Simon Calder's Orlando Report - Best For
Verzonden op
27.03.07
Shopping To give your credit card a hammering, stroll down the ten short blocks of Park Avenue in Winter Park between Fairbanks Avenue and Swoope Avenue. This is serious shopping territory, with no fewer than three chocolatiers and one store devoted to clothing for dogs. The best time to be in Winter Park, though, is between 7am and 1pm on a Saturday, when you will find a Farmers' Market at the corner of New York and New England Avenues. You can find antiques and interesting bric-a-brac in and around Ivanhoe Plaza at the 1800 block of Orange Avenue.
For lower prices and a wider selection of goods, take bus 39 many miles north to its terminus at Sanford Flea World - America's biggest covered flea market. Alternatively, if you are flying home from Sanford and not Orlando's main airport, you could check out the market on your way to check in.
Educational fun Anyone worried about the educational aspects of a trip to Orlando should head for the Orlando Science Center (www.osc.org) at 777 East Princeton Street. It is stuffed full of educational exhibits, all of which are presented on a vast scale. And just like the theme parks, it opens seven days a week. Orange County Regional History Center at 65 East Central Boulevard (www.thehistorycenter.org) is set in Orlando's old courthouse, an impressive, square-fronted building dating back to 1927. The restored Courtroom B is still in situ, all dark wood and leather; visitors can even sit at the judge's chair. The Holy Land Experience, at the corner of Vineland and Conroy Streets, is Orlando's strangest theme park - whose theme is fundamental Christianity (www.holylandexperience.com). This could be the kids' only chance to see a replica of Christ's tomb and a scale model of Jerusalem circa AD32.
Afternoon tea Yes, you read that right. At Everteas (001 407 420 6444) on Church Street, you can take afternoon tea on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 3pm - $18.95 buys the works, including your choice of 250 teas. In addition, there are bumper daily lunch specials for about $10.
Nightlife As an alternative to the uninspiring offerings on International Drive, check out lively dives such as One Eyed Jack's and The Loaded Hog on Orange Avenue. For something more sophisticated, head for Dexter's at 808 East Washington. It looks unpromising from the outside, but once inside you find a vast selection of wine.
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