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Any suggests of what to do in Orlando besides theme parks?

Going with my family to Orlando next month for 2 weeks, yet the problem is, they all hate theme parks, and the stresses and waiting in lines, etc, that involves. I know, if you don't like theme parks, Orlando probably wasn't the wisest choice but I assumed that it had more going for it than theme parks. After doing some research, it appears that Orlando is based around theme parks and other similar tourist attractions and has little else going for it, other than resonabely sided shopping malls that are nothing special and can be found anywhere else in the world. So, is there anything interesting to do other than theme parks, or should we drive to another area, as we only have flight booked, not accomodation, and we're hiring a car. Where would you suggest going to instead? Thanks Lol, you don't know what hiring a car means? Some Americans really don't understand common use of the English language.

Public Comments

1. Try Marco Island/Naples area. Beautiful beaches. No crowds, just warm humid weather.
2. Alot of the car rentals outside of the airport have great deals on rentals for just a day, take a drive to clearwater beach, there are various boats to go out on (pirate adventure, dolphin sightseeing, speed boats) and it is just under an hour drive. Then there is also the beach and ocean right there. Otherwise in orlando there is an outlet mall (Coach Outlet!) Pently of minature golf places, which if you go later in the evenling are usually empty. There are alot of shows to see too Cirque...Seaworld, and gatorland too.
3. You can always go to the beaches they are about an hours drive. You can do some Dinner Shows Arabian Nights http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/Arabian-Nights/ Pirates Dinner Adventure http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/Pirates-Dinner-Adventure/ Medieval Times http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/Medieval-Times/ Makahiki Luau http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/Makahiki-Luau-Dinner-Show/ Have fun!
4. Well... there is Downtown Disney, which is great for restaurants and has plenty of shops. there is also CityWalk which is across from the Universal Studios theme park..also has shops and nightlife. You can also do water parks.... those are great.. sorry this is it hope i helped might wanna do some research
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6. If none of you like going to theme parks then Orlando is not for you. I hoped that there was something else to do there, but sadly there isn't. Downtown Orlando is nice but not a tourist attraction. You can do shopping, dinning, Kennedy Space Center is an hour away. Tampa is also an hour away. Many beautiful beaches all around. You can visit Daytona, St Augustine, Clearwater, St Petersburg, Miami, etc.
7. thats all orlando is. it goes from the best theme parks in the world, to the worst ghettos in the country. I would go theme parking. Take the family to Epcot. THere aren't many lines and the entire world showcase can be enjoyed without ever stepping in a line. you will feel like you really entered these other countries. Each country sells penny candy and this is fun to collect. you are hiring a car? what does that even mean?Disney isnt like six flags. Its not just waiting in lines. there are some things to see that are shows. you can see Cirque De Soliel, you can go to Downtown Disney and shop and this is a lot of fun. You can visit the different Deluxe resorts and if you research the restaurants on www.allears.net and look at menus, then you can find some fabulous places to eat. I highly suggest getting a dinner or breakfast at 1900 park fare, at the grand floridian. It is a buffet style meal and has characters that visit during the meal but the food is great. Other restaurants that are great; the beach club is a 3 min walk from epcot and they have Beaches and Cream, diner with burgers, shakes, and such. Great restaurant. Animal lodge has an African buffet Boma, that is good if you can enjoy new foods, they have 45 diff. items on their buffet. Just going around and trying different foods and watching their shows are going to be a lot of fun. There is enough to do in Disney that if you decide you don't want to ride rides and stand in lines, go to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. They both have a lot of shows and entertainment that isn't so child oriented. There are also Disney golf courses to visit. Go to the beach. Cocoa beach is 30 min away and it is a great place to see the ocean and lounge. You can go to Kennedy space station. Check their website and see if there is a launch while you are down there. google it. cocoabeach.com can give you insight as to what is there to do, as well. Don't hunt down the titanic exhibit on international drive though, it is no longer there. Universal has something Like downtown disney called citywalk. Between these two places, that are free to get into, you can spend 2 days in Orlando, alone. Any of the disney resorts rent out pontoon boats, jet skis, bikes, and all sorts of things you can rent to participate in any kind of activity. Just go to Disney and wander around. you will be suprised what kind of foods and fun you see at the diff resorts. You may find that next time you need to stay on their property because young and old alike fall in love with their world.
8. Museum's are cheap or free. Orlando Science Center is nice. http://www.osc.org/ Gatorland is very affordable won't take you all day with minimal lines. http://orlandotouristinformationbureau.com/attractions/gatorland.htm Kennedy Space Center http://orlandotouristinformationbureau.com/attractions/kennedyspacecenter.htm http://orlandotouristinformationbureau.com/attractions/kennedyspacecenter.htm Clearwater Beach http://www.visitclearwaterflorida.com/ Key West http://www.keywest.com/ Best thing to do is go to http://flausa.com this covers every nook and cranny.