Truth be told, I rarely visit the theme parks. I haven’t blogged about Disney once in the 16 months I’ve been blogging and only visited SeaWorld with my dad because his company hosted an employee event at the park.
That’s not to say I don’t like theme parks. Not true! I actually love them, but my wallet says otherwise. I seriously can’t wait to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal this year. I have pre-purchased tickets that are burning a hole in my pocket!
But this post is designed to tell you about the other side of Orlando. The non-theme park side.
First, Orlando is HUGE. It can take you 40 minutes to drive from one end of the city to the other. Disney World is actually located in Kissimmee, about 30 minutes from downtown Orlando (if there is no traffic, that is). If you come to Orlando, definitely take time to visit the theme parks, but if your travel plans allow for it, you may wish to take advantage of some of the other wonderful things Orlando has to offer:
Park Avenue in Winter Park: Park Avenue is an adorable brick-lined street located in Winter Park, an up-scale area of Orlando. Park Avenue is lined with delicious restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques, and opens up to a big grassy lawn where you may watch movies in the park. It’s dog friendly and is a great place to go for a hot date or brunch with family and friends.
- Winter Park Boat Tour and Dinner at Luma
- Dinner at 310 Park South
- Shopping at Williams-Sonoma + Registering at Williams-Sonoma
Shopping on Park Avenue
Baldwin Park: Baldwin Park looks like it should be the neighborhood where Stepford Wives was filmed. It’s an adorable cookie-cutter area of Orlando, with beautiful homes and Sadie’s all-time favorite dog park. Also, check out Farris and Foster’s, a neat chocolate shop where you can make your own chocolate!
Dog Park!
Downtown Orlando and Lake Eola: Lake Eola is the large lake located in downtown Orlando. Joggers, families and couples alike all enjoy circling the lake and taking in the skyline of downtown Orlando. The lake is located within walking distance of several delicious restaurants, including the upscale Spice Steakhouse, trendy Dexter’s and casual, family-friendly BBQ joint, Wildside.
Lake Eola at Night
Morning Walk Around the Lake
Weikwa Springs: Weikwa Springs is the location of a beautiful natural spring where people enjoy BBQs, picnics, kayaking and swimming in crystal-clear waters. Ryan and I absolutely love the hiking trails at Weikwa Springs State Park.
Hiking with Ryan, Sadie and My Sista!
Other fun activities in Orlando include:
- Lakeridge Winery
- High Tea at the Ritz Carlton
- Orlando Magic Game
- Concert/Show at Hard Rock Live, House of Blues, Amway Arena, etc.
- Beer Fest in May
- Holiday Fun: ICE! at the Gaylord Palms or Festival of Trees
(Special thanks to blog reader Emily W. for inspiring this post!)
Question of the Afternoon
What is the one thing you would tell someone they have to do if they visited your hometown?
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Ahhh this is SUCH a great post for us!! Thankyouthankyou!! Can’t wait to visit Orlando next week 🙂
Everyone does the usual history stuff in Philly, but the best attractions are the battlefields outside of the city- Brandywine and Valley Forge. HUGE parks! And in NYC, I’m a firm believer that visitors should shun all the tourist attractions and just walk around without a plan. It’s the best way to discover the city!
gabriela, i have a feeling you would LOVE winter park!!
Not to mention King of Prussia Mall !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You and Ryan should check out Relax Grill on Lake Eola (by the 5/3 Bank) on a Friday or Saturday night from 6 – 8 PM. They have an all you can drink wine/beer for $10 w/ unlimited pita bread, hummus and tazaki! It’s a pretty chill place where you can even bring Sadie.
we walk by that place ALL the time!
That is an amazing deal. $10 for all you can drink wine / beer and apps? If I lived in Orlando they’d need to revisit that after one night of my boyfriend and I being there, lol!
D.C. is a great place to live because there are a lot of free museums and events every weekend. I would recommend someone go to a free concert at the library of congress. It’s a great venue to hear live music, often by world renowned musicians on historic instruments.
that sounds so fun!
I live in Orlando, too. I grew up living in IL and my family went to Disney so many times on vacation. I used to work there and so did my husband, so we got to go for free all of the time, but since neither of us work there anymore, we don’t go (I love Disney, but tix are wayyy too expensive). My dad doesn’t understand what we could possibly do for fun anymore now that Disney’s out of the picture. He’s definitely in the camp of theme parks-only when it comes to central FL.
I love this post! We lived in Orlando for a year and loved getting around to the non-themed venues. 🙂 We miss it a lot, but we do say that one good thing about living in DC is that the tourist attractions are free and when we lived in Orlando everyone wanted to go to the parks when they visited. It just got way too expensive. I loved downtown Orlando. We had a friend who lived right by Lake Eola, sooo pretty! With that said, we are from another tourist hot spot, Lake Placid, NY. For anyone traveling up there, I recommend visiting the Olympic Arena and seeing where the Miracle on Ice actually happened. And to just keep looking around and realizing that Lake Placid, NY is not home to a ridiculously huge alligator. 🙂
I loved the area I went to lunch with you in Orlando. So quaint and beautiful! Can’t wait to do it again. I wished we could have had more time (and less rain) to have walked around and see it more.
I really love this post! I am a huge fan of Disney World and I have been there and Universal Studios several times. I have always wanted to explore more of Orlando. Thank you for posting these great places! I definitely need to check them out the next time I visit.
One of my reccomendations if anyone wants to visit Philly is in the winter time definitely go ice skating at Penns Landing! It is so romantic plus you get an incredible view of the skyline of the city! I am hoping to do that this year! 🙂
Good review – except you missed East Orlando (maybe on purpose – hee) — Waterford Lakes/Avalon Park. Lots of stuff to do out here too, including monthly festivals/celebrations! I guess you skipped the Mall of Millenia and Sandlake area as well so I don’t feel so bad 🙂
Of course, most people I know who visit Orlando DO visit the theme parks, I usually recommend that they also check out the nearby beaches (especially New Smyrna).
My town is the home of the world’s biggest granite quarries, but they’re kinda boring. I would take people to the Ben & Jerry’s factory, which is about 20 minutes away!
count me IN for the ben & jerry’s factory tour!
If anyone visited Medford, NJ…
(SOUTH Jersey… don’t judge me, us southern jersey folk are much more laid back and friendly than those from the north/ on jersey shore)
…I’d say they HAVE to eat the corn on the cob and blueberries in season. You truly have never eaten either until you try them south jerz style! 😉
the pine barrens are pretty gorgeous, too. jersey is so underrated. 🙂
no wayyy! north trumps all! all the good malls are north, GREASE TRUCKS, the city(no, the *real* one, lol)is only ten minutes away, and no camden up here…nah but really, jersey pride all around? springsteen is solidarity, friend! <3
Julie- random question: Where do you get all of your cute workout shorts? Are they Nike Tempo shorts? Love ’em!
-Alexa
yep! nike tempos! usually from sports authority (on sale!) or the nike outlet in orlando.
Ahhh that lake is freaking gorgeous! 🙂
UHM
I would say that they have to go wine tasting if they come to my town! Seriously, it’s like the main attraction…or drive to the beach, that is good too! Or go see Hearst Castle! SO much to do!
Well Wilkes-Barre is my current city, and there’s nothing really noteworthy here, other than the Stegmaier Brewery (Lion’s Head beer).
My hometown is York, PA and if you are ever there you need to visit the Shoe House. It is literally a regular sized house in the shape of a shoe.
I’m from St. Louis–everyone has to go to Ted Drewes! In Chicago, I say everyone needs to go on Lake Shore Dr.
I spent my college years in St. Louis and loved the town AND Ted Drewes! It has the best frozen custard anywhere! I remember huddling with friends as we even ate it during winter. I think Forest Park is also a great place, especially with the zoo, planetarium and museums.
http://www.slfp.com/SLFP-FPFEmap.htm
There’s also The Loop which is nice for some cool dining.
http://visittheloop.com/
Great post! Wish I’d read this before I visited Orlando! To be fair though, I was 8 years old, and much more interested in Mickey Mouse than in beautiful parks! 😛
I recommend if people come to London that they go on the London Eye. There are great views of the city from there!
Orlando sounds and looks (great pictures!) lovely! Adding Weikwa Springs to my list of to do’s when we visit next spring!
If you ever come to my town, Tucson AZ, stay at Ventana Canyon (my fave of our fabulous resorts) and hike the the spectacular Santa Catalina mountains.. there are tons of trails, canyons, waterfalls, and pools to explore. I’ve lived here and hiked those mountains most of my 25 years and still find new favorite spots! They are amazing!
Love your blog!
My home town actually created it’s own type of cashew chicken. It’s all I’ve ever known, but I guess outside of here it’s called “Ozarks Cashew Chicken.” Gotta try it at least once if you’re in Springfield, MO.
Thanks for the post on Orlando!
Eat at Frenchy’s!
I LOVE THIS POST! I will have to come to Orlando again soon and discover more than just Disney World 🙂 I know its not too close to you but I’m actually going to Clearwater this spring… any recommendations there?
As a big baseball fan, my favorite place in Philly is Citizens Bank Park (its a gorgeous ballpark to see too!) Other places in the area I love are Penn’s Landing, Longwood Gardens, Reading Terminal Market, 30th Street Station, and all the restaurants downtown !
Whoops – insert Frenchy’s reply here instead of the post above… 😉
thanks i will check it out !!
Great post about Orlando! I was born and raised in San Francisco, and I recently moved back after spending four years in Connecticut. Folks often think of cable car rides and the Golden Gate Bridge when they visit San Francisco, but I highly recommend Golden Gate Park. It’s incredibly beautiful and peaceful, and there are many fun things to do. The Japanese tea garden is one of my favorite spots, and it’s right next door to the De Young Museum, the Academy of Sciences, and the Botanical Gardens. If you’re ever in San Francisco, check out these beautiful gems!
Great post! I’d love to visit Orlando someday soon!
I am originally from Mount Horeb, Wi (now I live in Madison) but in good ol’ Mount Horeb, we are known for our large wooden troll sculptures. We have them scattered all around the town! We also used to have a mustard museum but it moved into Middleton, a town basically connected to Madison. Next to Mt. Horeb is Little Norway, Cave of the Mounds and we have SO many hiking areas and lakes!
Also, you should go to a Badger game at Camp Randel Stadium (even though they lost the Rose Bowl BOO!) they still had a great season! Also a wonderful steak restaurant in Madison is Smokys Club, they literally melt in your mouth. I’ve never had a better steak and they must have over 200 different martinis too!
Wisconsin is fun, I promise! 🙂
Wow! Lots of great info, thanks! I have only been to Orlando for Disney and Seaworld, but wish I would have had the opportunity to experience some of what you mention here. I will definitely keep your advice in mind for future trips that way 🙂
Pittsburghers will tell you that you have to get a primantis sandwich (choice of meat coleslaw and fries all smashed together) since it’s a pittsburgh creation….
However I would have to say that you have to ride one of our Inclines so that you can truly see the beauty of our city… and if you have some extra time go down to the strip district where they have the Pittsburgh public market…
Or you could just come on a football sunday and enjoy the insanity that is a drinking town with a football problem 😉
Hi Julie! I live in DC now, but my hometown is Houston! A lot of people don’t realize that Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S. We have some great museums (MFAH, Museum of Natural Science), a fun zoo and the Beer Can House is a must-see for obvious reasons.
This is such a perfectly timed post — I’m going down to Orlando for work next week. Just wondering if you know if it’s safe to run around/near the convention center? Or if there’s any good places to run within walking distance of that area?
Julie, I have a random question for you – what do you do with all of the photos you take? Do you store them all on your computer? Print a lot of them? I take pictures a lot but can’t always figure out what to do with them, other than save them to my computer & print an occassional few…..
This is very timely, I have to go judge a meet in Clermont in late March. I think I have a free afternoon and might have to check some of this out.
For folks who come to DC, I would say you *must* go to Biagio Fine Chocolates because…well…right. But I would say that normal people should instead bum around Eastern Market on a weekend morning.
Anyone coming to visit Central PA/Harrisburg should definitely take a drive through downtown Hershey and smell the sweet scent of chocolate in the air!!!
Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago is a favorite winter must-see. One Saturday in early December there is ‘caroling to the animals’ at the zoo. Everyone shows their Christmas spirit and sings carols to the different animals.
A hot dog is another must in Chi (dragged through the garden).
I love Winter Park and insist on going every time i visit my Mom in Port Orange!
hmmm…if they’re in the denver area i’d definitely say make the drive out to the mountains or spend some time walking around cherry creek and shopping. or come to boulder! it’s all good around here 🙂
I loved moving home after college and rediscovering St. Louis! There are so many cute coffee shops and amazing ethnic restaurants on South Grand. Forest Park is bigger than Central Park and has a FREE zoo, museums, boat house, and outdoor theatre!
Then there is the Anhueser Busch brewery tour, the city gardens, the Magic House, CARDINALS GAMES!! It may be a “midwest town” but there is so much to offer.
SOMEONE COME VISIT ME!
I’m loving this post. What a way to put down everything Orlando has to offer. People automatically associate it with theme parks, but there really is so much more. Winter Park is my favorite. I will be posting about my recent trip to Orlando including a trip to 310 Park South which I saw you had a post for. I love that place!
Eat at Portillo’s!
AMEN! I LOVE Portillo’s! Are you from chicago?
I lived in Orlando for six months and while I didn’t like the city itself, I was a big fan of Winter Park. It’s so quaint and beautiful.
I live in Baltimore now and tell people to avoid the Inner Harbor! Check out upscale Harbor East and walk over to Thames St. in Fells Point. Do some shopping in Federal Hill, shoot up to the Maryland Zoo by Druid Park Lake, then grab something to eat at any of the amazing crab houses.
Oh I wish you had posted this last week!! I was in Orlando for a few days (over NYE), and we virtually didn’t know where else to go other than the parks. I’ll probably be back in June though, so I’ll definitely have to hit up some of those spots then!
Soooo I’m coming to Orlando in about 5 mins, just booked a flight! Haha, if only! I absolutely LOVE this and will be bookmarking it for friends/fam/myself if anyone ever discusses a vacation or trip to the area!
Thank you, Julie!
This is such a great post! I have family in Orlando that I hope to visit sometime. At least I know that there is lots to do there when I visit!
Winter Park is one of my favorite areas in the Orlando area! Sometime you and Ryan should check out Mt. Dora sometime for a smaller, cutsier small town area to explore.
For someone coming to Seattle, I always take them to the Fremont area first… it’s filled with unique and eclectic shops, statues, and just bizarre things all around such as the Troll Under the Bridge and the Center of the Universe. You won’t find anything like Fremont anywhere else in the world!
Aw, I’ve always wanted to visit Seattle! It seems very charming 🙂
Where I live is the biggest mall in Canada (used to be the biggest in the world!) so that’s the main attraction. Edmonton also has many cool festivals that come throughout the year!
This is an awesome post Julie 😀 I LOVE 310- it’s one of my favorite restaurants here in Orlando. I also love Shari sushi- have you ever been there? That place is AWESOME!!
shari is delicious! we love that place for date nights. 🙂
I love Orlando. Seriously love it. I really wanted to move there when I was growing up. Didn’t happen…. yet anyway. It is still on my list though 😛
My husband has never been there so I can’t wait to take him and show him everything – plus I can’t wait to go back as an adult and do all of the things that my parents never wanted to do – like pretty much everything on your list 😛
Great post! I love hearing about Orlando!
The three of you kind of remind me of the characters in “Marley & Me” during their Florida years – adorable newlyweds and an adorable pup!
Definitely a book to read it it’s one you haven’t yet, by the way. A must read for all animal lovers!
that book made me cry like a baby!
What a fantastic post! I wish I was going to Orlando soon!
For the Seattle suberbs I would say that you really should embrace it in the summer. Go to the Seattle waterfront and watch the ferries go by, learn the history of Seattle with the underground tour and pike place market (and stop at the first starbucks, if you’re a foodie, take a tour at Theo Chocolates then travel east back into the mountains. Go for a hike up Little Si or Pupu point. At the top, the valley lays beneath you.
What a great post! I go to UCF and don’t live the typical college lifestyle so I done some of the things on your list, I love Park Avenue and the Farmers Market at Lake Eola, but I could always use more suggestions! I do love the theme parks though, especially Disney. They have lots of running events and other off the beaten path activities that most tourists don’t do when they visit. Another cool thing I’ve done since I’ve been in Orlando is a zip lining course at the Sanford Zoo. I noticed someone else also mentioned Mount Dora and if you liked having tea at the Ritz the Garden Gate tea room is fabulous for a girls day!
mount dora & the zip lining are on our to-do list!
I enjoyed your tour of Orlando! You’re right, all I think about it theme parks. But I guess I live in Idaho and all everyone thinks about it is potatoes. Historically, the Oregon Trail goes right through Boise. Idaho is definitely a state for the outdoorsy. There are lots of great mountains and skiing here, lots of places to hike and camp and dirt bike. In the summer there is a farmer’s market downtown and lots of boating on the lake and floating the river.
Thanks for all the great info! We are going to Orlando in June for a family vacation, and now we’ll have other stuf to do besides Disney! Thanks!
In Queens there is a nieghborhood called Forest Hills which I absolutly love love! There is a huge park, gorgeous golf course, countless resturants, and attractions. I am also a big fan of Bayside in Queens. Bell Blvd features some of the best resturants in the city!
I live in Maryland so the one thing visitors HAVE to do is eat a MARYLAND blue crab! No other crabs are like it and you want to avoid eating the females. To do it right though, you have to order them steamed with Old Bay and you have to pick the meat out of them yourself. It’s quite an experience.
who makes your running shorts? you always look so adorable in workout gear. i can’t seem to find fitness wear that is comfortable and looks decent. i know this may sound silly, but if i dress cute for a run or to the gym, it seems to inspire me more than a super baggy t-shirt because the t-shirt “hides” me.