Hotel in a walkable area? (Orlando, Winter Park: renting, hotels, homes)

[bsdsys]

I am planning a visit to Orlando in Feb. to visit a friend and he lives outside of the downtown area that isn't very walkable so I will not be staying with him. I do not drive a car nor do I plan on renting one for the visit so I am interested in an area that has some shopping, restaurants and is very walkable and close to bus stops would be nice as well in case I want to venture outside downtown. I have looked at places and Orlando seems to be spread out and I am wondering if Orlando will have what I want. Should I just tell him if he wants to visit he should come here? I am not interested in tourist attractions, sorry. Any thoughts on a area for my needs and wants would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Wilshire81182]

I would stay downtown or even better would be park avenue in Winter Park.

[Crane's Rooster]

Although it's very touristy you may also want to consider I-Drive. You can walk to most restaraunts there and there is an I-drive trolley that will take you to the main shopping malls on the I-Drive strip.

[SinDonor]

If you want to do the touristy thing (not just attractions, but lots of shopping and restaurants), definitely look for I-Drive hotels north of the 528 and south of Kirkman rd. If you search right, you'll find some great hotel deals on certain websites out there. My dad came to visit me and found a 3-star hotel on I-Drive for only $49/night (March '08). It's relatively safe there, so many tourists walking around and many 24-hour establishments for shopping and food.

If you want to visit the "real" Orlando, I would suggest paying a little more and staying downtown. The bars are open everynight and there are a few good eateries. Not much shopping though, unless you take a cab to one of the various malls in the area. Be smart, though. Don't walk around downtown Orlando too late. When the bars close at 2-3am, the "element" pours out of certain clubs and you'll be in the middle of a warzone. The intersection of Orange and Central is a madhouse at 3am.

Winter Park (Park Ave) is one of the nicest areas in Orlando. If there any hotels there (probably pricey), it will be worth it. There are a bunch of cool local restaurants and boutique shops up and down Park Ave. Plus, you can sneak onto the Rollins College campus and gawk at all the pretty co-eds. Giggity. Once again, stick to Park Ave and don't wander too far and you'll be fine.

[Jonotastic]

Stay on International Drive, it's about the only walkable area in Orlando that is designed for walking around. There's nothing to do in Downtown besides a few bars and clubs. Winter Park will take 5 minutes to walk the downtown. It's a nice area to live in Orlando, but as a tourist, I would be bored out of my mind.

[DaveG99]

going to Orlando and not having a car is like going fishing without a fishing pole. It just doesnt work. Orlando is not New York City.

[bsdsys]

Originally Posted by DaveG99

going to Orlando and not having a car is like going fishing without a fishing pole. It just doesnt work. Orlando is not New York City.

[bsdsys]

Originally Posted by DaveG99

going to Orlando and not having a car is like going fishing without a fishing pole. It just doesnt work. Orlando is not New York City.

Good thing I don't fish then huh? I don't plan on doing what "you" would approve of for my visit and I am more than sure I can make it work. I was thinking of staying downtown anyway and I could take Lynx (heard of public transit before? Get out of your little box sometime, it helps you see things you haven't seen before... if you know what I mean) to go to places I would be interested in. Doubtful there would be any so I am not going to get into what I think is cool and not cool because this isn't what this thread is about. How about you go stay in the Texas forum and out of this thread because the information you have is obviously useless because it didn't help.

I can have a great time without ever thinking about a car or ever leaving Downtown, and that I am more than sure of. Not everyone needs/wants a car and needs to have it when he travels.

[bsdsys]

To the other members who took the time to use it to help someone by actually providing information that was useful to me... thank you. I will be checking into Downtown (best option in my eyes), Industrial Dr, and Winter Park. Winter Park seems like my second favorite options by the looks of it because Industrial Drive seems to be very touristy.

[Wilshire81182]

It took me a few to realize what you meant by Industrial Drive!
Downtown is very pretty, you should look into the Eo Inn in Thornton Park, which is a charming area close to downtown and the nightlife and also close to the little shops, parks and homes in that nice area.