Going to Orlando soon

carmelbride05

Hi!  I'm from CA and we will be in Orlando soon for a week.  Obviously going to do the Disney stuff, but anyone have any other tips/ideas for days not at Disney?  Any discounts you know about we could get?  Restaurants?  Any advice is appreciated.  Thanks!

jillabobilla

I would definitely check out Lake Eola on a nice day. It's located in downtown Orlando so you can grab some food at a little cafe or restaurant in the downtown area and then walk over to the lake and stroll around. It's something not many tourists know about, but we go there any chance we can. They have some benches, swan boat rides, and a big playground for kids. It's something to do for free (which is a nice change from spending so much at the Disney things!)

Also, you can go to Universal City Walk. You have to pay to park there, but it's pretty cool to just walk around to see the different shops, hang out outside, or eat at one of the many restaurants there. 

If you have any kids, the Orlando Science Museum is a lot of fun too, for a very reasonable price. 

Yummers

I second the PP about heading to Universal City Walk. I love Bubba Gump's Shrimp, they have the best bread pudding and seafood too of course! There's also many dinner shows in the area, like Medieval Times, Arabian Nights, and a Pirates one too. :-)

kokomama

I second the Orlando Science Center.  DS loves wandering around there, and there's lots of kid-friendly areas.  There's also Sea World, two parks at Universal Studios, Leu Gardens, and Blue Springs State Park.

Boston2Bermuda

Sorry to jump on this post but I am also headed to Orlando soon with my kids and I am looking for non Disney things to do.  My son will be 2.5 and my other will be 9 months.  My toddler is very adventurous and loves to run, climb, explore, and go on rides (but I want to wait on the whole Disney experience).  I am looking for specific toddler activities please!