Any ideas??

Dwarful

Dwarful

Well-Known Member
Ok our Grand Gathering clan met on Easter and we are going June4-14th staying at Pop Century. However, not everyone is as WDW obsessed as my husband and I. Our gathering clan is looking at 5/6 days at the four Main Parks, one day at the ocean, one day the older kids and adults will head to a water park, the little ones (2 & 4) will go back to MK w/ grandma for a few hours on that day. So we need some ideas for non-theme park entertainment for the whole family. What have you done that you would highly recommend to others???

oops forgot to add that we have 4 guidebooks..passporter, WDW for kids/by kids, Birnbaums and the book by kim wright wiley. there are lots of things read good, but then even six flags can make their commercials look good...so thats why i am seeking expert advice here! ;) thanks again!
 
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TheDisneyGirl02

TheDisneyGirl02

New Member
You could always go see La Nuba. It's incredible!

Old Town is a nice place to visit off property as well as just driving down I-Drive. Just make sure to do it during the day! At night it's packed!


TheDisneyGirl02
 
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NemoRocks78

NemoRocks78

Seized
Visit some of the many outlet malls in the area. Check out Downtown Disney, or even try Old Town and a game of mini-golf. If you'd like to visit a non-Disney theme park, hit Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios Florida (get a 2-day, 2-park ticket, but you can use it in one day. IOA can be finished by 1-2 pm, and USF will have the new Revenge of the Mummy attraction open), or even Sea World. Even try the Kennedy Space Center if you want. There's just a ton of things to do in Orlando.
 
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lborne

lborne

Member
Just in general, the West coast beaches are a little nicer (in my opinion, I live on the East coast), and the waves much smaller, which makes it nicer for the little ones.

Take a walk around Celebration. You can shop, get lunch, ice cream, see a movie, and the non Disney fans will not feel like they are at a Disney themed area.

There is an incredible lake tour of some of the main lakes in Winter Park area of Orlando. Although, it is not what you think - being out on a boat in the middle of a lake. They take you down small tree canopy canals that link the lakes. It is really beautiful.
http://orlando.travelape.com/tours/winter-park-scenic-boat-tour/
We took a 5 and 1 year old and they liked it, and it does not last that long.

The winter park area also has some nice up scale shopping you can do after the tour.

If you're more adventourous, you can go north to Deltona and rent a pontoon boat to cruise along the St. Johns. You can stop at Blue Springs (in your boat) and go swimming along the way. We did this when our friends from the UK visited (they had 2 small children) and it was a nice break from the parks. I can ask my wife for more details, since I've forgotten them if this sounds interesting to you.
 
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CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
I don't think the kids will enjoy Kennedy - they're a bit too young. I would suggest going to DownTown Disney (shops, restaurants and a cinema) OR, why not visit SeaWorld (Yes, I know its a theme park) but it is a completely different type of park and just as enjoyable.
 
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BeachClubVillas

BeachClubVillas

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by CAPTAIN HOOK
I don't think the kids will enjoy Kennedy - they're a bit too young. I would suggest going to DownTown Disney (shops, restaurants and a cinema) OR, why not visit SeaWorld (Yes, I know its a theme park) but it is a completely different type of park and just as enjoyable.
Click to expand...

I'll totally second Sea World. It's a theme park but there's nothing else like it anywhere. It's very relaxing and entertaining, especially if the kids like animals. They can meet Shamu and, my favorite, feed the sea lions!!!
 
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epcot2004

epcot2004

Active Member
As others have said the Kennedy Space Center is excellent. We found it to be an exceptional value both for information and actual cost of admission. When we were down in March we drove out to Homasassa Springs State Park on the Gulf coast. They had many animal exibits including a rather in-depth talk about Manatees. It's kind of a long ride (1:45) for something that only takes about 4 hours to go thru but we thought it was great. If you are animal lovers like we are there are many boat tours etc. within a few hour drive. Even though Sea World is technically a theme park it is also a great place to spend the day. Celebration is a cute little town that has shopping and places to eat and is only a few minutes off property. The Cirque Du Soliel show "La Nouba is also wonderful as is the whole Downtown complex.:)
 
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ZHoyt

ZHoyt

New Member
Personally when I went to Kennedy as a kid I hated it. Sea World was much more entertaining to me. Downtown Disney is ok, but there isn't really much to do except look at merchandise which for me, i'm bombarded with enough at the parks. the only shop that i really like at downtown disney is basin, i thought it was cool. everything else is fairly run of the mill though in my opinion.

i recommend old town, there is a lot of fun things to do there at night when the parks shut down. Also, consider a night out at the Boardwalk, it's one of my favorite things to do on property.
 
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C

cloudboy

Well-Known Member
What ages are the kids? To be honest, the boat ride probably wouldn't be too interesting for kids over I would say about 10. Pretty dull to them. Having said that I thought it was really neat, and the adults will probably enjoy it unless they are action hounds. If you have teenagers in tow you might find Winter Park a god day trip - it's a nice walkable area with a lot of shops. It's a bit of a drive, but nice to see something not so commercialized.

Kennedy can be good if the kids are into Space, and if not they may not be so excited about it. Last time I was there, which was several years ago, it was pretty out of date. But then again now that I think about it it might make it more interesting!

The other thing I might do, if the kids are young enough not to get bored, is to hunt down some good local parks (not theme parks - actually natural area parks). I can't for the life of me remember where I found them, but look on the web. Many of them have nice boardwalks, and you may see some wildlife -- including alligators. Kids might love that.
 
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epcot2004

epcot2004

Active Member
I can honestly tell you that I can't remember how much La Nouba or the Space Center costs, it was several years ago that we did those attractions. I'm sure the appropriate websites have that info.:)
 
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Dwarful

Dwarful

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Well the kids in our group are 13 b, 10g, 8b, 8g,4g,2b. I must say that when we went to California a few years ago, the 13b, then 11, enjoyed the trip to Alcatraz and walking across the Golden Gate Bridge the most. So the Space Center might be a viable option. Grandma likes the sound of the boat ride so I'll need to get more info on that as well!
 
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Dwarful

Dwarful

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Also, a big thank you for all the wonderful ideas! Can't believe I forgot to add that. Also is it fairly easy to get from the disney area (pop century) to Old Town if we go that route?
 
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lborne

lborne

Member
Let me add 2 more cents. My suggestions on the boat rides was rooted in the fact that you might want to see a more natural Florida and that you may want to avoid large crowds.

Seaworld and NASA are great, but I know after a week I'm tired of all the crowds and just want some very different experience.

Good luck and don't forget the trip report when you get back.
 
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