Florida Bound:

Well I live here, what are you interested in?

Unfortunately the Orlando area isn't actually known for their haute cuisine.  I'm not familar with Miami but I hear they have much better dining. 

I assume you are doing the Disney thing.  Go for the tickets that allow you to hop parks in a single day (MGM is not worth a full day and depending on your mileage Epcot might not be worth a full day either).

You're coming in June so expect daily afternoon showers.  Don't worry, they pass quickly.

Florida residents are more apt to forgive aggressive drivers and curse tentative drivers.  When using the parkways (toll roads) obey the speed limits.  Those are policed fairly heavily. 

If you are going to Seaworld, I definitely recommend Discovery Cove.  Book that ticket for June ASAP, as they go fast.  Swimming with dolphins is an unforgettable experience.

Also, thank you for contributing to our state income with the various taxes you'll be paying.

Miami and Tampa have great Cuban restaurants. The Columbia in Ybor is not a bad place to visit for some Cuban-Spaniard food, with a decent paella. If you do go I recommend you check out their show schedule for the Flamenco show (only adds $5 to the meal).

If you like art, I highly recommend the Dali museum. I'm a bit biased since I'm a big Dali fan, but now it's a great time to visit since they renovated it. It's in St. Petersburg, which provides a good excuse to go to any of the many beaches there or in Clearwater.

Any chance you might want to go up North Florida? My favorite place to visit is St. Augustine, I like to rent a scooter and go around the old city. El Morro in Puerto Rico and old San Juan is better, but I find St. Augustine to be the closest thing to it for that old Spanish colonial feel. There's also some good places to eat there too (I recommend Casa Monica for the hotel, very romantic).

Have you been to Disney and/or Universal before?

Make sure you take advantage of the fast passes at the Disney parks. That's key. If you have kids, then do baby swaps.

At Universal you have to pay extra for the fast passes, but if you stay at their hotels (which are nice but pricier) you get that included which is not a bad benefit.

I recommend Busch Gardens if you are into roller coasters BTW.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Savage 

Naturally we plan on doing the normal touristy stuff like Kenndey Space Center, Disney and Universal but we have also rented a car and plan to drive down to Miami and the Keys.

 

Basically I woundering if any local Chewers/people who have visited the area had any ideas of places worth checking out?

If you're going to go to Miami & the Keys, you're going to spend a decent amount of time in the car. It's a little under 7 hours to get to the Keys from Orlando, and about 4 to Miami (depending on the traffic on 95).

Depending on where your hotel in Orlando is, you're not far from the beaches. If you're staying down by Disney, Cocoa beach (right near Kennedy) isn't far off. And New Symrna Beach is a nice little beach town to visit, although it would be a bit farther from Disney. But it is about 45 minutes from St. Augustine - which makes for a great day if the weather cooperates. It's a guaranteed good time to go to NSB for a day of hanging out at the beach, and then a quick ride up to St. Augustine for dinner & drinks.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by HBarr 

Unfortunately the Orlando area isn't actually known for their haute cuisine.  I'm not familar with Miami but I hear they have much better dining. 

 

You're coming in June so expect daily afternoon showers.  Don't worry, they pass quickly.

Orlando may not be New York, but there's definitely some nice restaurants to check out around here. Depending on how much you're willing to spend, the Winter Park area is a nice way to spend an evening. Also, the nightlife downtown isn't bad either, although if you're going to be going to Miami I would highly recommend just hitting up bars/clubs down there. South Beach & downtown Miami can almost be like Vegas and clean your wallet out fast - all with a smile on your face.

In addition to the rain, plan on it being brutally hot at the parks. If you're at the beach it's fantastic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElCapitanAmerica 

Miami and Tampa have great Cuban restaurants. The Columbia in Ybor is not a bad place to visit for some Cuban-Spaniard food, with a decent paella. If you do go I recommend you check out their show schedule for the Flamenco show (only adds $5 to the meal).

 

If you like art, I highly recommend the Dali museum. I'm a bit biased since I'm a big Dali fan, but now it's a great time to visit since they renovated it. It's in St. Petersburg, which provides a good excuse to go to any of the many beaches there or in Clearwater.

 

Any chance you might want to go up North Florida? My favorite place to visit is St. Augustine, I like to rent a scooter and go around the old city. El Morro in Puerto Rico and old San Juan is better, but I find St. Augustine to be the closest thing to it for that old Spanish colonial feel. There's also some good places to eat there too (I recommend Casa Monica for the hotel, very romantic).

Ybor is definitely fun. And while I've never been, I've heard nothing but good things about the Dali museum. I'll also echo the recommendation to check out St. Augustine - it's a nice little town with quite a bit of history, good restaurants & bars to check out.

Watch for traffic accidents. Be alert. I think Orlando's one of the country's top contenders. In addition to the typical bad drivers and their typical distractions, there's plenty of elderly, lost tourists, and uninsured. Plus there's no state inspection, so people drive till they break down. I-4 can be terrible depending on the time of day, accidents, park traffic, etc. People don't use turn signals very often when changing lanes (my experience anyway) and there's lots of left tuns, as opposed to the jug handles of the Tri-State area where I'm originally from.

New Smyrna is nice, but I learned during Shark Week, that it's the Shar k Attack capital of the world!

Tampa's got a nice zoo and aquarium.

I enjoy Fiddler's Green Irish Pub in Winter Park whenever I can.

Kennedy Space Center is great, if you're into that sort of thing, and right near Cocoa Beach.

If you're going in June it is going to be fucking HOT. Sweltering hot and humid.

As a Florida resident: Stay away. It's a wretched place I yearn to be free of. Otherwise, Columbia is great and I wished they had one up here... Tampa's a pretty happening place, Keys are amazing!....etc. What everyone else has said. If you're going to be in Tampa, drive 45 minutes south to go to Sarasota and the Ringling Museum. Huge complex with a circus museum, art collection (one of the largest baroque and renaissance collections -check out the Rubens Tapestry paintings) and 1920's fully restored Mansion. It was actually used as the exterior for Mrs. Havisham's place in Great Expectations and the movie kickstarted the efforts to restore the mansion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Savage 

 

Speaking of which as I said she has done a fly drive so we are well aware of how long driving is going to take.  As for where we are staying, we rented a holiday home just outside Orlando, which was insanly cheap for what we actually got.  A four Bedroom house, with free wifi, a pool, cable and a discount on the car hire all for about £500. It actually worked out cheaper to do this than a resort hotel.

This is a smart move.  I actually live in a "holiday home" year-round (thanks to the bad economy and oversaturated market, it's a steal), but I can't imagine being cramped in a hotel room for 2 weeks.

Around Disney, almost all of the dining is chains, other than the places in the parks and Disney hotels.  There are some decent chains, tho.  Bahama Breeze nicely captures the Florida spirit, and The Columbia in Celebration is worth a visit.  Two off the top of my head.  Some very good restaurants on Disney property, but obviously pricey, and you have to reserve the better ones months in advance.

As for visiting Disney, two months out, visit "TouringPlans.com". They have a somewhat reliable gauge of how busy the parks will be each day, and which will be busier than the others. 

Wow, they have a Columbia in Celebration? Didn't know that ... has it been there for a long time?

Anyways, that'll be closer to you, although the one in Tampa is the original one and has a lot of history and character. Additionally the Flamenco show is fun and inexpensive, not sure if the one in Celebration has it.

If you're there for the weekend, you can hang out at bars/clubs in Ybor although, if you are into that sort of thing.

Ringling and Sarasota are nice places to visit, I almost went to school at Ringling, it's a pretty nice place. So are you going to go to the beaches a lot?