# What do you do in Orlando area when you're all attractioned out?



## Detailor (Feb 7, 2006)

Our trip to Orlando at the end of the month will be our 11th trip just under 9 years.  Over the years we've tended to limit our attraction visits to one per visit after really concentrating on the theme parks for the first few years.  We've found several things that we like to do - both at Disney and in the greater Orlando area - that don't include theme parks visits.  These are some, can you suggest other Central Florida favorites?
Thanks, Dick Taylor

Visit, shop and eat at the Board Walk area.
Take a Scenic Boat ride from the dock in Winter Park, shopping on Park Ave.
Visit Celebration.
Downtown Disney/Disney Quest/catch a movie at the AMC theater.
Spring training baseball - the Braves at Disney or the Astros in Kissimmee.
Shopping at the Millenia Mall.
Mini golf  - one of the Disney courses or along I-Drive.
Outlet shopping - Belz or Premium Outlet.
Pools, etc. at the resort.


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## BocaBum99 (Feb 7, 2006)

Go to a timeshare sales presentation.


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## jmd42 (Feb 7, 2006)

*Take a drive*

We like to take a drive over to cocoa beach (1 hour) visit ron jon's surf shop and some time drive up coast to daytona.highways take you right back to orlando quickly.just watch your times it can get pretty ugly at rush hour or dinner time.


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## Space Coast Laurie (Feb 7, 2006)

*Some favorites of mine and of my visitors'*

Make a day trip to Bok Tower Gardens & Sanctuary (http://www.boksanctuary.org/) and Spook Hill (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/FLLAKspook.html)

Visit the Orlando Science Center (http://www.osc.org/)

Take a slow beautiful drive through the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge (http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/)

See a classic play in a beautiful little theater at the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival (http://www.shakespearefest.org/)

Have some great fried fish and take an airboat ride at the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp (http://twisterairboatrides.tripod.com/index.html)

Visit interesting little shops and have lunch at a gourmet restaurant in Historic Cocoa Village  (http://historiccocoavillage.com/)

See an awesome collection of restored vintage aircraft, and tour the restoration shop where many of these classics were brought back to life at Fantasy of Flight (http://www.fantasyofflight.com/)


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## jd2601 (Feb 7, 2006)

Laurie,  I agree we enjoyed airboat ride at Lone Cabbage.  We tried the alligator basket.  

Merritt Island refuge was also much more than expected and very enjoyable.

Another favorite of ours was the Brevard County zoo.  They offer kayaking to see animals from a different vantage.  You are also able to feed giraffes and birds.  We had some wonderful pictures of boys covered with birds (head, arms, one bird actually ate of the face of one of the boys)

Boogie boarding and Ron Jons!

We have been frequenting Cocoa Beach area.  Close to Orlando with the ocean!


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## Neesie (Feb 8, 2006)

I vacation in Cocoa Beach and occaisionally go to Orlando; I really enjoyed touring the Leu (hope I spelled it right) Gardens.  It is a historic home site (housed the first Orange County Sheriff's family) and on its huge property are thousands of Camelia's and a formal rose garden.  Local families often rent out for wedding receptions.  The cost to tour is very minimal.

I really miss the old "Church Street Station".  I heard that the original owner died and his heirs sold it to a foreign investor.  The building still contains all the furnishings (which are magnificent!) and I'm hoping that it will re-open.  We loved going there in the evenings and paying one cover charge to go to all the different nightclubs.  The top floor was full of all kinds of interesting things for kids:  antique pinball machines, a stuffed grizzly bear, a model train mounted up high over-head, dozens of model airplanes and dozens of other eye-candy pieces.  If anyone knows anything about "Church Street Station" re-opening I'd be very interested to hear about it.

My personal favorite was the Cheyenne Club; it was a huge old cowboy bar with antique cash registers, dozens of round oak claw foot tables and old-fashioned dancing girls with fish net tights and garter belts that danced on the bar.


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## rickandcindy23 (Feb 8, 2006)

*You will love this, if you haven't already been:*

In the National Park near Ocala, there is a stream/ river called Juniper Springs. You can rent a canoe (prices are very reasonable) and take a leisurely journey down this beautiful little creek that has alligators, fish, cranes, other various birds, and river otters.   There are giant spiders, a few snakes and lots of turtles as well.  It's seven miles of beauty.  We enjoy the trip every time we go, which has now been a few years.   It is 7 1/2 miles long and takes about four hours.

We found out about this canoe trip in The Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld by Bob Sehlinger.


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## JLB (Feb 8, 2006)

Blue Spring State Park, just off I-4 near Deltona.  To see manatees up close.


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## Space Coast Laurie (Feb 8, 2006)

*Hey, look me up when you're on Cocoa Beach!*



			
				jd2601 said:
			
		

> We have been frequenting Cocoa Beach area.  Close to Orlando with the ocean!



All you folks who spend a bunch of time in the Cocoa Beach area need to get in touch with me so we can meet up for a drink or a meal!  I'm on Merritt Island, a mere 10-15 minutes away from Cocoa Beach.   Email me at UCFKnightsFan@cfl.rrr.com (take one "r" out of rrr.com... I'm trying to discourage the spam-bots).  I'm also available to TUGgers who have any questions on the local area or who have some kind of emergency come up while in the area and might need some help.  Email me when you're heading to the area and I'll reply with my phone number.

You're right... I forgot to mention the zoo.  It's come a long way since its humble beginnings some years ago.  I visited last year for the first time in years, and it was a very enjoyable afternoon.  One cool thing about the Brevard Zoo is that it was "community built."  They have neat boardwalks going all through the park, and the one near the giraffes ramps up such that the giraffe is at eye level with you.


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## mjs (Feb 8, 2006)

Indoor-- skydiving on Iternational drive--across for Wet-n-Wild
Water skiing/wakeboarding at the Orlando water park--Cable park


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## Scott_Ru (Feb 8, 2006)

The Kennedy Space Museum is not too long a drive and is a fascinating visit.

The local Cirque du Solei (spelling?) at Disney is a good performance.


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## Detailor (Feb 8, 2006)

Great suggestions.  Thanks to you all.
So many people mentioned things along the Atlantic coast that I think we'll head over there for a day.  Not sure what we'll do, but we haven't been to Cocoa Beach for many years so I see that in our future.
Now I've got to get the map out to see how many of the other suggestions I can fit in on this trip.
Thanks again,
Dick Taylor


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## Space Coast Laurie (Feb 9, 2006)

*Put TUG in the subject line if you email me*



			
				Space Coast Laurie said:
			
		

> Email me at UCFKnightsFan@cfl.rrr.com (take one "r" out of rrr.com... I'm trying to discourage the spam-bots).  I'm also available to TUGgers who have any questions on the local area or who have some kind of emergency come up while in the area and might need some help.  Email me when you're heading to the area and I'll reply with my phone number.



Oops. forgot to mention... if you email me, be sure to put TUG somewhere in the subject line or it will probably end up in my bit bucket without being read since I won't recognize your email address.


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## spiceycat (Feb 9, 2006)

how expensive

ballon rides, airplane rides, fishing, golf, skiing (at the Cont only), walking the trails at FW/VWL/WL, Cypress gardens, silver springs, busch gardens, gatorland, dinner shows, shopping I like Lake buena vista factory stores, water parks, walking around BW, PI and DD, Old town, skydive, watching baseball at WWoS or Osceola County Stadium, other sports, horseback riding, amazing exotics
www.amazingexotics.com,
reptile world, Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando Science Center, Osceola center for the arts, Monument of States, etc....

just about everything you can want to do - is in or near Orlando.


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## Detailor (Feb 9, 2006)

spiceycat said:
			
		

> Cypress gardens



I hadn't thought of Cypress Gardens, we haven't been there since 1977 and I know it was closed for a while.  What can anyone tell me about Cypress Gardens as it stands today?

Thanks,
Dick Taylor


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## spiceycat (Feb 9, 2006)

http://cypressgardens.com/welcome.asp

here is silver springs too

http://www.silversprings.com/


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## shagnut (Feb 9, 2006)

Kelli enjoyed Wekeiva Springs. You can go tubing down the river. I don't think it's too far from Orlando. I've never done it but it sounded like fun. I'd love to also snorkel with the Manatees.  shaggy


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