Off property: Best non-WDW experiences while at WDW

[WorldNoFace]

Some of my favorite moments while on a Disney vacation actually happen off of Disney property. Since we're never in Florida except to go to Disney, we kind of associate the whole surrounding area with WDW. I'd like to hear about some of your favorite stuff to do around the area while at Disney - places to eat, shop, things to do, etc. I'll start with some of mine!

- Miller's Ale House (restaurant): Very close by and conveniently located next to a lot of other cool and useful places, this is my family's favorite place to eat in Orlando. When you want big portions for very un-Disney-like prices ;-) this is the place to go. Our favorite is "The Big Red" buffalo chicken sandwich. Plus, it's also down the road from a Walgreens so if you go here, that'd be a great time to stop by for a store run on the way back and save yourself from Disney-priced sun block, bottled water, etc. 2371 Winter Garden Vineland Rd., Orlando, FL 32836

- Old Town (Outdoor shopping/entertainment area): It's not easy to define just what it is, but Old Town makes for a great night out for adults or families. With a mix of bars, restaurants, unique shops (my kids especially like the "rock" shop that specializes in stones like quartz, etc.), a tattoo parlor, and a small amusement park. If you're a thrill-seeker, you might try out the famous Sling-Shot ride. 5770 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, FL 34746

- Sweet Tomatoes: This buffet-style eatery is what you need for that day you need something on the lighter side. With endless possibilities to make your own salad, plus plenty of other, less-light options like pizza, pasts etc. as well, not to mention a dessert bar - there's something for everyone here, and it's a lot of fun with kids who love DIY plate-making. 12561 S Apopka Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32836 - Crossroads

So, what are some of your favorite off-property places?

 

[DespinaVictoria]

Buca di Beppo is a great Italian restaurant in Orlando. It's so yummy.
Also you can't go wrong with the outlets or mini golf nearby

 

[WorldNoFace]

Buca di Beppo is a great Italian restaurant in Orlando. It's so yummy.
Also you can't go wrong with the outlets or mini golf nearby

I just looked it up. Is the one you're talking about in "The Florida Mall"?

 

[DespinaVictoria]

I just looked it up. Is the one you're talking about in "The Florida Mall"?

Yes

 

[baldy6060]

I'm curious to see the responses. We are planning a non-park trip for this October and we are looking for things to do off-property. We always hit the outlets. We used to love Theme Park Connection but they decided to go online only just days before our last trip.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

We have enjoyed Pirate Cove mini golf and the Medieval Times dinner show. For off-site dining we like Miller's Ale House and Chuys Mexican.

 

[Klayfish]

Some of my favorite moments while on a Disney vacation actually happen off of Disney property. Since we're never in Florida except to go to Disney, we kind of associate the whole surrounding area with WDW.

Yes, this, absolutely. While I understand the concept of the "WDW bubble" thing, I don't buy into it. Like you said, we only go to Florida for Disney, so for us the entire central Florida area is our "bubble". It's all vacation, all new and different places from home, just bigger than WDW property alone.

Daytona Beach - we love it. It's only 70 minutes away, you can literally park on the beach and have a great time. At least once each summer trip, we'll drive to Daytona, spend from about 10-3 on the beach, head back to the condo, shower/clean up and then go spend a few hours in a park that evening.

There is a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins on Rt. 435 (S Apopka Vineland Rd) just outside of Disney Springs. There is also a Bargain World gift shop attached to it. Every single trip, we go there a few times to get ice cream and/or coffee and then the kids love to browse the gift shop for Disney pins.

There's an Ichiban Chinese buffet on Rt. 192, right near Rt. 535. Not fancy at all, but we just have good family fun.

We go to Florida specifically for WDW, but that's one of the things we love most about staying offsite and having our car. We can do so much more than just things on property.

 

[MamaLema]

Mini golf (not Disney)

Go karting

Old Town

Mall shopping (we’re from Canada and last time we bought so much we couldn’t see out of our right window)

Gatorland ( loved the relaxing vibe)

Cocoa beach

Tibet Butler Nature Preserve ( not in summer though)

 

[Klayfish]

Mini golf (not Disney)

Go karting

Old Town

Mall shopping (we’re from Canada and last time we bought so much we couldn’t see out of our right window)

Gatorland ( loved the relaxing vibe)

Cocoa beach

Tibet Butler Nature Preserve ( not in summer though)

Where do you go go karting? I know there's a K1 Speed not too far away, but is there anything else?

 

[JaxDad]

Apart from the theme parks, these are some of the things we have enjoyed over the years in the Orlando area (so not including the beach, KSC, etc):

• Disney Springs
• City Walk
• Medieval Times
• Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Show
• Wonderworks/Outta Control Comedy Magic Show
• Escape Game
• Wekiva Springs State Park
• Gatorland
• Mini-Golf
• Airboat Ride
• Orlando Magic Game
• Orlando City Soccer Game
• Outlets
• As far as restaurants, we like several in the resorts, Disney Springs, and City Walk, plus off-site Tropifongo, MoonFish, Hawkers, some Vietnamese restaurants on the northside, the Brazilian steakhouses, plus of course the occasional pizza, Chick-fil-A, and other chains.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Rosie’s BBQ on 192

 

[BadgerGirl84]

We go to Chuy's Tex Mex at least twice on each trip. We get there early enough for happy hour so we get nacho toppings free for the kids and my husband and I get house margaritas for cheap. The food is excellent and fast. We don't have a location in our state so it's a treat for us. There's often a balloon artist roaming the tables.

We also enjoy Chik Fil A, as our local one is about 40 minutes away so we don't go often.

Both locations that we go to are on 192 near Animal Kingdom.

Miller's Ale House, that was already mentioned, is another favorite. Zingers, Osso Buco and the ice cream cake are all awesome.

 

[Lynne G]

Touring an orange grove. My adult kids still talk about going back to it. Sometimes Groupon has a coupon for them. Can't remember the name, but less than an hour drive from Disney. And, you get to throw oranges at cows! The cows eat them, and seeing orange juice come out of their mouths was funny. We had a great guide. And there's a small store, with fresh orange slushees. They are not cheap, but very tasty, and rich.

 

[MamaLema]

Where do you go go karting? I know there's a K1 Speed not too far away, but is there anything else?

Kissimmee Go Karts

Our last trip our boys made us promise we would go every trip

 

[mrsclark]

We really enjoyed Kennedy Space Center.

We also really like Giordano's Pizza - we don't have one anywhere close to us at home, so that is a nice treat.

 

[leebee]

Kennedy Space Center
Harry Potter- we have only done the Hogwarts/Hogsmeade side (that was the only part that existed when we went)
Touring an orange grove
Staying in a pool home

 

[Poohforyou]

Winter Park is a wonderful town to go to. Rollins College is there and often have all kinds of performances. Lots of cute shops and restaurants.

We've also been to the Science Center which was a lot of fun.

 

[NotUrsula]

More in Winter Park: the Morse Museum, one of the largest collections of stained glass art in the world. There is also a nice boat tour through the chain of lakes that lets you sneak peeks at the pre-war mansions along the lakes.

http://www.morsemuseum.org/
http://www.scenicboattours.com/

 

[Planogirl]

Universal of course.

We also enjoy the Pirates mini-golf places and Bok Tower was a nice break. I keep meaning to check out the Titanic attraction but haven't made it yet.

 

[WorldNoFace]

Whoa, I love how this post took off with so many great ideas pitched in. I'm excited to try to get to some of these when we're there the week after next. Thank you all, and I'm sure others watching this post appreciate the input too!