Orlando Beyond the Theme Parks

21/05/2025

EYE-CATCHING GIFT SHOPS.
Kissimmee is home to a plethora of souvenir shops. If you can’t find a theme park inspired gift along U.S. 192, then you really aren’t trying very hard.

Some of these shops have truly outlandish exteriors, presumably to distinguish themselves from the countless others vying for the tourist dollar. Here are two of the creative exteriors. The Mermaid shop actually carries some decent quality, moderately-priced Florida-branded apparel.

24/04/2025

SIMPLY STUNNING! Hard to believe, but the world’s largest collection of Tiffany glass exists in Central Florida. Just 30 miles from Disney, the town of Winter Park is the home to The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which has paintings, sculpture and pottery as well as a comprehensive collection of Tiffany artifacts. The centerpiece is a chapel designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This exhibit is breathtaking!

24/04/2025

ALOHA! Just two miles from Disney Springs, on S. Apopka Vineland Road, there’s a fun mini golf course tucked away from the roadside hotels, gift shops and fast food restaurants. Hawaiian Rumble Adventure Golf offers themed decor shops and two 18-hole courses that pose just enough of a challenge to be interesting. And it’s only two miles from Disney Springs! For more info, check out the website:

https://www.hawaiianrumblegolf.com/

01/11/2022

MINI GOLF MONDAY. Tucked away off Rte 192 in Kissimmee, just 7 miles from the Magic Kingdom, is Mighty Jungle Golf. This property offers two 18-hole courses decorated with jungle creatures and characterized by subtle sloping greens. For just $10 plus tax, you can play one side or $15 plus tax for all 36 holes, a significant discount over other Orlando area courses. If you are in Kissimmee, be sure to check it out.

12/07/2022

MINI GOLF MONDAY. Ahoy, mateys! Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf is a fun mini golf experience that is themed throughout, with a huge pirate ship as its centerpiece. There are two 18-hole courses (note: both require the ability to climb stairs). The property is located adjacent to ICON Park on International Drive. Click here for more information: https://www.piratescove.net

09/07/2022

AWE-INSPIRING GLASS ART. Imagine entering room after room filled with beautifully showcased creative glassworks by a range of artists, each with unique approaches to the craft. That’s what you will find at the Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg, about a 90-minute drive each way from the Magic Kingdom. It’s a perfect day trip, with lots of other fun things to explore in the area which we will report on here in the future. The Imagine Museum has two levels of glimmering treasures. Learn more here: https://www.imaginemuseum.com

13/06/2022

MINI GOLF MONDAY! Orlando has more than its fair share of mini golf courses, and you'll find some of them here on "mini golf" Mondays. Today, travel to the bygone days of 1950s sci-fi and horror films. Hollywood Drive-In Golf at the entrance to Universal’s CityWalk pays tribute to that period of moviemaking with its two innovatively designed 18-hole courses.

“The Haunting of Ghostly Greens” course is focused on ghosts and goblins while aliens rule the cosmos at “Invaders from Planet Putt.” The creative sets include a cemetery, a spider and its web, an enormous alien robot, the open mouth of a giant space worm and the basement lab of a haunted house. Both courses feature sound and light effects, the latter of which are best experienced after dark. The “Haunting” course, which is perfect for all ages and skill levels, is accessible to guests in wheelchairs, electric conveyance vehicles (ECVs) and strollers, while the “Invaders” course has some multi-level holes.

You'll find more information here: https://www.hollywooddriveingolf.com/

07/06/2022

ELEGANCE AND GRANDEUR! Take a day trip to beautiful Sarasota, just two hours from the Magic Kingdom, and visit The Ringling. This sprawling campus includes the opulent waterfront home that John Ringling (of the Ringling Brothers circus family) and his wife Mable) built around 1911 and made their winter residence. The property expanded over the years to include an art museum with 21 galleries of paintings, as well as a museum with circus artifacts and interactive exhibits. For ticket info and hours, visit https://www.ringling.org.

28/05/2022

OLD-FASHIONED FUN. Old Town is an 18-acre entertainment complex on Rte 192 in Kissimmee and is just a 15-minute drive from the Magic Kingdom. Parking is free, and the more than 70 rides, attractions, shops and restaurants are reasonably priced. Walk down the tree-lined promenade and experience a range of retail and food/drink offerings. There’s a carnival feel about Old Town that makes this property feel like a throwback to the past. Want more rides? Fun Spot America is right next door.

16/05/2022

RETRO GOLF. Mini golf is big in Orlando and the surrounding area. Most courses are outside. But what if it rains? Consider The Putting Edge, a very cool glow-in-the-dark mini golf experience unique for its bright Dayglo paint colors and psychedelic designs. Located at 5250 International Drive in the Dezerland Park entertainment complex, Putting Edge requires reservations. You can also sometimes find a deal on Groupon, so be sure to check that out. https://www.puttingedge.com/locations/orlando/

Do something Far From the Ordinary in Orlando. It's too hard to put into words! Whether you're looking for a date night, familh time or just haning with friends our glow-in-the-dark experience puts a new and exciting twist on the traditional game of mini golf. Weather Guraanteed!

08/04/2022

RED CARPET READY. Most of us will never star in a major motion picture, compete in pro sports, top the Billboard charts or become President of the United States. And none of us will ever develop superhuman powers on the scale of comic book heroes and heroines. However, you can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with approximately 80 of those overachievers at Madame Tussauds, a fun diversion to add to your Orlando itinerary. Madame Tussauds is located at 8387 International Drive within the Icon Park entertainment complex. Prices vary depending on if you are bundling attractions. Check the website for the deal that works best for you! https://bit.ly/3x9R0zt

22/02/2022

LOOKING FOR A WORLD-CLASS SALAD? Check out Gator’s Dockside in Windermere, which is about 15 minutes from the Magic Kingdom. The food at Disney is very good, but it is nearly impossible to find an entree salad other than a Caesar salad. And the patio at Gator’s Dockside is wonderful, too. Pictured here is the Summer Salad.