Things To Do in Orlando Besides Disney

Orlando is such a large city that has so many things to do, even though it may seem like Disney is always the first thing that comes to mind. So what is there to do?

1. Watersports

There are hundreds of lakes in Central Florida, and around 100 just in the city of Orlando itself. Even if you’re not a fan of jet skis and wakeboarding, there are celebrity boat tours on Lake Butler or you can rent glass bottom kayaks in Wekiwa Springs. If you’ve never seen a manatee before, or you want to experience nature, or you just like being outside, Central Florida has it all.

2. Golf

Florida is known as the golf capital of the world with over 1,400 golf courses, and this can even be found on our license plates! This includes both private and public options, depending on your budget. The private courses in Central Florida include Lake Nona Country Club, Isleworth, Tranquilo, Bay Hill (pictured below), and more. When it comes to public and more affordable courses to utilize, the Celebration Golf Club is in a great location and also offers golf lessons and food options.

3. Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

If you’re not into the outdoors and are more into the arts, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts offers many broadway shows and events. They offer year long subscriptions where you are guaranteed a seat at every show, or you can purchase per show. Some upcoming shows this year include Six, Hamilton, and Hadestown. 

In addition to this, there are also events that showcase art and design such as UCF Celebrates the Arts from April 5-16, a yearly event hosted including student work from graphic design and animation to stage combat demonstrations. If you like comedy or live music, there are also comedians and orchestras you can purchase tickets to see.

4. Other Entertainment

There are so many dinner shows and other entertainment options in Orlando, including Medieval Times or Wonderworks. Cirque Du Soleil also just recently began doing shows again, with a new show called Drawn to Life. No matter where you go, this city always has something to offer depending on what you’re looking for that day.

Medieval Times

Wonderworks

Cirque Du Soleil: Drawn to Life

5. Kennedy Space Center and Cruises

A lot of Orlando residents may not realize it, but we are only about an hour away from the Kennedy Space Center. This is where NASA is located and so many momentous shuttle launches have occurred. You can view all of their future launches and events here.

Also on the coast are where all of the cruise ships sailing out of Port Canaveral are located. If you ever have the urge to book a last minute cruise, there are always deals if you book just a few days before it sails. On the Royal Caribbean website for example, there are 4 day cruises for as low as $175-225 a person.

6. Food and Drinks

Another item on this list is of course all of the food and drinks spots around Orlando. There’s everything from bars and tacos, to coffee and quick bites. If you’re looking for the best coffee, Foxtail Coffee is definitely on the top of our list.

7. Sports

When it comes to sports, we’ve got the Orlando Magic that plays at the Amway Center almost every week. The Orlando Solar Bears is the local hockey team, and they also play at the Amway Center. Another big team in Orlando is the Orlando City men’s soccer team and the Orlando Pride women’s soccer team that play downtown. Lastly, we can’t forget our college sports teams including UCF Knights football that play over at the bounce house on the UCF campus.

If you don’t mind driving an hour or two down I-4, there’s also a few sports teams located in Tampa. This includes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Fields, and The Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.

8. Nature

Beyond just going out to your backyard or neighborhood pool, there are quite a few biking and hiking trails around Central Florida. The Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is one of these locations where you can camp or walk the reserve. This specific state park is also a designated dark sky park, known for its lack of light pollution. You can bring a telescope to look at the stars at night, but the sky is so dark that you may be able to see the Milky way with the naked eye.

Overall

Beyond all of these things to do in Orlando, we of course have many theme parks including Disney, Universal, Seaworld, and Legoland. International Drive is also a popular spot for food, drinks, and entertainment for local tourists. The great thing about Orlando is that it is constantly growing and changing, so there is always something new to try.

Have you done anything we’ve talked about on this list? What’s your favorite thing to do in Orlando?