Places and things to do in FLORIDA!

danwhiting

danwhiting

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Hi all

I'm off to florida with my family in a few weeks and was wondering if anyon who's been could give me the heads up on things that are a must see over there.

Any replies would be greatly appreciated.


Regards to all


Dan:)
 
Which part of Florida / what type of holiday?

We did the whole Orlando thing in 2007 (fantastic holiday - going back 2010 or 2011) so I can point you in the right direction as far as theme parks go...
 
i have been to many times i think my count is around 8 times now and when you say what to do the question should be what isnt to do

what type pf photogrpahy are you into if doing disney and universal then i would say take the compact if you are doing kenedy space centre then digital slr as there is also plenty of wildlife

just depends what you want to do the aircraft museum is meant to be fantastic unfortunaltey i didnt go when i was there but next time it is on my list

let me know what area you are going to and i could point you in the right direction

i have traveled alot of the state if you are going down to the keys i can point you in the right direction down there to inc where the african queen is the famous steam powered boat
 
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Kennedy Space Centre
Daytona beach, watching the cars cruising.
Restored Miami art deco buildings and neon.
Warbirds museum at Kissimmee airport (Kissimmee is near Disney)
Sightseeing flight in a biplane (if it's still there) from Kissimmee airport
Flea Market Kissimmee
Prop driven airboats (self driven) Kissimmee
Everglades, and an airboat ride to see the alligators.
Florida Mall and Belz Factory Outlet for shopping
Florida Keys
Clearwater beaches
There's an alligator/croc farm to the east of Kissimmee which is ok. Watch them being fed, and try a croc burger - quite nice.
 
We're going as a family (12 of us) to Disney Orlando staying in International Drive if that helps.


Cheers


Dan
 
Kennedy Space Centre on launch day (if you're really lucky and time it right - I've failed twice so far).

Clearwater

Everglades

Shopping, if you must, in the malls

The parks, obviously. Seaworld and Busch Gardens are my favourites. Discovery Cove if you want to go swimming (expensive, leave the camera behind). Disney didn't do much for me (Epcot was OK and I never made it to Animal Kingdom).

All three times I've been I stayed on I-Drive. The hotels vary quite a bit but I've had no complaints.


Tips for the parks:

You're just about in high season now so they're going to be busy. Plan ahead. Go early, grab a map and note the times of any shows you want to see, book stuff if you need to but bear how long that is likely to take in mind, as you won't be the only one.

Then, go straight past all the attractions at the entrance and head for the back of the park. Start with the attractions there and work back towards the entrance. This tip is oft repeated but rarely followed, so by following it you'll be ahead of the crowds and avoiding the longest queues.

Finally, it can be a long day especially when you have family to think about, but it is worth bearing in mind that some of the parks put on special shows in the evenings.
 
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cos the theme parks are open from early till fireworks, it is well worth getting there as they open, going back to the hotel for a swim and a sleep around noon to get out the heat,, and then returing about 1600 for the evening events. gives you much more stamina.
 
Look in to Disney multi-day multi-park entry tickets. There are ways to get them cheaper than the gate price (which may or may not be a bit of a shock) but as it has been many years since I last went I don't know the best method currently going.
 
Disney has the wow factor for adults and small kids but teenagers may find it a bit dull, universal on the other hand is fantastic, easily the best parks in orlando by a country mile , £84 for an adult £77 for a child gets you 14 days admission, it's about $40 a day each if you buy at the gate, the tickets are much cheaper to buy in the UK, I bought mine from here
http://www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk/attraction-ticket-prices/2-park-bonus-ticket.htm.

If you want a relaxing day silver springs is beautiful, you'll need a car though
 
go down the 192 and there is ticket offices you can pick up used tickets with 3-4 days left and there normall jsut slightly over half the price you would pay basically people who go to the parks dont always use the full ticket up and still have plenty of days left so can snatch a good bargain we have done this for years and works
 
And if you're into cloud photography, Florida does produce some impressive looking cumulonimbus (thunderstorm clouds) against the most clearest of blue skies.:eek:
It's a great place for storm photography as you can literally set your time by the way thunderstorms crop up at 5 pm every day due to convection and the high humidity associated with a location such as Florida. :)
 
danwhiting said:
We're going as a family (12 of us) to Disney Orlando staying in International Drive if that helps.


Cheers


Dan
Click to expand...

Good god now I'm jealous!!!

Where on I-Drive are you staying?

I've got to agree with Wack and say get yourself to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. In fact what you need is a flex ticket - this will get you into Seaworld, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Aquatica, Busch Gardens Tampa and Wet n Wild waterpark. All the best parks = Best ticket ever!

Busch Gardens is great - lots of rides for thrill seekers and loads of animal attractions too. If you aren't driving you can get a mears coach and it only takes about an hour to get there. Disney is ok but more for the smaller kids imo - although the fireworks are pretty spectacular. Animal Kingdom has got nothing on Busch gardens and the only other dis parks we went to were Hollywood Studios and Blizzard Beach.

I cannot stress enough the need to have a plan of action - especially for Disney. I don't know if they are doing the free dining plan this year but if they are people book dinner reservations literally months in advance so you may find restaraunts are busy. I will pm you a couple of links to some florida forums that will hopefully answer all of your questions.

Have fun!! :woot:
 
Thanks everyone for your replied.

We've already got the flex tickets for us all, so will be going into Universal Etc. Haven't got the disney tickets as yet!

Thanks again everyone

If you've got any more suggestions please we're all ears.


Thank you


Dan
 
i would highly recommend

Sea World and
Busch Gardens

Universal (for me) was the best of the parks, but the disney ones were good too. especially the Animal Kingdom.

Point Orlando (at the end of international Drive) was good for shopping when I was there 2 years ago.
 
I went when I was in my early teens and loved:

Disney World
Universal Studios
Sea World
Kennedy Space Centre < This in particular I wish I had appreciated more, would be amazing to go again

Hope you have a great time! :)
 
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