Hello
Orlando is good in the winter, for sunshine. In fact I saw on TV the other day - that Florida was the only state in the USA that hasnt had snow this winter.
I can't comment openly on the attractions in Orlando, as they just aren't my thing.
Well, here's a few possibilities:
(1) Walt DisneyWorld Resorts--there are now a bunch of different parks here: EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom are the amusement parks. Then there are the water parks;--Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Then there is the "Downtown Disney" area, three golf courses, the ESPN World of Sports Complex, and they have theatres on-site. To get as much of your tourist dollar as possible, they allow a wide range of hotels and resorts essentially on-site with free bus and monorail connections. (Hawaiian-themed hotels, Florida-themed, ones like a fort, one that overlooks the animal kingdom jungle, one that is beach-themed, actual tents to camp out, or 5-star deluxe accomodations)
(2) Universal has two theme parks--one called Universal Studios and one called Islands of Adventure--they are trying to compete head-on with Disney, but have a long ways to go
(3) Sea World Orlando--a great break from Disney. Go see the Dolphins and Whales and penquins perform their tricks and make you laugh.
(4) Church Street--where they have nightclubs with various musical themes. One is called Club Paris--and celebrates Paris Hilton's nightclub outings, while another is Honky-tonk music--and another is "down-home" country music--and I think there is also one devoted to jazz; and
(5) 60 miles east is the Space Center (called Cape Canavaral), where the US launches all their Space Shuttle flights.
About 15 years ago I worked for a place that allowed me to get the VIP tour of this place and walk almost anywhere, including right next to the gigantic rocket motors (which my company manufactured), right next to the Space Shuttle while they were replacing some of the tiles on it, and also all over the 39A and 39B pads--which is where more than 70% of the flights take off from. While you won't get quite as extensive a tour (since my tour was usually only for Congressmen and dignitaries), the regular tour is also fairly interesting and worth a look.
You know, I should also mention some other places--even though they aren't right in Orlando.
Ninety miles west in Tampa is Busch Gardens. This is a very good amusement park also--and Disney built their Animal Kingdom park primarily to try and compete with Busch Gardens.
A few miles south is Cypress Gardens--beautiful gardens with a southern-USA theme--where old southern Belle's roam the grounds and take you back to the days of Scarlett O'Hara (of "Gone with the Wind" fame)
A trip to at least one of the natural springs in central Fl is a must.
Aside from the theme parks Orlando isn't really much of a destination. There is plenty to do outside of Orlando so if you are willing to drive a bit there is a lot of non theme park places you can go and see.
BUT with only two days there - you probably won't see much more than the theme parks and I have to imagine that's really why you are going.
Certain things, like Universal's new Harry Potter thing are just mobbed (think 2 hour plus lines just to get on a ride) so researching where you want to spend your time (and your money since all of these parks are very pricy) is well worth time.
Shows worth seeing there are the Circ de Soileil and the Arabian Nights. In terms of food there are some great options for all budgets once you get out of the theme park area.
If you want to do something else without traveling a huge distance look into one of the airboat rides locally. You'll see some gators, some other wildlife and generally enjoy yourself. There are also a couple of places within a 90 minute drive to go see manatees, including making the trek to Crystal River - that does take a whole day though.
[ 26-Jan-2011, at 12:39 by DocNY ]
(4) Church Street--where they have nightclubs with various musical themes. One is called Club Paris--and celebrates Paris Hilton's nightclub outings, while another is Honky-tonk music--and another is "down-home" country music--and I think there is also one devoted to jazz; and
please note that club paris closed several years ago. you can find other clubs/bars on Orange St. and most of Church street has poor bars or closed.
If you want to see Orlando and not crappy theme parks for tourists, then you should look to Winter Park, FL in North Orlando Area. It a artsy quirky neighborhood that boasts and spectcular restaurants/bars. For instance, you can check out the Farmer's Market in the morning, grab a bite to eat in down town Winter Park, stop into the city art museum, do some shopping, perhaps spend the afternoon in a tea house or sushi bar - head back to your hotel to rest up for an open-mic night, poetry reading, or a wine and cheese at the Wine Bar.
Cape Canaveral was interesting but it was a much bigger deal than I had anticipated. It is HUGE and the tour takes a long time as they bus you from stop to stop. Being from Washington DC we've seen the Space Shuttle etc at the Smithsonian so it didn't hold the same interest for us that it probably does for others.
Cypress Gardens. Wow, again saw it as a kid and it was very cool. But something tells me watching trained porpoises jump 30 feet in the air for a fish may not be as much fun as an adult.
While Paula and I were in Orlando a couple of years ago, we did drive over to Busch Gardens. Specifically we went because I had purchased a "Behind the Scenes" tour of the park. We had a great time feeding a hippo w/baby, the giraffes and a rhino. It was great to be able to get that close and in a pretty safe environment. I don't think they have the same tour, but checking their website they now have more tour options than I had. Had a great time.. highly recommended.
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