10 Best Day Trips from TV

[Yorio]

There are so many things to do in TV so we may not need to go out but we may. So, where might we go? No. 1 definitely will be Disneyworld/Epcot but where else? 2. Mount Dora. 3. Restaurants in Park Ave., Winter Park. 4. ???
I'm already stuck.:undecided:

[l2ridehd]

There are few earlier threads on this if you do a search on Day trips. Some I recall are Homosassa Springs Animal park, Cedar Key, Butterfly Museum in Gainesville, Kennedy Space Center, Busch Gardens in Tampa, Several beaches, Coca Beach, Daytona and Clearwater, and many more.

[chuckinca]

Costco in Altamonte Springs!


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[k2at]

I would rethink Disney World. It is not what it is used to be and unless you plan on spending $1000 a day for a family of four, you might want to look for an alternative.

[Yorio]

Thanks for the info. Since we are not familiar with Florida much, always good to know where we could make a day trip. Since we are there we might as well explorer as much as we can.

[Mudder]

k2at, are you kidding??? Disney is always fun, especially in the late fall when there are not so many people there. You can do Disney quite nicely on a lot less money than you were talking about. Yes, the tickets are expensive, but you can do decent meals at reasonable prices. You can ride all around on the monorail to some of the hotels and eat in them or take a bus from the park to a hotel complex and eat in the cafeterias. Lots of options and alot of fun !

[villagegolfer]

Costco in Altamonte Springs!


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LOL We take that trip every 5 or 6 weeks to restock. Wifey likes to go to Home Goods just down the street from Costco's.

[Tom Hannon]

There are so many things to do in TV so we may not need to go out but we may. So, where might we go? No. 1 definitely will be Disneyworld/Epcot but where else? 2. Mount Dora. 3. Restaurants in Park Ave., Winter Park. 4. ???
I'm already stuck.:undecided:

I here Universal Studio's is also an interesting place to visit. Wife and I had intended to visit Mount Dora on our last visit but we ran out of time. If you don't get to Mount Dora by the time we get down in January, perhaps we can double date.

[marybb]

LOL We take that trip every 5 or 6 weeks to restock. Wifey likes to go to Home Goods just down the street from Costco's.

Just comeback from Home Goods and will be going to Costco's later this afternoon then on to Bahama Breeze for dinner, always a good time.

[Midge538]

If you enjoy water areas, Crystal River (1 Hour) can make for a fun day. Visit the natural springs, the beach and pier on the Gulf, the Indian mounds, Twin Rivers Marina, 'Dan's Clam Stand' for some seafood (it's a little on the edgy side and 'cash is preferred' but) the seafood is fresh and good.

[villagegolfer]

Just comeback from Home Goods and will be going to Costco's later this afternoon then on to Bahama Breeze for dinner, always a good time.

Which Home Goods did you go to? Is Bahama Breeze in Altamonte Springs? I need my Costo's fix!!!!!

[GoldenMan]

disney world is VERY expensive, and if you do go, i would definitely not go just for one day. it would be a waste pretty much. you won't be able to get the full experience that you would be paying for

[marybb]

Which Home Goods did you go to? Is Bahama Breeze in Altamonte Springs? I need my Costo's fix!!!!!
We went to the Home Goods in Altamonte Springs that is near Costco's. The Bahama Breeze is down the road a couple of miles, in front of the Altamonte Mall. It's our favorite restaurant when we're visiting our son in Apopka. (Try the Calypso Shrimp Linguine, we love it!)

[Bill-n-Brillo]

St. Augustine.....

St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota.....

Bill :)

[tainsley]

I would rethink Disney World. It is not what it is used to be and unless you plan on spending $1000 a day for a family of four, you might want to look for an alternative.

Have you looked into annual passes for residents? I have an annual pass every year and when I move to TV for good at the end of the year I will get a FL resident pass and save about $140.00. Well worth it and you can go any time you want!

[Trish Crocker]

Originally Posted by k2at
I would rethink Disney World. It is not what it is used to be and unless you plan on spending $1000 a day for a family of four, you might want to look for an alternative.

We love Disney, I have taken my kids there many, many times..this was our annual trip! I never spent that kind of money. Sure, the admission is not cheap but it is a full, fun day. You can spend as little or as much as you want for food, we used to do it on the cheap. When we move there, we will definitely be getting season passes. We're looking forward to dinner at various restaurants at Epcot.
Citywalk at Universal is fun too, and it's not really expensive.

[Yorio]

Tom. Sounds like a good idea. There are so many restaurants there. Wonder if some one familiar with Dora enlightens us with restaurant recommendation?:)

[momesu]

I too love Disney and after am settled will get a annual residents pass. Once cost of entrance to park is paid like it's been said you can spend as much or as little money as you want. We always did it on the cheap, but our family is not fussy and will share. When we got thirsty and want a drink we got one large and shared it between us. Then a couple of hours later when thirsty again we'd get another. Never did all 4 of us get a drink at the same time......also we ate breakfast in hotel room with items we brought like instant oatmeal and granola bars or yogurt and had one big meal late afternoon. When there's a will there's a way to save money. Oh we don't do ticky tacky souvenirs either. That's what really runs up the bill.........I can't wait to go back.

[l2ridehd]

Mt Dora I like Goblin Market and Pisces Rising. There is also a French Bistro just behind Pisces Rising that is decent. Cecile's or something like that.

[tainsley]

Originally Posted by k2at
I would rethink Disney World. It is not what it is used to be and unless you plan on spending $1000 a day for a family of four, you might want to look for an alternative.

We love Disney, I have taken my kids there many, many times..this was our annual trip! I never spent that kind of money. Sure, the admission is not cheap but it is a full, fun day. You can spend as little or as much as you want for food, we used to do it on the cheap. When we move there, we will definitely be getting season passes. We're looking forward to dinner at various restaurants at Epcot.
Citywalk at Universal is fun too, and it's not really expensive.

Have you been to the Intl Food and Wine Fest at Disney Trish? My favorite time to go to Disney. Excellent. :wine:

[laryb]

Tom. Sounds like a good idea. There are so many restaurants there. Wonder if some one familiar with Dora enlightens us with restaurant recommendation?:)

We go to the Garden Gate Tea Room for their rosemary chicken pie. Very quaint, in a old house that's beautifully decorated. They also serve high tea at 2:00 PM

[eweissenbach]

Blue Spring State park is a great day trip and on the way to the Atlantic coast for Cocoa Beach or New Smyrna Beach. Blue Spring is interesting any time of the year but especially when the Manatees gather there for the winter from mid-Nov to late March. http://www.floridastateparks.org/bluespring/

[courtyard]

There's supposed to be an interesting place to go to in Orlando called the "Holyland Experience". Their website describes it as a very large park with a biblical theme which has live dramatic shows, biblical artifact museum, exact replicas of Israeli holy sites with many restaurants and shops.

[KEVIN & JOSIE]

We went to Seaworld on our lifestyle visit in May 2011. It took about an hour to get there from the Villages and had a great time. If you do an internet search for discount admission coupons, you can purchase tickets online at a reduced price. We purchased the $29.00 food deal which includes all you can eat and drink while you enjoy the park. The food was excellent, and the drink refills all day was great too! The carrot cake was FABULOUS! I didn't eat just one. BURP! :icon_hungry::laugh:

[zcaveman]

Mt Dora I like Goblin Market and Pisces Rising. There is also a French Bistro just behind Pisces Rising that is decent. Cecile's or something like that.

I will second Goblin Market. Great food!!

[TednRobin]

Did anyone mention Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon? Great one day trip. We rented a canoe and spent the day paddling thru blue water and exploring the park. Just beautiful.

[SukiChu]

I ordered a book from Amazon - "Days Out in Central Florida from The Villages" by Gillian Birch. Inside it lists each destination, a description and what it offers, the full address (and GPS co-ordinates), easy to follow directions from The Villages, things to do, best times to visit, where to eat, and the cost. I found the book to be very imformative and interesting. It is well worth the cost.

[gary42651]

Disney at Christmas is wonderful...

[Schaumburger]

I here Universal Studio's is also an interesting place to visit. Wife and I had intended to visit Mount Dora on our last visit but we ran out of time. If you don't get to Mount Dora by the time we get down in January, perhaps we can double date.

Mount Dora...nice, quaint village. Definitely worth a day trip.

[Virtual Geezer]

Disney at Christmas is wonderful...

But very crowed. At times they close the place because the parking lots are full and they cannot handle any more cars. That is usually between Christmas and New Years.

VG

[tainsley]

[QUOTE=Virtual Geezer;389663]But very crowed. At times they close the place because the parking lots are full and they cannot handle any more cars. That is usually between Christmas and New Years.

VG[/QUOTE

I believe the parks will be fully decorated for Christmas the second week of November (at least that's what I was told when I made a reservation) so if you want to see the decorations you might want to consider Disney during November! Your right about the crowds the closer you get to Christmas!

[Virtual Geezer]

[/QUOTE

I believe the parks will be fully decorated for Christmas the second week of November (at least that's what I was told when I made a reservation) so if you want to see the decorations you might want to consider Disney during November! Your right about the crowds the closer you get to Christmas![/QUOTE]

I use to go the second week of December and it was great. Depending on what day of the week Christmas fell the time from the weekend before Christmas to New Years day was crowded and closings usually happened the week between.

VG

[zcaveman]

Just an FYI: During the non-snowbird months a lot of the stores and restaurants shut down on Tuesday. So if you are planning a visit to Mount Dora do it later in the week during the summer months.

[scrapple]

Tom. Sounds like a good idea. There are so many restaurants there. Wonder if some one familiar with Dora enlightens us with restaurant recommendation?:)

I've been to Mt Dora a few times now. It's a quaint little place with ritzy shops. Many were closed for the season but will be reopening next week. I've eaten at the Cuban restaurant and the Thai place that also has sushi. Both were absolutely excellent. We'll be going next week with the Brewer's Club to the brew pub and will investigate that.
Just past Mt Dora is the town of Yahala that has an incredible German bakery. I heard that they used to sell in TV many, many years ago, but it didn't go over well for some reason. I don't understand it. My weight and cholesterol goes up just looking at the baked good case. And they do awesome breads as well. There is a room off to the side that has about 4-6 tables and you can order sandwiches off a chalk-board menu. Both times I've had the cranberry walnut chicken and it's incredibly yummy!
Another fun place that we went to was north about halfway to Gainsville is Micanopy with it's real late 1800's buildings that sells mostly antiques. Also, close to there is where the author of The Yearling lived (sorry, I'm rushing out the door and don't have all my info) with a park that depicts what old Central Florida truly is.
We've been to Hermansosa twice to swim with the manatees. The NYD experience was the best. Tarpon Springs, Greektown, is a fun place to visit and another artery clogger if you're not careful! St Augustine's is a lot of fun.
Lots to do outside of the bubble! Enjoy!!

[Yorio]

Looks like lots of interesting places to visit. Good point about when to visit some of those places. I have jotted them down on my memo section of I-Pad for future reference. Thanks again:icon_wink: