Well, here at Oh Orlando towers we are always looking at something to do for a few hours while on holiday. Maybe you are waiting for a park to open or an event to start or an ADR for a meal, so here’s a few little things to do while killing a few hours.
Go for a drive, there is so much to see when you are in the great of State of Florida, the views are simply stunning and as you drive you will see the ‘real’ Orlando and how pretty it is. You can’t beat a drive and snack at a local diner, the folks are always welcoming and ready for a chat. There are lots of surprises along the way, for instance if you are taking a trip down to Tampa you may well see Dinosaur World over in Plant City, it’s quite fun seeing the dinosaurs popping up along the road. Well worth a look see.
Another thing worth doing is popping to the shops. Not just the outlet malls but the ones that line many of the roads in and along the ‘27 and the 192. These are classic ‘strip malls’ meaning there is a line or strip of them. They can be dentists, doctors, nail bars, bodegas and anything in between, a lot of tourists seem to avoid these but to be honest you can pick up real bargains, they are normally a cheaper for such things as snacks and the silly little things you need such a plasters and deodorant etc. There are some classic ones that everyone passes on the 192 towards WDW, they are the ‘mermaid’ and the ‘wizard’ – you cannot miss these shops and you’ll know then when you see them. Every time we passed them we kept saying we must go in, and boy we were not let down. These shops are famous for the ‘tourist tat’ as we call it. The items are always just a little ‘off’ in quality. They sell WDW and Universal merch but its not quite ‘on the money’ but they sell loads of items such as rubber rings, rafts and pool stuff, beach towels and random stuff such as a ‘Welcome to Orlando’ clock covered in croc teeth??? Why people buy this stuff is totally beyond us!! But someone is as they have been open for donkeys years!! They are super useful though if you’ve forgotten one of the kids swimming costume, or need beach towels for the water parks, or even for the kids to spend their pocket money taking a Mickey or Orlando mug or sweeties home for their friends or teacher. Much cheaper places to purchase these things.
If there is a group of you, a fun way to spend an hour or two is playing golf. Not the full 18 holes sort but crazy golf (although there are plenty of those if that’s you’re thing). There are crazy golf courses dotted all over the place in Orlando and WDW and Universal have a couple of courses near the parks. The WDW one is next to Typhoon Lagoon, so maybe after a morning running around or swimming go settle a few scores on the golf course. These are included in your ticket price so its not like you are having to shell out extra for these games. There are some great crazy golf courses up on I-drive and they are quite good value as they take up to 2 hour to get round. The big one is the Pirates Cove 18 hole adventure course. There are various courses, the Captains course, Blackbeard’s challenge and the 36 hole Adventure, the prices are adults $14.50 + tax and kids $12.95+tax for the Captains course and Blackbeard’s and its $23.95+tax for adults and $21.50+ tax for kids for the 36 hole adventure. They are open from 9.am till 23.30.. so plenty of time to get a game in. Quite a nice option for after dinner when you’re not quite ready to go back to your accommodation but full of dinner and too tired for anything too strenuous – a night time fun game of golf is perfect.
Another fun golf spot is Top Golf, we visited here last time and it was without a doubt one of the most fun evenings we’ve had in a long time. From a fabulous meal to the service we experienced in the booth whilst playing, nothing was too much trouble for the staff. If possible try and get the top floor bays, you get a magnificent view of the Orlando Eye and of the range. And go in the evening, everything is lit up and the holes pulsate in time to the music that is being played there. It gets a 10/10 from us as a great way of spending a few hours.
One thing we love to do when in Orlando is to look at the houses for sale as we drive round. (We can dream can’t we!!) We love the Davenport area as its close to all the main things but far enough away as not to be busy within traffic and noise pollution. There are always houses for sale and if you stop at a diner or a shop there are lots of free property newspapers advertising the local properties. If you are really lucky and a bit cheeky you can visit a house that is for sale… lots of estate agents in the U.S. have ‘open house viewings’ so you can waltz up and sometimes grab a free coffee and a doughnut and have a nose at someone’s pad that’s for sale. We saw one last visit that was nearly the same as we were staying in, a 5 bed, 5 bathroom with pool and jacuzzi and garage. They had it on the market for $195.000. Furnished. Absolutely bonkers !!! So if those lotto numbers roll in you know where to find us!!!
Now, when you’re driving to WDW you will have seen signs for a town called Celebration. This is a picture postcard perfect slice of small town America. It was originally built/designed by the Disney company as a representation of a perfect small town America, (it’s no longer owned or has anything to do with the Walt Disney company). The classic clapboard houses and picket fencing and family friendly layout is an absolute pleasure to walk around. There is a lake in the centre of town where most of the shops and cafes, and it’s a very relaxing way to let a meal go down just sitting there in the rocking chairs on the shore watching the world go by. The shopping area its self is very Art Deco in style and has a very laid back vibe, within boutique shops selling hats, shirts and antique shop and very cool pet shop where you can buy loads of cool stuff for the family pets.
We’ve mentioned earlier about Top Golf and a good view of Icon Park. Icon Park – now that’s a brilliant way to spend a few hours either for a morning, or an afternoon, or an evening if you’ve had a nice lazy pool day and a good dinner and fancy doing something for a few hours in the evening. There’s the Starflyer (see previous blogs for just how fantastic this is), The Wheel (Orlando Eye) there are arcades, restaurants, Madam Tussauds, coffee shops and ice cream shops. Plenty of options for the whole family, kids and adults alike.
Round about the I-Drive area you’ll also find things like Wonderworks, The Titanic Exhibition, Escape rooms, The Chocolate Kingdom, the I-Drive NASCAR Kart Racing, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, restaurants and cafes and shops and…… the list goes on and on. Take a drive along and see what you find – there’s plenty to find we can assure you.
Another way to while away a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of the parks is to visit the resorts. We’re talking Disney resorts here, only because we have never had a look around the Universal Resorts, but aim to do that soon. So Disney resorts – there are absolutely loads and loads. You can pop along to the various hotels, have a meal in one of the restaurants or lounges, have a relaxing drink and cocktail at one of the many lounges and bars, you can have character meals so you get some quality time with your favourite Disney characters. Fancy a nice massage or facial – have a look at one of the spas in a couple of the deluxe Disney hotels. Mrs Oh! can definitely recommend the spa and the treatments at The Grand Floridian – amazing. We hear also the spas at Saratoga Springs and the Yacht and Beach Club are also lovely. Wander along to The Boardwalk for a old fashioned wooden seaside Boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants, bars and a gorgeous ice-cream shop. Sit and while away some time with an ice cream and watch the world go by. There are also some fabulous walks around resorts, and from some of the parks to other parks and resorts, so you could do worse than just taking a little stroll on one of these walks and have a good look at the landscaping and the wildlife and see just how pretty your surroundings really are.
There’s also of course endless opportunities to shop – for absolutely anything, from high end designer stuff to cheap and cheerful souvenirs so a couple of hours shopping is always time well spent for us. The shops and malls are open until late, like 10pm in most places, so you can pop out at 7pm, eat dinner and still get an hour or two shopping as well.
Disney Springs has a vas array of shops, bars, restaurants, attractions and activities – we’ve covered most of these in previous blogs and have listed a lot of the restaurants and shops in those detailed blogs – but honestly in our opinion Disney Springs is one of THE BEST WAYS to spend a few relaxed hours – wonderful. So much to see and do, but also so many opportunities to just do nothing – sit and eat or drink or listen to live music, or people watch, or amble through some pretty little shops. The variety of shops is amazing – from The Christmas Shop to Sephora to biggest Disney shop anywhere. It’s a nice relaxed vibe and atmosphere and during the day and early evening totally family friendly.
And finally, and perhaps Mrs Oh!s absolute favourite thing to do – on a non-park relaxation day, or a late starting park day, you can’t do better than having yourself a fantastic Southern breakfast or brunch at Cracker Barrel – eat plenty, they’ll never rush you and keep refreshing hot drinks, take your time, have a browse around the huge shop that’s also part of the restaurant for the most interesting range of things to by, and have yourself a lovely chilled sit in a rocking chair on the porch. The perfect way to let your food go down, and the perfect way to plan the day ahead. You’re welcome – thank us later when you’ve been and experienced the joy that is Cracker Barrel.
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