Orlando, FL questions

[MtDew]

Hey, We are taking our first family vacation (without the extended family) in over 8 years. We are heading down to Orlando. We have heard about all of the normal stuff to do (Disney, Sea World, Universal Studios, etc), but what do the locals do for entertainment? We are planning to go and see the Blue Man Group one night and see Return to Forever Returns at House of Blues on the Aug 1st. It will be me, wife & 15yr old son.

[Raptorfury]

when in doubt ask for directions , ask some of the locals when you arrive there . may give ya a better idea .

[tyle6]

There some guys around here who will probably be able to tell you better were to go but whenever im in the FLA we make a point to hit up that lil mall that has the GIANT RAG DOLL out front. FAO shwarz? theres the hooters there and few othere decent shops. another place to take a look at is the destrict with the ripleys believe it or not and the upside down arcade, over by the convention hall.
My fam. owns a condo down there, but i haven't been myself in about 3 years. If its still there, Over by the wet and wild there's an indoor skydiving tunnel too I think. That was awesome, and I think there was like the biggest mcdonalds in north american across the street. LOL the place was 2floors of arcade fun! with a mcdonalds in the corner on the first floor!
I believe this was all on international drive, if you google that you should find a plethora of fun!

http://www.wonderworksonline.com/

[joz]

the beach, its only a small drive away, but its worth it.

find a nice quiet beach, and nap.

[borschtBomber[SS]]

Yeah, I-Drive (International Drive) is basically the tourist corridor, though there is quite a few bits o fun down there, they just tend to be somewhat more expensive..and quite honestly thats the kind of stuff we tend to do for fun as Sea World is a regular visit for us and I hear that Islands of Adventure is a blast also though I haven't been there yet.

One thing that is really cool to watch and is just amazing to watch is Cirque de Solei in downtown Disney. So if you get the chance I would say that is definitely something to do.

[tyle6]

the beach? orlando is land locked man? LOL theres a couple lakes in the area but unless your about to drive an hour and half to daytona theres no beach around orlando. minus private resorts that are on private lakes, but its not like you can go and visit the beach there really either.

[the_dope_chaud]

theres the hooters there and few othere decent shops.


Ultra LOL

[borschtBomber[SS]]

Uhh Tyle6, we are only about 45 minutes from Cocoa Beach and its a straight shot out, Orlando is pretty close to the beaches ;)...there is also Kennedy Space Center as well that is pretty cool to visit.

[tyle6]

True, and coco is pretty nice beach too. Not as overrun with partying kids and college students if I remember correctly. Orlando is still land locked though!! when I first went there as a child it took the whole trip for my parents to make me understand somewhere in florida could not be on the coast. LOL, I think I was like 7-8. They even showed me florida on the map but that just made it worse!
ahh, The one place I will never forget though is sanibal/captiva island. If you want to spend the day on the beach and see the most beautiful sunset ever make the trip there. Not as far south as the keys but just as beautiful.
kennedy rocks too, If you time it right you might just get to see a shuttle launch!

[borschtBomber[SS]]

ahh, The one place I will never forget though is sanibal/captiva island. If you want to spend the day on the beach and see the most beautiful sunset ever make the trip there.

QFT!! We took a long weekend last year and stayed at a condo on the beach down there....absolutely beautiful and was probably my favorite vacation yet. It was awesome because there were sand dollars, starfish and many other sealife right in the water and the water was so calm. :)