Orlando, Florida is the most visited city in the United States. In 2010 it topped New York City and Las Vegas with over 52.5 million visitors! While it’s the undisputed theme park capital with the vast Walt Disney World resorts, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, as well as SeaWorld, Orlando attracts a huge number of business travelers, too. In fact, the Orange County Convention Center is the second-largest convention center in the nation. So if a business traveler isn’t interested in the aforementioned theme parks, what can they do in Orlando after the meetings are over? Well, with over 100 attractions in the greater Orlando area, it would take you 67 eight-hour days to visit every one of them, so it’s safe to say there’s something for nearly everyone. Here, in no particular order, are Travel Maestro’s top 25 things to do in Orlando besides theme parks.

Sights and Experiences

1. Be mesmerized by the breathtaking show La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil.
2. Visit a primeval wilderness at The Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve.
3. Play over 200 golf courses offering more than 668 mi/1,075 km of walking (or carting) from hole to hole.
4. Take a boat tour past the opulent estates and landmarks of historic Winter Park.
5. Experience high-speed thrills with a Richard Petty NASCAR Driving Experience.

Museums

1. Attend “First Thursdays” with special exhibits, live music and a cash bar at the world-class Orlando Museum of Art, considered one of the best art museums in the South.
2. View one of the world’s largest collections of work by Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. Travel Maestro tip: Free 30-minute curatorial tours of the Tiffany Wing are available Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 2:30 pm.
3. Participate in interactive exhibits at the Orange County Regional History Center and Heritage Square.
4. Enjoy an afternoon break in the lakeside sculpture garden of the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art.
5. View millions of stars in the domed planetarium and Florida’s largest public refracting telescope at the Orlando Science Center.

Night Life

1. Stop in lively Universal’s CityWalk for 30 acres of music, drinks and dancing. Travel Maestro tip: Free parking after 10 pm.
2. Visit the stand-alone Pointe Orlando entertainment and shopping complex near International Drive.
3. Chill out in the world’s largest permanent Ice Bar, just two blocks north of the convention center.
4. Take in one of the many acclaimed performance art offerings along the “Cultural Corridor.”
5. Enjoy upscale alfresco dining in Winter Park and Winter Park Village.

Shopping and Walks

1. Shop your way along the upscale boutiques of Park Avenue in Winter Park.
2. Browse with locals looking for fresh produce, arts and crafts at the Sunday Eola Market.
3. Take a leisurely 1-mile walk around Lake Eola Park.
4. Meander amid the camellias at Harry P. Leu Gardens.
5. Stroll among the tree-lined walking paths and Spanish-style buildings of Rollins College.

Day Trips

1. Kennedy Space Center –  An exhibit-filled visitors complex with IMAX movies, interactive space-flight simulators, the Shuttle Launch Experience, Astronaut Hall of Fame and more. (50 miles east in the Cape Canaveral area)
2. Forever Florida – A 4,700-acre working cattle ranch in St. Cloud offering horseback riding and swamp-buggy tours. (52 miles south of downtown Orlando)
3. Daytona Beach – Travel to the birthplace of speed. (50 miles north and east of Orlando)
4. St. Augustine – The oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the U.S. (58 miles due north of Daytona Beach)
5. Mount Dora – For strolling, shopping, wining and dining, quaint Mount Dora in Lake County is worth the trip. (35-minute drive from downtown Orlando)

The Greater Orlando area offers a tremendous number of interesting activities beyond theme parks and mouse ears. Whether you’re traveling for business or vacation, be sure to build in some extra time for all the fun things to do in Orlando. Covington has several Orlando specialists on staff who will be happy to help you plan your trip – and plan you must, if you expect to fit it all in!