# Tell Me About Orlando Florida **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 20, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105 "2009-03-20T01:38:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aithele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Aithele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aithele)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/1 "2009-03-20T01:38:59Z")
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. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/2 "2009-03-20T15:39:20Z")
[This place](http://www.piratesdinneradventure.com/florida/orlando_best_show_attraction/index.php) is a hoot! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/3 "2009-03-20T15:49:16Z")
> [@Aithele](#): > > Recommendations I’m looking for are: > A nice restaurant for one good dinner > Cheaper restaurants for other meals > Zoos > Natural History museums > Other museums 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](http://www.delfriscosorlando.com/)’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](http://www.wallstplaza.net/) 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. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/4 "2009-03-20T16:42:04Z")
If you’re going out to eat with friends I can recommend [Tu Tu Tango’s](http://www.cafetututango.com/). Where will you be staying? [Leu Gardens](http://www.leugardens.org/) is a nice place to visit. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/5 "2009-03-20T16:46:21Z")
Kennedy space center is an interesting tour but you’d need to get over to the coast. Your resort might have options for that. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/6 "2009-03-20T16:50:13Z")
[hijack] **Tupug** , where have you been? Haven’t seen one of your posts in forever! [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Aithele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Aithele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aithele)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/7 "2009-03-20T17:10:45Z")
Wow. Thanks for the recommendations. We’re all students so any nice dinner can’t be too pricey. **Clothahump** , that place looks like a blast! **ivylass** , we’re staying at the Wyndham resort. The restaurant and garden look like fun. **Really Not All That Bright** , thanks! **Tupug Anachi** , I thought about Kennedy but not sure about getting there. Depends on how much time we get to ourselves during the afternoons. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/8 "2009-03-20T17:20:52Z")
This place: [www.texasdebrazil.com](http://www.texasdebrazil.com) ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/9 "2009-03-20T17:47:02Z")
> [@Aithele](#): > > **ivylass** , we’re staying at the Wyndham resort. The restaurant and garden look like fun. Check out this place [Timpano Chophouse](http://www.timpanochophouse.net/). 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. ---
**Author:** ![Aithele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Aithele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aithele)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/10 "2009-03-20T17:54:28Z")
\*\*Lanzy \*\*and **ShibbOleth** , those places look great. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/11 "2009-03-20T18:30:00Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/12 "2009-03-20T19:13:39Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > This place: [www.texasdebrazil.com](http://www.texasdebrazil.com) I can’t recommend this place enough. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Expensive but completely worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/13 "2009-03-20T19:32:23Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > I can’t recommend this place enough. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Expensive but completely worth it. Yes but you really have to love meat. If there are vegetarians in the group, that is most definitely not the place to go. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/14 "2009-03-20T21:45:18Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Check out this place [Timpano Chophouse](http://www.timpanochophouse.net/). 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. Hey, that’s right by my work! Would you have time to squeeze in an OrlanDope? ---
**Author:** ![Aithele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Aithele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aithele)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/15 "2009-03-21T01:26:22Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-orlando-florida/490105/16 "2009-03-21T16:46:39Z")
Just wanted to add that Gatorland rocks. We went in the middle of winter, when the gators were all torpid from the cold, but it still rocked. If you like Vietnamese food, don’t miss Anh Hong, 1124 E. Colonial.