In April I’m going to Orlando for a radiologic technology student and educator’s conference. We’ll be staying at a resort. My afternoons and evenings will be free to do whatever I want. Only problem is I don’t know what is around there, other than the obvious and I’m not really interested in theme parks.
Recommendations I’m looking for are:
A nice restaurant for one good dinner
Cheaper restaurants for other meals
Zoos
Natural History museums
Other museums
I’m sure some of my classmates will want to go to a nightclub or two. Not really my thing but could pass along recommendations.
How good? Emeril’s at Universal Studios Citywalk (you don’t have to go inside the theme park) is pretty good, but uber-pricey. Del Frisco’s is (IMHO) the best restaurant in the city. We’ve also got Ruth’s Chris, Melting Pot, Bahama Breeze, all the usual chains.
There’s no zoo here. There’s Gatorland, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If you want an actual zoo-zoo the nearest one is Brevard Zoo in Melbourne or Central Florida Zoo in Sanford- both about a 45-minute drive from your general location, and probably not worth it.
Universal and Disney have their own sort of sanitized nightlife- Citywalk and Pleasure Island. I’d give both a miss if you want nightclubs and go downtown instead. Wall Street is a small pedestrianized area combining a half-dozen bars and clubs, and is nice.
We don’t have a dedicated natural history museum; the nearest one is 2 hours north in Gainesville. We do have the Orlando Science Center, which has pretty good natural history exhibits- mostly dinos.
Check out this place Timpano Chophouse. It’s on the same road as the Wyndham, not too far. We went there one night and had a great time. It’s a sort of Italian chophouse but the night we went it turned into a swing music night club after we ate. Had a great time just watching people dance. You might check with them to see if they have entertainment on a given night.
Disney’s property has much more than the Theme Parks, and there is quite a bit you can do without having to pay admission.
Disney’s Pleasure Island is closed, BTW.
Disney’s Boardwalk is fun and free. You can walk around a fake lake, there are restaurants and street entertainment. Also, you can see the fireworks from nearby EPCOT’s Illuminations (typically at 9PM). It’s Disney, but it’s not too Disney, if that makes sense.
If you like animals, but don’t want to shell out money to go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I would recommend having dinner at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. There are two restaurants to choose from, both are excellent. One is a buffet (Boma) and the other is closer to fine dining (Jiko). Boma is less expensive. Before dinner you can explore the lodge and look at the animals that wander around outside (Giraffes and Zebras and stuff).
I might be able to do that, ivylass. We’re there from the 14th - 17th. As far as I know I only have to go to one lecture a day. That’s what we’ve been told so far. I hope it doesn’t change.
Thanks, everyone, for the recommendations. I’m going to share them with my classmates. I definitely want to go to Gatorland. I also like Boma. Would be great to see animals like that roaming around outside.