Something Different...
 

We are heading to Orlando on March 20...we'd like to spend a couple of days away from Disney...any suggestions? We love historical sites, unique spots, hidden adventures...within a half day of Orlando?

St. Augustine!!!

How about Cape Canaveral? We took the tour of the space center several years ago...prior to 9/11. Not sure if that has changed things. 90 minute drive as I recall?

St. Augustine, yes! And Tampa with its interesting Ybor City & the HB Plant Museum. St. Petersburg with its classy new waterfront downtown and terrific museums.

Before you leave Orlando & Disney, be sure to stop at Winter Park, just east of the city. It is a terrific little historic town, one of Florida's first tourist destinations by train travelers in the 1880s. Go to the Morse Gallery/Museum.

Head up to Mount Dora for lunch and antiquing or absorbing the laid back community.

South to Lake Wales and the Bok singing Tower and gardens?

Our favorite "found" place was a beautiful nature getaway from all the man-made of Orlando, and quite a different flavor. It's a short ride from Winter Park (north)- Blue Springs State Park in Orange City FL. We were only going to stop for an hour or two and it turned into about 5 hours. We took the excursion out into the backs of the beyond. In March, I don't know if the manatees will still be there, but it is an outstanding day and very close for a half day etc. from Orlando.

If you are at all interested in birds, plants and wild life, and the weather is pleasant (not in a downpour)- this is a real pleaser.

Patrick, there were some photos in the newspaper awhile back of the horrendous hurricane damage at Bok Tower. I'm hesitant to recommend it if it's (gulp) naked of its lush vegetation. But you go right ahead ;;)

Thanks for all the suggestions...I think we may try them all...keep'em coming. Now I am getting excited about the trip...Disney is fine, but for a very short period.

I just replied not to long ago with a list of websites in the G'ville area - most of them are within an hour or two's drive from Orlando as well... but to recap (don't have time to look up sites though sorry!), Cape Canaveral (esp if there is a launch!), Ocala for the horse country (ooh and ahh over some of the farms = the horses live better than the humans!), Daytona for driving on the beach, St Augustine, any of the springs - some have manatees in them, G'ville has a museum of local history and arhelogical artifacts (think indian), Payne's Prarie, Marjorie Rawling's House, Stephen Foster's house/museum, High Springs town is quiant,and where Doc Hollywood was filemd, Bok's Tower if it survived the hurricanes, Cypress Gardens, Wekki Wachhi, Cedar Key for a "fishing village"... Did I say St Augustine?? More will prob come to me...

I believe I read somewhere Cypress Gardens has been permanently closed.

according to their website http://www.cypressgardens.com/welcome.asp they are not closed (in fact have a concert planed over the weekend...). I believe they were just closed because of hurricane clean up (like so many other places in FL)

Cypress Gardens went bankrupt and closed its doors a year or two ago but has been now been bought. Will be a planned community with some commercial aspects of the old Cypress Gardens preserved at least that was plan C or D. I just looked at the website, and it looks nothing like the old park. It is now an "Adventure" park with a sister park in Georgia. I think St. Augustine, Tampa, Mt Dora, Winter Park are all better bets.

Bok Tower was decimated by the hurricanes as were so many central florida areas. Many homes still without roofs six months later. LMF

Offbeat idea, how about the jai alai fronton. I don't gamble, but it was an interesting experience, colorful in a Damon Runyonesque way. Watching the sport was fascinating.

Even if you don't like baseball, try a spring training game.

I still want to try the swim with the manatees. I think its abuot an hour away.