We had such great feedback from our previous post 'Orlando for Grown-Ups Part 1' that we wanted to get part 2 up on the blog for you as soon as possible. So here it is! Welcome to Part 2 of 'Orlando for Grown-Ups' If you missed Part 1 you can catch it by clicking here
This time we wanted to look at some of the things that you might like to do and places you may enjoy visiting if you are in Orlando without the kids! Of course if you want to take the kids with you then I am sure they would enjoy a lot of these suggestions too! So, if you are looking to take some time away from the craziness of the parks then here are some more of our tried and tested suggestions!
Take an Airboat Ride at Boggy Creek
We had visited the Orlando area many times before we finally got around to taking the plunge and getting on an airboat in the swamps of Boggy Creek! We wondered what had taken us so long! We opted for the 1/2 hour airboat ride but there are various tours to choose from. The captain of our airboat was both funny and informative and helpfully pointed out various wildlife and birds as we sped through the swampy lake. We even got to see an alligator close up! It was great to be able to see all of the creatures in their natural habitat and having a guide give useful information about everything we were seeing was fantastic. At the end of the tour as we left the airboat we even got to pet a tiny alligator! The Boggy Creek Airboat Rides range from $26.95 per person and are highly recommended by us.
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| Airboat Rides at Boggy Creek and an alligator in hiding! |
Ride the Orlando Eye
This years newest attraction in the International Drive area was the Orlando Eye and we could not wait to give it a try! The Orlando Eye is basically the London Eye on a slightly smaller scale and with a totally different view! It is located right in the middle of International Drive and is 400 metres tall with amazing views of Downtown Orlando, all of the surrounding theme parks and even Cape Canaveral on a clear day! The capsules are all air conditioned making the eye a great place to go to escape from the Florida heat. We were lucky enough to have a capsule all to ourselves (we believe that they do try and do this where possible) and we got to see some fantastic sights while we were up so high. The tickets are sold in time slots and are available at the attraction gate but you can also pre book online where you will get a discount of 25% for booking in advance making the cost of an adult ticket $20. You can also combine the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and Sea Life Centre for just $39 if booking in advance. Well worth doing if you want to take advantage of our next recommendation!
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| The Orlando Eye on International Drive |
Photo's with the Stars at Madame Tussauds
We have to admit we have never been huge fans of the wax figure but our trip to Madame Tussards Orlando this past August changed our mind! Situated right next to the Orlando Eye the International Drive Madame Tussauds is a fun and interactive experience and does not involve any wax figures hidden away behind ropes! This has always been our gripe in the past. Static wax figures that are roped off and crowds of people shuffling by staring at them from afar! This venue was a totally new experience for us! We were able to fully interact with all of the wax figures from Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson and One Direction to President Obama and Tiger Woods! The whole place was filled with photo opportunites to take advantage of and have fun with. You can combine the Madame Tussauds ticket with the Orlando Eye and Sea Life Centre (also worth a visit) for $39 or if you want to make a stand alone trip the adult ticket is $20 if you book in advance.
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| Madame Tussauds |
Visit the Town of Celebration
Discovering the town of Celebration counts as one of the highlights of our 2012 holiday as once we found it we totally fell in love with it. Celebration, known to some as 'The Town That Disney Built' was developed in 1996 and was intended to make history as a town worthy of the Disney brand. Before you visit read up on the history of the town as it makes for very interesting reading! Celebration is thought to have been developed to extend Walt Disney's original vision of the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow or EPCOT as it is more commonly known. It is the perfect place to enjoy a leisurely stroll around the lake after a hearty breakfast at the Market Street Cafe and watch children having fun playing in the water fountation nearby. Celebration is definitely worth a visit even if you just drive through the town to take a look at the beautiful houses and imagine yourself living there! At night there are some lovely restaurants to choose from including, Celebration Town Tavern and Cafe D'Antonio.
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| Celebration, Florida |
Take a Stroll Along the Boardwalk
Our next recommendation, Disney's Boardwalk, is a quarter mile long promenade themed to resemble boardwalks in cities like Coney Island and Atlantic City USA. It is situated right next door to EPCOT Centre and many regular park visitors we have spoken to are not even aware that it exists! It is a charming and peaceful area to stroll through by day where you can enjoy an ice cream and a soda while you watch the world go by. At night it is more geared toward adult entertainment with an adults only duelling piano bar named Jellyrolls, Atlantic Dance Hall and ESPN Sports Club. There are also some great places to eat, in particular the very popular Flying Fish restaurant. We love to stop by the Boardwalk whenever we visit Orlando and one of our favourite things to do is grab a delicious ice cream sundae at Beaches and Cream Soda Shop before we head into Epcot.
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| Disney's Boardwalk |
One of our favourite places to eat at Disneyworld is Sanaa Restaurant. Situated at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village this excellent restaurant features African cooking with Indian flavors and we have enjoyed some delicious food here! What makes it even more special is the view. Out of the window is the famous Sunset Savannah and some seats give you an amazing view of animals such as gazelles, zebras and giraffes which roam the grounds. We love to start with the Indian Style Bread Service featuring a choice of 5 naan breads and accompaniments while we wait for the main course, 'Potjie Inspired' which is a choice of 2 main dishes served with rice. Delicious!
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| Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Villas and some of the delicious food on offer! |
Cocktails, Chips & Guacamole at La Cava del Tequila
Hidden away in a quiet corner of the Mexico Pavillion at Epcot Centre is La Cava del Tequila. Here they serve more than 200 types of authentic tequila alongside various cocktails and Mexican beers and wines. We enjoy visiting this lovely and relaxing venue to take a break from the sunshine and sip a cocktail or two. To make things even better they serve amazing guacamole with warm tortilla chips which keep on coming! The surroundings resemble the cellar of a hacienda and the ambience is warm and comfortable. It is the perfect place to settle for a relaxing hour or two away from the rest of the Epcot crowds.
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| La Cava del Tequila |
If you have any recommendations for us or our readers we would love for you to share them with us in the comments below!
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