Vacationing in Kissimmee, FL in late May....what can I do, where can I go?

[blurredvision]

Looks as if I will be vacationing at the beautiful Fairfield Orlando at Cypress Palms in late May this year. I've never been to Orlando area, so I'm not to familiar with the activities available there outside of the a-typical Disney and Universal trips.

I'm looking for suggestions from people in the area, or people who have visited the area recently. What are some interesting things you done or found to do in the Orlando area? I will be staying for a week ($188 for the week, my dad owns a timeshare ), so there is plenty time to do much things. Needless to say, I'm excited, as I've never been on a week's vacation before (I'm 23).

Thanks for info on the area!

 

[aircooled]

Was there a couple years ago on business. Went to a restaurant on disney property called The Portobello . Very nice... bring some friends and alot of money

 

[Vortex22]

If you don't want to do amusement parks... beach or clubs, or both. (which is what I'll be doing in a few days)

 

[EagleKeeper]

Contact Kissimmee/Greater Orlando tourist bureau for info and guide books.

 

[Linflas]

Gatorland! It has been a very long time since I was there as a child but it was a classic road side attraction back in the pre-Disney central Florida days.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Linflas
Gatorland! It has been a very long time since I was there as a child but it was a classic road side attraction back in the pre-Disney central Florida days.

Looks like we won't be staying far from this Gatorland place, and the tickets are only $20 too. That's a lot better than the $50+ for Universal or Disney World, and $90 for Sea World.

 

[EagleKeeper]

If you wish to blow an afternoon, the time-share scams will give you either free or heavily discounted tickets to some areas.

Also, there are shops that sell un-used multi-day tickets at a reasonable rate.

 

[Cuda1447]

Come visist me in Tampa, Im bored.

 

[Jzero]

Wet N Wild was a good time.
There is lots of golf.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Jzero
Wet N Wild was a good time.
There is lots of golf.

I'm assuming this is a water park? Do they have a website I can check out?

Also, for those who live in Florida, what is the average temp in late May? Is the ocean still too cold to go out in?

 

[Vortex22]

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: Linflas
Gatorland! It has been a very long time since I was there as a child but it was a classic road side attraction back in the pre-Disney central Florida days.

Looks like we won't be staying far from this Gatorland place, and the tickets are only $20 too. That's a lot better than the $50+ for Universal or Disney World, and $90 for Sea World.

Its cheaper because it blows. Gatorland is sooo boring :frown:

 

[Vortex22]

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: Jzero
Wet N Wild was a good time.
There is lots of golf.

I'm assuming this is a water park? Do they have a website I can check out?

Also, for those who live in Florida, what is the average temp in late May? Is the ocean still too cold to go out in?

http://www.wetnwild.com

Wet n' wild is fun... they have quite a few good rides.
Stay away from the blast though... it's rediculously stupid. You just float down the tubes as random jets of water spray you in the face.

 

[allisolm]

This site has some good information. I like Pleasure Island at night and Belz Outlet shopping center by day. The beaches are an hour or so away from Orlando. If you go to the coast at Cocoa Beach, you can also visit Cape Canaveral. It's about a 2-hr drive to St Augustine, the nation's oldest city with its 17th century Castillo De San Marcos fort, Flagler College (used to be a hotel for the very rich and famous) Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum and historic walking/shopping district.

Another good site is http://a.www.orlandoweather.com/index.html. They have skycams of Orlando, Cape Canaveral and Daytona Beach as well as beach forecasts and more.

I hope you enjoy your stay.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: allisolm
This site has some good information. I like Pleasure Island at night and Belz Outlet shopping center by day. The beaches are an hour or so away from Orlando. If you go to the coast at Cocoa Beach, you can also visit Cape Canaveral. It's about a 2-hr drive to St Augustine, the nation's oldest city with its 17th century Castillo De San Marcos fort, Flagler College (used to be a hotel for the very rich and famous) Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum and historic walking/shopping district.

Another good site is http://a.www.orlandoweather.com/index.html. They have skycams of Orlando, Cape Canaveral and Daytona Beach as well as beach forecasts and more.

I hope you enjoy your stay.

Wow, thanks for the info and links allisolm. Very helpful information. And yes, I hope to enjoy my stay too .

 

[YingYang]

If you're over 21 you can check out the bars on Orang Blossom Trail. Oh yeah, almost forgot, it rains at 4oPM everyday.

 

[Actaeon]

Haha, I live in Kissimmee, FL...

I might have a few suggestions on what to do... any idea what you want? Any more questions about the area?

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: YingYang
If you're over 21 you can check out the bars on Orang Blossom Trail. Oh yeah, almost forgot, it rains at 4oPM everyday.

For what a hooker and a tattoo?
Hang out on church street, go to Daytona, Head to tampa (Busch Gardens)(Disney sucks), skydive in zepherhills.

Edit: Also I forgot about House of Babes in Fern Park (I think) and there was an adult bookstore (Liberty Video?) that was always having a meet the porn stars day.

Its been a while since I was there (stationed there for school in 92)

 

[aphex]

If you wanna see "touristy" beaches with rock hard sand check out daytona beach (on the Atlantic)...

If you wanna see "real" beaches with powder sand.... Check out Siesta Key (on the Gulf).... I live less than 5 minutes from Siesta Key now and i have yet to find a more beautiful beach with softer sand. Its about a 2-3 hour trip southwest of orlando. You take I-4 to Tampa, then south on I-75 to Sarasota/Siesta Key.

 

[Vortex22]

Edit: Also I forgot about House of Babes in Fern Park (I think) and there was an adult bookstore (Liberty Video?) that was always having a meet the porn stars day.

Are you talking about club Juana? Thats like 2 minutes from my house

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Actaeon
Haha, I live in Kissimmee, FL...

I might have a few suggestions on what to do... any idea what you want? Any more questions about the area?

Hmmmmm, what good dinner theaters do you have around there? I know of Medievil Times, Arabian Nights, Dixie Stampede....... What places are good to eat? For someone like me who has never been to FL, what are some cool places to look at?

Thanks for the info on the beaches, aphex. I will definitely take your suggestion into consideration. Our (me and my girlfriend) main purpose of vacationing in Florida is for the beaches. She's never seen the ocean before. I can easily see ourselves going to the beach 2 or 3 days.

 

[burnedout]

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: Actaeon
Haha, I live in Kissimmee, FL...

I might have a few suggestions on what to do... any idea what you want? Any more questions about the area?

Hmmmmm, what good dinner theaters do you have around there? I know of Medievil Times, Arabian Nights, Dixie Stampede....... What places are good to eat? For someone like me who has never been to FL, what are some cool places to look at?

Thanks for the info on the beaches, aphex. I will definitely take your suggestion into consideration. Our (me and my girlfriend) main purpose of vacationing in Florida is for the beaches. She's never seen the ocean before. I can easily see ourselves going to the beach 2 or 3 days.

Check out Rossi's Pizzaria up off South Orange Blossum Trail in Orlando. That place has been there since at least the 1960s, from my understanding. Great food.

You might also take in some of the more natural sights around the area. Wekiva Springs and Rock Springs are both pretty cool. Both are just a little north of Orlando.

 

[Savij]

You've got beaches about an hour from you on either coast. My parents live in melbourne, and the beaches there are nice. Cocoa beach is 45 min to an 1 1/2 hours out depending on where in orlando and traffic. Melbourne/Satellite beaches are a little south and usually a less crowded.

I think the water on the atlantic coast is warmest in june, but has more fishies and stuff swimming in it too. Ron Jon's is at the northside of Cocoa beach and it seems like every tourist has to go there for whatever reason. Surfing is better at Daytona (about 2 hours away if i remember correctly could be three...check mapquest), but you can get a boogie board and catch a few waves at cocoa, and melbourne beaches. It's much easier to boogie board than surf (from my very limited experience) cause you don't have to try to stand up once you've caught a wave. BTW, my personal fav. is cocoa beach.

Titusville and Kennedy space center are about 20 min from Cocoa beach. You can go to the space museam there and book tours of Kennedy from there. I think you have to call ahead (as in call now if you're interested) if you want to watch a launch. If you have a choice, night launches are better to watch than day time launches.

I'm sure there are lots of things to do in Orlando and on the Gulf coast, I just don't know what they are so someone else can tell you all about them.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: Savij
You've got beaches about an hour from you on either coast. My parents live in melbourne, and the beaches there are nice. Cocoa beach is 45 min to an 1 1/2 hours out depending on where in orlando and traffic. Melbourne/Satellite beaches are a little south and usually a less crowded.

I think the water on the atlantic coast is warmest in june, but has more fishies and stuff swimming in it too. Ron Jon's is at the northside of Cocoa beach and it seems like every tourist has to go there for whatever reason. Surfing is better at Daytona (about 2 hours away if i remember correctly could be three...check mapquest), but you can get a boogie board and catch a few waves at cocoa, and melbourne beaches. It's much easier to boogie board than surf (from my very limited experience) cause you don't have to try to stand up once you've caught a wave. BTW, my personal fav. is cocoa beach.

Titusville and Kennedy space center are about 20 min from Cocoa beach. You can go to the space museam there and book tours of Kennedy from there. I think you have to call ahead (as in call now if you're interested) if you want to watch a launch. If you have a choice, night launches are better to watch than day time launches.

I'm sure there are lots of things to do in Orlando and on the Gulf coast, I just don't know what they are so someone else can tell you all about them.

The space coast area of Florida is my favorite part of the state. I used to spend a lot of time in Melbourne at a friends place on weekends when I was stationed in Jacksonville.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Savij
I think you have to call ahead (as in call now if you're interested) if you want to watch a launch. If you have a choice, night launches are better to watch than day time launches.

Do they have info on the dates of their launches on their website? I actually would like to see one in person, and think it would be a great experience. I'll definitely look into this if there is a launch date between May 22 - May 27.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: Savij
I think you have to call ahead (as in call now if you're interested) if you want to watch a launch. If you have a choice, night launches are better to watch than day time launches.

Do they have info on the dates of their launches on their website? I actually would like to see one in person, and think it would be a great experience. I'll definitely look into this if there is a launch date between May 22 - May 27.

Obviously no shuttle launche but if launch is delayed you may be able to catch the Messenger launch which is scheduled for May 11 but has 12 day launch window. I doubt it will be delayed though and nothing else is scheduled around your times. The tours are still great though.