Florida Agian, Can't Wait

[toon10]

Black can man said:

Try Everglade city & Silver springs , great off the beaten track places to visit in Florida.

Another vote for Silver Springs. Been a few times. It's a great place to relax. I always grab an ice cream and sit on the rocking chairs overlooking the lake.

[Matt Harper]

IN51GHT said:

Looking to go for a day, through to the evening, taking in a bit of "non mall" shopping, somewhere nice to eat, with my 10 & 13 y/o daughters & my wife

Here's a suggestion that is somewhat climate dependent, so might not work if you are coming here Nov-Mar.

Get up early and head to Wekiwa Springs State Park, which is about 20 miles north east of downtown Orlando. It's a wonderful, sub-tropical wetland environment.
You can walk, swim, canoe, kayak or tube the Wekiwa River and see a huge amount of indigenous wildlife - the 'stars of the show' are the manatees that live in the river pretty much all year round. The water temp is a 'cool' low 70's throughout the year, so is refreshing in the summer heat, but a little chilly in the winter. It's a beautiful place that gives an insight to what a substantial part of central FL was like prior to white/hispanic colonization.

It would be easy to spend an entire day there just relaxing, but you could also then head south to Winter Park, which is an affluent northern suburb of Orlando. The Park Avenue shopping district is classy, non-touristy and very walkable, with tons of boutique shopping and some excellent restaurants and bars. At weekends they also have a great farmers market.

From there, you could head downtown/Thornton Park historic district for the evening. The area around Lake Eola is a very pleasant and safe urban environment and there is almost always something going on, particularly at weekends (truth is that downtown is very quiet during the work week). There is a ton of decent restaurants and bars downtown - and if you care for sushi, Shari Sushi on E. Central Street is a stand-out (though a little spendy). Dexter's on E. Washington St is a very good bistro/bar too - and in a lovely environment of brick cobbled streets, water features, Live Oaks and spanish moss - very 'old FL'.

[IN51GHT]

Wekiwa Springs State Park looks fabulous

[rix]

A local showed us this place, near Clermont. A really authentic feel and great food!

edit - a link would help!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g34...

Edited by rix on Friday 25th April 19:56

[Matt Harper]

2222 said:

Matt Harper said:

2222 said:

Other then the parks at has few if any redeeming features and once you've done those.......
With so many places in the world to see, why would you ever want to go back there?

Eta I'm referring to Orlando rather than Florida, which has many nice places to visit.

Have you ever actually visited the City of Orlando and the environs to the north and east of the metro area, versus the tourist hell that is Kissimmee/Davenport/Lake BV? It doesn't sound like you have.

No, we were in the hell that is Kissimmee.

Did get across to Daytona beach which I quite liked.

So you didn't actually go there, but are happy to advise that it has "few redeeming features" - how does that work then?
I suppose it's similar to suggesting that visiting Scarborough and not liking it - it's perfectly reasonable to state that York has no redeeming features (except I haven't been to York, but I'm going to advise it anyway).

[shoebag]

Before you visit Seaworld or Discovery Cove please educate yourselves. Watch "The Cove" and "Blackfish" movies which tell the truth about whales and dolphins in captivity. Dolphins are taken viciously from the ocean at the Cove, Taiji, Japan and sold to dolphinariums and "swim programs" to spend the rest of their lives performing tricks for gullible tourists inside concrete pools. To keep orca killer whales incarcerated inside concrete swimmining pools is barbaric. The only place for whales is free in the ocean. So sick of Seaworld making money from whales suffering.

[Black can man]

toon10 said:

Black can man said:

Try Everglade city & Silver springs , great off the beaten track places to visit in Florida.

Another vote for Silver Springs. Been a few times. It's a great place to relax. I always grab an ice cream and sit on the rocking chairs overlooking the lake.

Beautiful place

[shakotan]

IN51GHT said:

Anybody done the "extended" bus tour where you actually get off the bus? Is it wort the extra?

In short, no.

They drive you out to a viewing platform that is about equidistant between the two launch pads, you see one a mile off in one direction, one a mile off in the other direction. You don't get out of the bus anywhere near the launch pads.

[HOGEPH]

shakotan said:

IN51GHT said:

Anybody done the "extended" bus tour where you actually get off the bus? Is it wort the extra?

In short, no.

They drive you out to a viewing platform that is about equidistant between the two launch pads, you see one a mile off in one direction, one a mile off in the other direction. You don't get out of the bus anywhere near the launch pads.

Agreed, stick to the short tour and then go to the beach!