I'll be leaving to Orlando with the S/O in August and wanted to check with some of the local guys on some of the things to do around the area.

I definitely want to check out a nice beach around the area. Plan on spending a couple days at Disney/Universal Studios, so I'll have a good 3-4 days to do whatever.

This isn't the first time over there for me, but want to make it memorable experience for the S/O.

Any suggestions would be appreciated:

Attractions
Restaurants
Clubs/Bars
Nice beaches around the area
Etc..

I'll have a car, but probably don't want to travel any further than 100-150 miles from Orlando. Thanks fellas!

 

I don't know a whole lot about Orlando since I just moved here in January myself. But if you want a good club experience, you'll have to go downtown Fri or Sat. night. Things don't start until around 10:30-11pm and only last til about 2-3am. I've been to Mako's, Antigua, Bliss, Club 21 & The Dragon Room. There are actually alot of others too, but you can bar/club hop if you'd like. They're all in the same area pretty much. Usually there isn't a cover to most places before 11pm, but if there is, it's anywhere from $5 to $15 at most. There are parking garages in the area that charge anywhere from $5 - $20. Hope this helps.

 

There's Blue Man Group at Universal and Cirque De Solie at Downtown Disney.

For beaches, I'd recommend Clearwater Beach which is 120 miles away...but it's 10x's better than the Cocoa/Daytona beaches that are within 45 minutes of Orlando.

For bars, there's downtown Orlando, a.k.a. Church St., for the bar environment. If you want something more upscale, I can recommend a few places.

And for restaurants, whatever you can imagine, Orlando has. Chilis, Red Lobster, Oive Garden, etc. Hahaha, I'm totally kidding. Texas de Brazil is a great place for meat. All you can eat is like $50. Christini's is one of the best Italian restaurants at around $200/couple. There are plenty of good seafood places for around $100-150/couples.

You can always do drinking around the world at Epcot, which will run to about $100/person.

 

My suggestions:

* Attractions (all in Orlando) = CityWalk (plentiful of restaurants/bars/clubs/people to be seen, all rolled up in one spot), Universal Studios / Islands of Adventure, Seaworld, any of the 4 Disney theme parks (Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom), Old Town (located on hwy 192 in Kissimmee), Wet n' Wild
* Restaurants = Orlando has a wide selection of eateries varied by cuisine and atmosphere, so it would help out if you state what your specific tastes are.
* Beaches = Clearwater (2 hr drive from Orlando, lightest colored and probably cleanest beach sand you'll find, water is amazing but you'll have to pay a premium for beachside parking unless you choose to feed the parking meters on the street), Daytona Beach (1 hr drive from Orlando, for a small price you can park your car right on the beach), Cocoa Beach (1 hr drive from Orlando, lots of surfers there, and the Ron Jon surf shop is a must-see even if you're not a surfer).

 

I'd recommend Park Avenue in Winter Park. Lots of shops and nice restaurants (my favorite is Park Plaza Gardens), and The Wine Room (also on Park Ave) is awesome. One of my favorite places for sure.

 

I have to +1 everyone on suggesting Clearwater. I'm from the Cocoa Beach area, and although it's a cool place to hang out, it's not really tourist material. It's truly a locals kinda beach.

If you go to "Restaurant Row" you'll find tons of nice places. This is just west of I-4 on Sand Lake. Dr. Phillips area. Personally, I would suggest Bergamos. It's in Festival Bay (crappy mall) at the north end of International Drive. But they have professional singers doing everything from opera to Broadway. Really cool place.

Also, I would suggest Church Street or Downtown in general. Don't go to Downtown Disney or Universal City Walk unless you want a touristy feel to your club experience. But they have big movie theaters, decent restaurants and shops, and the shows.

If you have time/money, I would definitely suggest doing Discovery Cove. It's kinda like the private theme park for Seaworld. You do up close and personal interaction with dolphins and stuff. Life changing experience. But it's pricey.

Oh and lastly, +100 on Veronica's suggestion of Park Avenue in Winter Park. For my birthday on Tuesday, my girlfriend took me to the Wine Room. That place is cool as hell!

 

city walk !

 

Awesome, appreciate the input from everyone. Keep them coming!

 

Heck yes Discovery Cove is great if you have the money. You get to ride on dolphins and take pictures kissing them (but that's me being a total girl - I love that kind of stuff).

And thanks, I give good advice sometimes That's awesome she took you to Wine Room for your bday. That place is awesome.

 

hey man...just hit me up..i live out west near the beach..actually, my place is 10 mins from the beach if u need more info..how many ppl are you going/coming with? just hit me up on AIM: mixedazn3