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Orlando and Central Florida area without theme parks?

All the guide books available on Orlando and the Central Florida area pretty much exclusively are written with the idea in mind that the only reason you're visiting Orlando is to go to theme parks. That may be true of most visitors, but as the times get nearer, I'm starting to go more and more off the idea of standing in endless lines in the boiling sun all day waiting for a 5 min ride on a roller coaster. So, can anyone suggest interesting things to do in Orlando and Central Florida without theme parks? And also, where are the best shopping locations? Thanks

Public Comments

1. Kissimmee's Old Town in great-on Friday night there is a classic car rally which is fun,and they have bands playing etc. There are airboat rides around the many swamps in the area,also lots of parks around there too. If you can get out to the Gulf Coast there are some amazing white sand beaches (definately recommend St.Pete's Beach or Clearwater).Further up the coast in Homossassa Springs you can watch the manatee in their natural environment.In the city of St.Petersburg there is the Salvador Dali Museum which is great. Up North the town of St.Augustine is meant to be nice. Over on the Atlantic Coast there are a few beaches although they're not as nice-but there is the Kennedy Space Centre on that coast which is worth a visit. There are malls all over Orlando-the Prime Outlet mall and Festival Bay mall (both on International Drive) are good,there's the VF Factory Outlets which are nearby in Lake Buena Vista,the Mall at Millenia etc..if you pick up some of the coupon books that are in the boxes by the side of the road you can get discounts to use in all the malls-they do save you a lot of money! I suggest before you go you just have a mooch online at the various tourist website for Orlando/Florida-they can give you some options aside from theme parks-that's what I do whenever I'm going,I don't like theme parks either but have always found plenty to keep me amused!
2. go to ocala. there's lots to do. honky tonks, bars, clubs if your into that. theres a water park and silver springs nature park, where lines arent that bad...and its more inexpensive as well. theres skating rink, bowling alleys, movie theatres. paddock mall. there's also a place at silver springs where you go swimming, and the water is crystal clear. there's glass bottom boat you can ride, you must do it. ummm.... then there is old town in orlando that is a fun "theme park" theres cool rides, with hardly any lines, old car show, and cute little shops. take a short ride over to daytona beach if you havent been. if you do go you should eat dinner at Boondocks restaraunt. its on the intercoastal waterway, nice dinner semi outside, but nice. shrimp is the best. im sure if you ask around you could get directions there. thats all i can really think of at the moment. enjoy your time, hope you find plenty to do although my favorit mall is oaks mall in gainesville
3. There are many wonderful public parks, springs, rivers, and beaches in or near the Orlando area. Swimming, canoeing, motor boat rentals or rides (large and small), swamp tours, water skiing, and picnic/camping areas are abundant and most are open year-round. If you want to shop for bargains or at a mall, then the previous answer had some good suggestions. There are also areas of Orlando and surrounding small towns that have wonderful antique shopping districts. Look at the Ivanhoe Blvd area of Orlando or Mount Dora. Also, Park Avenue in Winter Park has many small boutiques, great restaurants, the Morse Museum that has a huge collection of Tiffany Windows, the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens is nearby, and there is a Farmer's Market on Saturday Mornings from 8 to 1pm. Loch Haven Park is a couple of miles away from Winter Park and includes the Orlando Museum of Art, Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, two theaters and the Orlando Science Center. Check out these websites for ideas other than Theme Parks: Florida Getaways The Orlando Sentinel (Our local newspaper's online website) http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/getaways/ Yahoo Travel Things to Do in Orlando http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2820552-orlando_things_to_do-i;_ylt=ArmFVU0mBCMW03ndhaF4K90V9boF VisitFlorida http://www.visitflorida.com/
4. Orlando has lots of great shopping. The Premium Outlets near Little Lake Bryan (10 mins from Disney) are great. There is even a Coach Outlet. The Florida Mall has a lot of cool stores like Dylan's Candy Bar. The Mall at Millenia has a lot of nice high end stores like Tiffany's. There are other fun little shopping strips and outlet malls throughout Orlando and Kissimmee. You might head down Internation Drive. There are lots of fun restaurants and interesting attractions. Check out this website for some more ideas. Have fun!! http://www.orlandoinfo.com/