PMOTT3 wrote:Me and some buddies of mine are planning on making a trip to Orlando for spring break. It's the first week of April and yes catching some magic games will be a must. We plan on going to any 2 of these three games...
April 3rd: Memphis @ Orlando
April 6th: Detroit @ Orlando
April 8th: Miami @ Orlando
Any who, I was hoping I could get some feedback on some places that are an absolute must to visit during my time in Orlando? Restaurants? Bars? Outdoor activities? Clubs? Parks? Shops? Literally any suggestions will help. Thanks!
EDIT: Please dont mention Disney World. Me and my friends have better things to do than hold hands and ride rides with Mickey mouse.
What area will you be staying in? Assuming you'll have a rental car since you're referencing going to the beach. Breaking it down by area.
DowntownNightlife - Tons of bars and clubs, whatever suits your fancy you'll be able to find. Wall St is a good area to start. Personal favorites are The Lodge and Basement, both bars. Basement has a club above it called Attic (owned by the same people) and also a smaller bar that connects to Attic called Treehouse (very small but some good drinks). Just east of downtown is also an area known as Thorton Park. Someone else already mentioned the bar in the Arena.
Not much else to do downtown to be honest. There are a few restaurants but nothing to write home about.
If you decide to check out an Orlando City game on the 3rd, it's on Sunday and at night so there will probably be a pretty good tailgate taking place during the day.
International DriveSuper touristy area. A lot of traffic, make reservations if you plan on going to dinner around here.
Nightlife - Howl at the Moon is a dueling piano bar. Cooper's Hawk is nice if you're into wine (more of a restaurant than a bar though). Yard House is a pretty nice bar (have "Yardstick" beers), next door is Tin Roof where they have live music each night. Really fun place. It's also next to "The Eye". Personally I'd wager it's not worth it. It's like $20 to ride a giant ferris wheel. Might be worth it if you grab a groupon or something. There are honestly a ton of other bars and clubs to visit in that area.
Food - Avoid the chain restaurants like Bahama Breeze, TGI Fridays, Ale House, etc. A few places i'd recommend though: Cafe TuTu Tango, Hash House A Go Go (especially for breakfast), Texas de Brazil if you've never been (though technically I did say to stay away from chains, haha).
Millenia/Restaurant Row/Dr PhillipsBetween I-Drive and Downtown.
Blue Martini is a little bit more of a "mature" crowd, there's also a place called Rocco's Tacos that's pretty great. Especially if you're into tacos and tequila. Plenty of restaurants on the row to check out.
Things to do: Millenia Mall? Not much really. This area is mostly eating, drinking, and shopping.
Mills 50/Winter Park/College ParkJust north of downtown. Some really great food and some decent local bars.
Food - Pig Floyd's, Hawkers, 4 Rivers, The Coop, The Porch, Cask & Larder, The Ravenous Pig, Briarpatch (breakfast), Tako Cheena, RusTeak, Oblivion Taproom (a bit farther down 50/Colonial, but if you want good burgers/wings/beers this is the place to go for dinner), Santiago's Bodega is great for a Sunday brunch but if it's just guys than perhaps not.
Drinks - Hammered Lamb, The Porch, Wine Room, Fiddler's Green (great Irish pub), Brass Tap, Better Than Sex (haven't been but heard the desserts here are fantastic, plus wine I believe), Thirsty Topher, Imperial Wine & Bar is kind of cool, your tables are furniture that they actually sell during the day, Matador
Honestly if you're looking for "things to do" that don't involve drinking and food you're going to wind up at one of the theme parks, lol. Downtown Disney and Citywalk (Universal) all have some decent restaurants and bar scenes as well.