I'm not interested in Disneyesque venues, so what else is there to do in the Orlando area?

Why are you thinking of going to Orlando if there's nothing drawing you there?

Is there a conference you have to attend? Have you won a free ticket, found a too-good-to-be-true cheap fare or nabbed a hotel room for next to nothing?

Unless there's a budget theme to your question (not apparent so far) I suggest you search through the dedicated Orlando forum for answers, and, if you still have any, ask any further questions there.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forum...prune=-1&f=466

I find the Sleuth murdrer mystery dinner show on International drive to be quite amusing., The foods not bad either and it includes all the beer, wine or soda you like as well as dessert.
Check your hotel lobby for coupon books which usually have a $5.00 off coupon.

Have fun
Jim

If you're coming to Orlando for a business purpose and have an extra day, Kennedy Space Center is very cool and about a 45 minute drive from MCO. If you're not into parks and are here when the weather is good, the water parks are lots of fun, even for adults. You don't say when you'll be here, but the Magic games are a blast and the Broadway series is bringing several good shows in between now and April. Lots of awesome golf if you're into that and the weather's great for it year round. If you're into baseball and are here during spring training, the Braves play at Wide World of Sports, which is an awesome venue on Disney property.

Why don't you tell us first what sort of activities you DO like to engage in? @:-)
We then can post suggestions within your field of interest.

Ex.: I can take the time to describe in great detail things that I like to do in Orlando. However, You are not going to like those.

Well, good suggestions already (and I didn't know there was an Orlando forum). It turns out that I got an amazing hotel deal (five nights for a hundred bucks) and flight (next to nothing), so I'm blasting out of New Jersey for a bit of sun. In fact, I'm at the airport right now. :-)

No real budget to speak of, but I don't spend foolishly (no yacht charters for me!). I've pretty eclectic interests, but golf is not one of them (so that rules out a LOT of activity, it seems!). I like the water so a park might be in order.

Thanks for the suggestions and feel free to suggest more!

(Time to board the flight)

The Magic play at home tonight, then not again until the 4th. If you're hoping for sun, it hasn't been out for a few days but it's been pretty mild, especially compared to where you're coming from. I assume you will have a car, so the closest beach is less than an hour away since you say you like the water. Braves aren't here yet. For me it's a little cool for the water parks, but you may find it just fine. House of Blues on Disney property has the Gospel Brunch on Sunday, which is an amazing time regardless of your religious disposition - lots of fun. Opa is a Greek restaurant on I-Drive where dancing on the tables is acceptable and encouraged. Let's see - that's about it for now. If you like the spa thing, the Ritz and the Canyon Ranch Spa at Gaylord Palms are excellent but pricey, of course. PM me if you have any questions about any of the above!

Forgot this - if you like to fish, you can sign up through the JW Marriott for a half or full day on the backwater creeks in Orlando. Again, pricey (I think about $400 for full day, but my husband loves doing this) but since you got such a great deal on the hotel, you can splurge!

I love Florida, but my one and only visit to MCO was pretty much wasted as I didn't care for it. It was a conference, so that was fine, but I rented a car and hightailed it to Miami Beach for the weekend when it was over

Oh, it's a lovely area, and I had a one day workday there last year, but other than going on an airboat ride I could not recommend anything.

Having said that, there seems to be nothing Budget Travel related about this thread except for the price of the hotel and the flight, but as those are no longer available I'm moving this thread to the abovementined Orlando forum.

Oh, and my first visit wasn't a total waste. The evening flight was oversold, everyone had hotel rooms booked, so the bump voucher ended up being $500

And a few months later (back when Travelocity used to do flight alert for Int'l destinations - ya, a while back), CO had a one day only fare sale to Rio - actually now methinks that it must have been a mistake fare of $538 a/i. That's right, after the voucher I paid a grand total of $38 for a r/t to GIG

Actually almost flew to Rio right after the conference, as the MCO-IAH-GIG fare was about $250 cheaper than IAH-GIG. If only we could still do hidden cities

EmailKid

I've always wondered what I'd do in Orlando (I don't drive) - your circumstances are pretty much the only ones that would drag me here. (I got a free flight to New York many years ago, but I was nervous for a while in case I'd be given a flight to Orlando instead.)

I suspected some specialist help was needed for your request. Hope you find plenty of ways to enjoy your break!

Our next trip is going to include a stop here:

www.skyventureorlando.com

If I could leap on as well if thats ok, anything else to suggest, I am in Orlando for 2 days in Feb from PHL, I have already decided on the space centre but need something for the other day, I like scenery, buildings, museums, nature, hate beaches, theme parks,shopping
why MCO?.. well BOS and MEM were too expensive

Downtown Orlando is an option. It's not the most exciting place you have ever been but if you head around Lake Eola it's a nice place to walk, and Thorton Park (just east of Lake Eola) is a nice quaint neighborhood. If that is your type of thing, then head up to Winter Park and walk around there. If you really want a low key thing, they have this small boat ride (uses a pontoon boat) that goes between a couple of lakes along these little canals.

Of course the theme parks are the big thing, but Orlando does have a number of smaller parks. And you didn't say why you didn't like the parks - Downtown Disney Marketplace is an interesting place - you've got a bit of the vacation vibe going there, quite a few people, but no admission, no rides. You can always see Cirque.

Not too much for museums in the area, but they have a small art museum and a science museum. You might also check out Leu gardens.

If your a fan of Tiffany glass, jewerly, ect. this museum would be a great choice.....

http://www.morsemuseum.org/home.htm

nearby in Winter Park.

great suggestions, I like Tiffany glass and a boat ride sounds good, a Gator tour and a trip to Daytona ans I should be all set