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Marriott Grande Vista May vacation Orlando things to do adult vacation ideas

pcgirl54

pcgirl54

Tug Review Crew: Rookie
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
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Location
Florida
Resorts Owned
Marriott Barony Beach
Going to Orlando next month staying at Grande Vista for first time we are a 55 plus couple. I have not been to Orlando in 10 years . Do not plan on doing theme parks or NASA is that even possible. Any ideas on things to do or favorite places to eat including specialty supermarkets. I plan on visiting Mt Dora for a day trip.

Thank you
pc
 
Explore some of the old towns around Olrando. Winter Garden (about 30 minute) drive northwest is a great place to go for a walk on the West Orange Trail, do some shopping on main street, and grab a bite to eat at the Plant Street Market (complete with a brewery). You could also ride bikes and there are a couple of bike shops on the trail that rent them.
 
If you like to visit gardens, or just a nice place to walk Leu gardens in Orlando is always nice. It’s right next to the town of Winter Park which has always had some good lunch spots.
We also really like Bok Tower Gardens and enjoy lunch at their cafe.
Blue Springs state Park is a great place to see Manatees when the water is cold.
We also like to go to Disney Springs- free parking garage, lots of restaurants and shops.
When we stay at Grande Vista we like to take a walk, going left out of the resort down to the First Watch restaurant for breakfast or lunch. We also have a meal at the golf club- nice to just walk to dinner. For a special meal we like Primo in the JW Marriott Grande Lakes.
 
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We are going to try Gordon Ramsay's famous fish and chips at the brand new restaurant in Orlando with his name. It's supposed to be the best in the country. We will see. Very reasonable, $14.99.

There is a Whole Foods nearby. We like Publix for groceries as well, also Winn Dixie.

Our entire family, all of our kids and grandkids, love Twistee Treat on Apopka Vineland, which is in front of the Winn Dixie we like to visit.
 
rickandcindy23 said:
There is a Whole Foods nearby. We like Publix for groceries as well, also Winn Dixie.

Our entire family, all of our kids and grandkids, love Twistee Treat on Apopka Vineland, which is in front of the Winn Dixie we like to visit.
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A fairly new Aldi too.

There is also Ginther's Ice Cream right up the street from Grande Vista. Owned by the same people that own Twistee Treat on Apopka Vineland and a lot closer.
 
pcgirl54 said:
Going to Orlando next month staying at Grande Vista for first time we are a 55 plus couple. I have not been to Orlando in 10 years . Do not plan on doing theme parks or NASA is that even possible. Any ideas on things to do or favorite places to eat including specialty supermarkets. I plan on visiting Mt Dora for a day trip.

Thank you
pc
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Hey Pcgirl, when will you be at Grande Vista....we're going to be there May 12-15. If we have a chance, we always try to go to one of our favorite Italian Restaurants, Christini's Ristorante Italiano, 7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd. Its in a strip mall, but don't let that put you off. It is excellent (not cheap) and you need to make reservations. I have a review on it on YELP from 2 years ago, under Brian F.

Have a great trip.
 
We did a bike tour in celebration a few years ago. It was very nice and guide was informative about the history of the town of celebration.
 
Head up to winter park for a nice lunch or dinner. They have a boat tour you can take also. It’s a great town in orlando.

www.scenicboattours.com

Scenic Boat Tours

www.scenicboattours.com www.scenicboattours.com
 
dioxide45 said:
A fairly new Aldi too.

There is also Ginther's Ice Cream right up the street from Grande Vista. Owned by the same people that own Twistee Treat on Apopka Vineland and a lot closer.
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I love Aldi, but I have to stay away from those. I buy too much stuff, and Rick is nuts for all of the cookies, which he doesn't eat. He seriously wastes cookies all of the time. How can anyone do that? We still even have Christmas candy in our freezer (fudge and cherry mash that he makes each year).
 
Will be there week starting May 6th. Always appreciate Tuggers suggestions. We do love ice cream. So many good ideas.

Thanks everyone!
 
dioxide45 said:
A fairly new Aldi too.

There is also Ginther's Ice Cream right up the street from Grande Vista. Owned by the same people that own Twistee Treat on Apopka Vineland and a lot closer.
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Another vote for Ginther's...it's like a boardwalk ice cream shop (only in a strip mall LOL). And it's next to Flipper's Pizza, which is great as well. There's also a new Columbian steakhouse in between the two where Hurricane's used to be; we'll be trying that one of these trips.
 
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Learn everything there is to know about the Frank Lloyd Wright architecture at Florida Southern College through the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center and GEICO Gift Shop.
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We also like to wander around Disney Springs. Free parking. They now have a Cirque de Soleil performance there.

Going to Winter Park is also one of our favorites. Do try and take the water tour.

Some great museums in the Orlando area. Two of our favorites are the Morse Museum, https://www.morsemuseum.org/, and the Mennello Museum, https://www.mennellomuseum.org/.
 
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There is a military museum not far from a Krispy Kreme on 192 in Kissimmee. We've taken a field trip and the representation from many different wars was quite interesting. https://www.museumofmilitaryhistory.com/
 
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You are just all the best for providing great ideas of places to eat and things to do. I’m going to write these down to take with me. Thank you!
 
We did St. Augustine for the day once from Orlando. It was a cute touristy town.
 
We had a great time at Disney’s typhoon lagoon. Just lounging at the topical beach-we felt like we were at a Caribbean island, lazy river, and a few water rides. We enjoy Columbia restaurant in Celebration. Go early and walk around.
 
ciscogizmo1 said:
We did St. Augustine for the day once from Orlando. It was a cute touristy town.
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+1

Was just there this past weekend. You can easily spend a full day here. See the fort (Castillo de San Marcos) a learn some history, walk around Old Town, visit (and climb) the Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, see the St Augustine Alligator Farm.
 
pcgirl54 said:
Going to Orlando next month staying at Grande Vista for first time we are a 55 plus couple. I have not been to Orlando in 10 years . Do not plan on doing theme parks or NASA is that even possible. Any ideas on things to do or favorite places to eat including specialty supermarkets. I plan on visiting Mt Dora for a day trip.

Thank you
pc
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Disney has lots of beautiful resorts you can explore for free, like Animal Kingdom, Wilderness Lodge and the Boardwalk area. You can ride the boats around, take a trip on the Skyliner and people watch. All of this is free. Of course, you can eat at one of the many restaurants.

Disney Springs has many shops and restaurants you can enjoy. This area has really been improved in the past decade.

Parking is free at Disney Springs and you can take the Disney buses, for free, to any Disney resorts to look around.

There are many restaurants and shops at CityWalk next to Universal.

If you have never been to an Ikea, it's a fun store to explore. Enjoy a cheap meatball dinner and other Scandinavian treats.

Orlando also has concerts, sporting events and museums like other big cities. Perhaps there is something you want to see.
 
Also consider Universal City Walk. I beleive parking is now free again after 6pm. Lost of restaurants and entertainment options there too.
 
www.cirquedusoleil.com

Drawn to Life | Buy tickets | Cirque du Soleil

In Drawn to Life, Cirque du Soleil transports you into an inspiring world where Disney animation can be experienced like never before. Only at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida. Buy tickets
www.cirquedusoleil.com
 
I know it is a chain, but if you don't have one in your area be sure to go to Mellow Mushroom. There is one at the north east corner of International Drive and Central Florida Parkway. Just a short drive north of Grande Vista. Great pizza. WAY better than Flippers. You can stop at the Timeshare Store on your way past and pick up another timeshare or two.
 
dioxide45 said:
I know it is a chain, but if you don't have one in your area be sure to go to Mellow Mushroom. There is one at the north east corner of International Drive and Central Florida Parkway. Just a short drive north of Grande Vista. Great pizza. WAY better than Flippers.
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Agreed. Love me a Mellow Mushroom pizza.
 
dioxide45 said:
I know it is a chain, but if you don't have one in your area be sure to go to Mellow Mushroom. There is one at the north east corner of International Drive and Central Florida Parkway. Just a short drive north of Grande Vista. Great pizza. WAY better than Flippers. You can stop at the Timeshare Store on your way past and pick up another timeshare or two.
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We are planning to get a MM pizza in Myrtle Beach soon.
 
I second the suggestion about a trip to St. Augustine. We spent a day there and enjoyed it very much. Be sure to drink from the fountain of youth!!

Another suggestion is to take a short drive to Celebration, the Disney-planned town. There are lots of shops and restaurants, and it's a nice town to just walk around. There's a park with a small lake with a trail that loops around it. Every Sunday they have a farmer's market in the downtown and there are a lot of artisans and crafts there, as well as yummy things to eat.

I agree with the suggestion for Mellow Mushroom for pizza. We ate there last year and it was great. This year we tried Flippers Pizza based on all the great reviews and just thought it was meh. :shrug: Not bad, but nothing to rave about, that's for sure.
 
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