one of the springs north of Orlando. I told my sisters we should find a place to canoe or something similar, but I can't remember the details from when we went. I'm not sure how we'd do on a canoe either. If I remember correctly, the spring we went canoeing from led into swamp like water. There were gators & stuff everywhere. My sisters & I may end up gator bait. I'll have to look into that option further.

Titanic hadn't occurred to me. I don't know why, because I really want to see the exhibit. I'll be adding that to the list for them to choose from too.

SnowWtch, we all love Tarpon Springs too. I only live about 30 minutes from there, so we always go every time they visit. It's too bad Pappa's went out of business. My DH, DS, sisters & I all loved eating there. We're looking for a substitute, but we haven't found a comparable restaurant yet.

 

[SnowWtch]

SnowWtch, we all love Tarpon Springs too. I only live about 30 minutes from there, so we always go every time they visit. It's too bad Pappa's went out of business. My DH, DS, sisters & I all loved eating there. We're looking for a substitute, but we haven't found a comparable restaurant yet.

I ate at Pappa's once and hated it. I like going down the street to Plaka's for a gyro/souvlaki combo with lots of tzatziki sauce then on to Hellas Bakery a little further down for dessert. Their spanikopita and baklava is sooo good. I'd have real withdrawals if I hadn't learned how to make souvlaki and spanikopita at home.

 

[SFigments]

We really enjoyed the national parks there. The Everglades is real Florida and you can take a ride on a fan boat. it was fun but swampy and buggy.
The other is Biscayne national park. If you can make it down there it is just beautiful you can snorkle or take a ride in a glass bottom boat. THe fish and coral are amazing and it is great for people of every age. we had a blast and want to make it back there.

 

[kathy884]

For a little history, we really enjoyed the Titanic museum on I drive in Orlando. They do tours that last 1 1/2 to 2 hours that were both educational and entertaining. We had a multigenerational group ages 13 to 73, and everyone really enjoyed it. Call them, but I think they start a new tour every hour on the hour.