What are some fun, non-touristy things to do when in Florida? I'm going to Disneyworld in July and need info

Question

I'm going for ten days to Orlando to visit Disneyword and would like to get some advice as to what else is good to go do down there.
And I hate the heat, absolutely despise it, will it be terrible?
Ugh. I already know the answer to that one.

It's a family thing, so I will be with my younger sister and my mother. Another question, I hear that there is a good Burberry outlet store there, is that true?

Answer 1

Well if you hate the heat, stick to the malls, the pool, the beach, the museums (yes we have a couple)

Wekiva Springs State Park - Clear cool spring, swimming hole and canoeing. Nice int he shade the water will give you a chill

Mall at Millenia, Florida Mall, Premium Outlets, Festival Bay Mall, and a bazillion outlets on the north end of I-Drive

Restaurant Row on Sand lake Rd West of I-drive - Lots of fine dining and occasional celebrity sighting (quite a few live in nearby Isleworth - Mostly Golfers and Basketball players)

Wonderworks - I-drive
Ripley's Believe it or Not I-drive
Disneyquest - Downtown Disney

Orlando Museum of Art - at Princeton & Mills
Orlando Science Center - on Princeton
Morse Museum - (famous for Tiffany stained glass collection) Winter Park

Winter Park Boat tour
Airboat Rides (various places)

By the way, some of the advice is really out of date. Chruch Street Station and Rosie have been shuttered for years, the area is being redeveloped and is mostly just a construction zone right now.

Answer 2

I can not think of any of the things I used to do when I lived near Orlando, and I can't remember the names of the places I used to hang out. There is a place in downtown Orlando, that is a local hangout as well as a tourist spot, The locals call it Rosie's O'Gradies(can't remember if the spelling is correct), it is right off Interstate 4, near the Robert Carr stadium. It is a whole block of things to do Jazz Club, Dance club, and if it is still there a Haunted House that will scare the crap out of you. If you have a heart problem or pregnant they will not let you in. There is Alligator World in Kissimmee that is cool. Sea World is a must, even if it is a tourist spot. Universal is a great place to go as well. If you go to a beach get directions to New Smyrna, it is across the jetties from Daytona, that is were the locals go. The heat & humidity will be BAD, though the rains at @9am, @2pm, @5pm or all three will feel good at the time, it will be worse after, and watch the roads, it will be slippery. Lastly STAY OFF Orange Blossom Trail aka OBT on Friday & Saturday night, because if Orlando has not stopped cruising it will take you 3 hours to go 1 mile. Check with the front desk of the Hotel your staying at they should give you some other ideas on what to do.

Answer 3

Wow, Orlando in July, are you crazy? I feel for you. My friend went in the summer and she complained that they would take showers and dry off but would feel like they needed a shower again (and to dry off) before they were even dressed.

We were in Orlando in late November/early December a few years ago. They were having a "Cold Spell" so we actually had to buy a lightweight sweat jacket when we went to Disneyworld and the sun went down.

While we were there we went to Gatorland, which was very campy and cheesy but we had a blast being goofy by sticking our head in the "Gators" mouth, feeding the gators and riding the train.

We went on the Boggey Creek Airboat ride which was amaaaazing. We went just before sundown when the gators were getting ready to go back into the water. The guide told us that was the best time because the rest of the day the gators just laid in the sun and baked. We saw more wildlife then we'd ever seen before, gazelle, cattle, boars, bald eagles, gators (of course) and tons of other stuff. The boat ride was SO MUCH FUN. Beware though, we were up front and got a lot of water spray on us so take a jacket that you don't mind smelling like creek water or able to wash and/or maybe a light car blanket just to shield yourself with. You go fast on top of the water. Take your camera and your video camera.

We also went to Kennedy Space Center. We took too long at Gatorland to take the cool tour, but we wandered around and looked at a lot of stuff and watched some videos etc. The tour would have rocked but live and learn.

OMG... you have to check out the Town of Celebration. Talk about Stepford! This was originally built as a Disney Designed Town. All of the houses and streets and businesses are perfect. It's just weird. There are provisions that you have to agree to in order to live there which include painting the house (building etc) every six months. They were making snow during December on the main street. The funny thing is we stumbled on it because the signs off the freeway were confusing. Everywhere we went the road somehow led to Celebration. Just scarey weird. lol

Oh, one final thing.... take lots of change!!! The road out of the airport is a toll road as are most of the roads you'll be traveling on. They are unattended toll booths with cameras so be prepared with lots and lots and lots of quarters.

Have fun and remember to wear lightweight clothes!

Answer 4

prevalent Studios, Busche Gardens, SeaWorld, Ripley's have faith it or no longer, Pirates Cove journey golfing, The Peabody Orlando... there is likewise a extensive finding out to purchase mall with a gaggle of particularly prevalent shops (Adidas, Burberry, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, objective...haha:) someplace next to Disney. And specific, The Disney Cruise starts off in Florida.

Answer 5

Head to the beach to beat the heat, only 60 miles due east from Orlando, Instead of going to Cocoa Beach ( tourist area) head to Sebastian Inlet State Park, for More info on local attraction, deep Sea fishing, kayaking, etc check out http://www.first7days.com/

Answer 6

I was in Florida 2 weeks ago. I had a blast at Clearwater Beach it was a beautiful place to go! You can lay out on the beach to relax or walk the pier or Go take a look around on foot to look at the shops there. It's a blast!

Answer 7

Go walk around. Maybe ride some rides. Plus try to stay inside or try another place where you can't get enough out of the sun. Is anyone else going along with u?

Answer 8

Go to Venus Beach, Sharky's. Clearwater. Zypherhills has a sky diving airport. Sponge docks. And you should look in to the gambling cruise.

Answer 9

Um, definitely buy one of those little mickey mouse hats...and where it everywhere. Oh! and wear a huge Polaroid camera around your neck. And ask the locals where all the alligator hotspots are.

you're sure to fit in if you follow these simple guidelines.

Answer 10

You can go shopping. There´s a lot of malls and you can get a lot of cheap stuff.