Where to visit in Orlando??? (Kissimmee, Winter Park: hoa, budget, hotel)

[CLQ]

I will be in Orlando for 8 days and don't want to miss anything. It will be me, my husband and my two boys 6 and 8. We are staying at the Nickelodeon hotel and want to do things with the kids and maybe go out one night without the kids. I heard Comedy Warehouse and Adventurers Club kids are allowed so any other recommendations and must-sees would greatly be appreciated.

MGM, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and the water parks are already covered. Magic Kingdom we will skip since we have an annual pass to Disneyland already.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Stupid Flanders]

Originally Posted by CLQ

I will be in Orlando for 8 days and don't want to miss anything. It will be me, my husband and my two boys 6 and 8. We are staying at the Nickelodeon hotel and want to do things with the kids and maybe go out one night without the kids. I heard Comedy Warehouse and Adventurers Club kids are allowed so any other recommendations and must-sees would greatly be appreciated.

MGM, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and the water parks are already covered. Magic Kingdom we will skip since we have an annual pass to Disneyland already.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Dinner, movie, and a stroll through Universal's City Walk would be good. It's free, and free to park after 7pm (I think).

Other than that, if you get too far from the attractions, Orlando becomes "tacky town".

If you want a night out without the boys, you and your husband should check out Park Ave. in Winter Park (suburb of Orlando). It is not a tourist trap, 99% of the people you will see are locals, and it is a really great way to experience the Orlando most tourists never knew existed.

Here is a little info: Park Avenue Area Association

If you leave after rush hour, you can be there in 20 minutes from the Disney area. There are tons of restaurants and shops. PM me if you want easy directions.

[cmj_fla]

Originally Posted by CLQ

I will be in Orlando for 8 days and don't want to miss anything. It will be me, my husband and my two boys 6 and 8. We are staying at the Nickelodeon hotel and want to do things with the kids and maybe go out one night without the kids. I heard Comedy Warehouse and Adventurers Club kids are allowed so any other recommendations and must-sees would greatly be appreciated.

MGM, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and the water parks are already covered. Magic Kingdom we will skip since we have an annual pass to Disneyland already.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help!

My family stayed at the Nick Hotel a few weeks ago and it was so much fun. There was so much to do that we didn't leave the hotel the entire stay (but we only stayed 2 nights and we live in Kissimmee). You have to go to a character breakfast one morning so they can meet Spongebob and Patrick. (We also had Diego, Dora and Boots at ours). It was a buffet and totally worth the money. For adults there is a Nick at Night lounge area that was pretty nice after 10pm.

I would have suggested a water park but the hotel will sort of give you that experience. However, if you do want to go to one then I would suggest Blizzard Beach.

For something a little different I would look into taking an Airboat ride. There is one right off of 192 (in Kissimmee) not too far from the hotel. I have 2 boys and they loved it. Green Meadows Farm is also a fun thing for that age. They will get to milk a cow and ride a pony and also take a hayride and a train ride.

When you get to town look for coupons books (you can find good ones at most Mcdonalds). They not only give you amazing discounts they will also give you ideas for fun things to do.

I hope this is helpful and let me know if you have any questions.

[Prichard]

I second Green Meadows, if you like getting up close with the animals.

I don't know if I would skip the Magic Kindgom, it really is one of Disney's best parks - personally I think kids 6-8 would much rather go to the Magic Kindgom over Epcot. I'm just not a big fan of Epcot - 80% of it is restaurants and shops.

Sea World is excelent - I think they've done more to enhance their park than Disney has.

I'd also agree, that if you want a night out, go to Park Avenue in Winter Park. Go early so you can stroll the Avenue, hang out in the park - it's a nice evening. As much as I don't recomend just walking up and down International Drive (like I see so many tourists do), there really are some excelent restaurants there - you just need to ask the locals which ones are good and which are not. One of my favorites is Texas De Brazil. I have a friend who likes going to Indian restaurants - but only one of them is apparently excelent, the others are supposedly mediocre at best. I'm sure you could get some other great suggestions.

Downtown Orlando in the Thornton Park area is also great for a night out (without the kids).

If you like canoeing down a slow river with a very natural feel to it, rent a canoe at the Wekeiva river / Wekeiva Springs - it's probably about a 45 minute drive to the North.

There are tons of things that locals do for activities that have nothing to do with the tourist area. Perhaps not as unique as some of the theme parks, but we don't get bored. Just depends on what you like. Hey, if your thing is jumping out of airplanes, take a little drive up to Deland and do a tandem jump!

[luvthatmouse]

Sea World
Discovery Cove ($$$$$$$$)
I would not skip Magic Kingdom-very different from Disneyland!
Mini Golf
I-Drive (Fun Spot, etc.)

Really you need:

MK-2 days
Epcot-2 days
Disney MGM Studios-1 day
Animal Kingdom-1 day
Water Park-1 day
Universal Studios/Islands Of Adventure-2 days
Sea World-1 day
Discovery Cove-1 day
Pool/shoping/Downtown Disney-1 day
Bush Gardens-1 day
Beach-1+ day
Kennedy Space Center-1+ day
Cypress Gardens-1+ day
Bok Tower-1 day
Winter Park-1 day


You need to come back

[CLQ]

Thank you all so much for planning my itinerary. I will get to as much of these places as I can in 8 days. I think I do need to come back to see it all.

[Prichard]

You can probably skip the Kennedy Space Center, unless you are going to watch a launch. I was there recently, and I was quite dissapointed. It was like going to a very small, cheap, unentertaining, uneducational version of Sea World. I could go on and on about exactly what I didn't like, but I'll just say that the Government is really losing an opportunity to get people interested in the Space Program with that huckleberry attraction.

Could it ever be a money maker? Maybe, maybe not. But could it be used to get the US citizens interested in backing space exploration again? I.e. get popular support for a mega-billion dollar TAX PAYER FINANCED budget - probably. But, when I walked away from that hoakey-panokey park, I thought "Man, if the government can't even build a decent tourist trap, I sure wouldn't be putting my butt on top of one of their exploding missiles."