Orlando Florida…
What To Do When Not In a Theme Park
What can you do in Florida when you are all theme parked out?
The Orlando area has so much more to offer than just theme parks. Just take a look at a few of our suggestions below! Don’t forget to download your free Orlando guide before you go!
Orlando Eye:
Based on International Drive, the Orlando Eye is a new attraction offered to visitors to the area. You can ride in a capsule on the stabilised observation wheel, giving you a wonderful view of the Orlando skyline at a more leisurely pace that you would on a thrilling roller coaster. At over 400 feet high, it’s not for anyone with a fear of heights!
Madame Tussauds:
Also located in the same area on International Drive as the Orlando Eye, you can save yourself the trip to London and view waxworks of the rich & famous on display in Madame Tussauds in Orlando. Cameras at the ready!
Sea Life Centre:
The marine life in the aquarium is a good way to keep the kids amused and escape the baking heat (or indeed the infamous Floridian downpours) for an hour or so. You can purchase your Orlando Sea Life tickets before you go.
Top Travel Tip: Some UK tickets are offering entrance to three Orlando attractions combined as part of their ticket price, so keep an eye out for this.
Orlando Shopping malls and outlets:
Orlando is renowned for their excellent shopping malls and outlet stores. The options are plentiful and if you don’t have a car, we still advise you take a bus or taxi to experience the shopping for yourself. Lots of bargains to be had so pack lightly before you head to Orlando and leave plenty of room in the suitcases for your bargain purchases!
Top travel tip: Registering your details with the different malls and outlets beforehand can give you access to discounts & vouchers for different stores etc.
Visit the coast:
Just over an hours drive from Orlando, you’ll find yourself immersed in stunning coast line. Take a cruise on the sea for a chance to glimpse dolphins in their natural habitat; they can often be spotted ‘playing’ in the bow waves the boat produces as it motors through the water. This is just magical to witness and is what makes this a ‘must do’ if you can. Keen fishermen and their tiddlers can try their luck fishing in the plentiful waters, or perhaps you will just choose to soak up the rays on the beautiful sandy beaches. Nothing says ‘chill out’ more than the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. Bliss! … Ice-cream anyone?
Celebration area:
Originally developed by the Walt Disney Company in the early 1990’s, Celebration is, as you would expect from Disney, all about the attention-to-detail. Rows of homes perfect homes with white-picket fences, have been clustered into ‘villages’, spawn out around a compact downtown, which is filled with civic buildings designed by world-famous architects. When Disney developed Celebration, they offered retail space to family-owned restauranteurs, so this means no chain restaurants are here, so lovely to get something more original to eat. Shopping here and walking around the lake, taking in the sight of the beautiful aspiring houses as you do so, you can understand why Celebration has been liked to Stepford… Or Mary Poppins… Practically perfect in every way!
With various different car shows weekly, the Old Town has become a ‘must visit’ for any car enthusiast. However, it’s not all about the cars. The charm of the old town itself, coupled with the shops restaurants and attractions that are there, make it a lovely way to spend a chilled out afternoon or evening in Orlando. What better way to get around and see the sights in Orlando than on the Old Town trolley tour.
Wherever you decide to go in Orlando, one thing is for sure, you’ll never be bored! There are so many different ways to experience what the area has to offer, it is one destination you can truly tailor-make a holiday to suit how you like to spend your free time.
Happy Travels!