Advice on what to see/ do around Orlando & Florida

[kenny]

Hi guys,
I am visiting Orlando for a holiday for a week in February.
To be honest not my first choice of places to go but I was bullied by my teenage daughter.
Will be visiting the theme parks for 3 days or so.
Any recommendations on what is must see in Orlando or Florida?
Can rent a car so anywhere within driving distance of Orlando is feasible.
I am into action sports, cars and outdoor activities.
Cheers
Kenny

[thirdmanj]

Including or excluding escort agencies?

[Rich W]

Hi guys,
Any recommendations on what is must see in Orlando or Florida?
Can rent a car so anywhere within driving distance of Orlando is feasible.
I am into action sports, cars and outdoor activities.
Cheers
Kenny

Kenny,

For most car guys, I recommend spending at least a few hours driving on the beach, at or near Daytona Beach.
I usually drive the packed sand from South Daytona to Ormond Beach, sometimes up to Ormond-by-the-Sea.

While you are in the area (especially Race Car guys), I recommend the Daytona 500 Speedway and Museum.

Later,
Rich W.

[Dangermouse]

Kenny

As a fellow Irishman with teens I would advise you not to underestimate the theme parks. They are spectacularly well done, much more so than European ones. You will really enjoy them.

I would suggest Cape Canaveral Space Center if you are interested in, well, space. A one of a kind place. About an hour from Orlando.

Go to a gator park too.

[ccurzio]

Universal Studios was always the shit when I was young. I loved that place.

No idea how good it is today, other than them removing BTTF.

[Jimmyvonviggle]

Since time will probably be an issue, and if you would have to choose one theme park I would choose Disney's original park or get a park hopper and spend half a day there and the rest at one of their other parks, all on the same property and there is free shuttle buses.

While the space center is cool, it is a little slow and boring at times, and there is not enough for a day. They actually changed it. When I was young it was more interactive, as you could play with everything, now everything is pretty much behind glass or roped off. But the coco beach area is really nice with a great beach,Ron Jon surf shop, and some good restaurants.

Have fun.

[Spittybug]

Park hopping sounds good in theory, but it has been my experience that all of the transportation logistics involved with "hopping" takes up a lot of your limited time.

[Jonathan]

Here are a couple other ideas:

http://www.fantasyofflight.com/

http://florida.legoland.com/en/

Depending on what ages your kids are of course. The Magic Kingdom is ideal for a lot of ages (especially the younger ages), Universal Studios was my favorite as a young adult (and I'm sure the BTTF ride at the time had a lot to do with that).

If you and your wife had time to yourselves, there is Downtown Disney. It's not quite as exciting for young kids, but has a number of bars and restaurants. I can't remember all the geography, but I went to a conference at one point and we all stayed at Boardwalk Disney. It has some neat shops and things circling this small lake, but just off through one end is the entrance to Epcot. Now Epcot is super interesting for adults, but might be the boringest thing going for kids. If you timed it right though, you could take everyone to dinner at one of the Epcot country themed restaurants and then watch the fireworks they do every night when it gets dark. It's quite impressive.

Have fun!! Say hi to Mickey and Darth Vader for me!!

[kenny]

Cheers guys, some great ideas there.
Please god tell me Disney haven't jumped on the star wars theme already!

[Dangermouse]

"Already?" Certainly not.

This was open last year at least:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/hollywood-studios/star-wars-weekend/

[Morpheus]

As someone who has lived in Orlando for a good 35 years, I can honestly say that there is a plethora of things to do here.

You've got a week, we have 7 theme parks. If you are a fan of beer, I can't recommend Epcot enough; it's one of my favorite places.

As was mentioned before, Kennedy Space Center is fun if you are interested in the space program. They have several IMAX films that are very interesting.

I cannot personally recommend Legoland, unless you have very young kids.

For a taste of home, I would definitely recommend Raglan Road. It's an Irish Pub at Downtown Disney with great food and beer.