There is tons to do in Orlando! There is a place called Gatorland, which is a whole nature park centered around gators. They have a zipline also which I've heard is fun. There are also places to go on airboat rides and see swamp/marsh land (and sometimes gators!!!) similar to the Everglades east of Orlando There is also Wekiva Park where you can rent canoes and kayaks and hang out in the springs. All of these places would probably require a car but are less than an hour away from the Universal area and the South Florida Everglades are 4-5 hours away.

Enjoy your stay!

Here are the links:
http://www.gatorland.com/
http://www.airboatridesatmidway.com/
http://www.floridastateparks.org/wekiwasprings/

Posted Jul 06, 2012

Hi Michael,

If you're looking for something a little more "local", head to downtown Orlando. In the Thornton Park neighborhood along Washington St. and Summerlin Ave., there are several fun, local restaurants, as well as a frozen yogurt place and a few boutique stores (and a Starbucks and a 711!). This is also walking distance to Lake Eola Park, which has the beautiful namesake lake, surrounded by a walking path that includes monuments, artwork, other restaurants, playing fields, and a REALLY cool playground. There are also lots of swans and other birds at the lake that people like to feed, and there are even signs that tell you not to feed them bread, but lettuce and leafy stuff instead. A large fountain sits in the middle of the lake that lights up in different colors at night, and there's a great view of downtown's skyline from most sides of the lake. It's kind of the "centerpiece" of Orlando, so you'll see lots of different people exercising, walking dogs, strolling, people watching, etc. I don't know how old your daughter is, but you should find something good for any age here, and it's not really a "tourist" thing. Holly's suggestions are great, too! I just canoed at Wekiva Springs with a friend today. Whatever you end up doing, have fun!

Posted Jul 06, 2012

Michael,
If you go down to the Everglades, I highly recommend going to Ft Lauderdale. Depending on how old your child(ren) are, if 5 or less, google Funderdome. My son loved it there and he is 4. Enjoy the sun.

Posted Jul 05, 2012

Hallo Michael, Nice to hear you're coming over to Orlando. I live here (there) and am from Brugge originally. IMO the Everglades is way too ambitious from Orlando, both on the timescale and the distances involved. this should be a different trip altogether and involves a lot of planning and preparations. I get that question a lot about the Everglades and it is definetely not a spur of the moment destination. I would suggest the Wekiva springs canoe rental thing as the next best thing, you are literaly canoeing in the midst of aligators and those cute turtles, looks like a scene from Jurassic park, it is not far from Orlando and cheap to boot. they have recently added (or upgraded) the pull over area on the canoe trip where you can have food and drink. Mail me should you want any more info
Groetjes
Patrick

Posted Jul 08, 2012

Have you heard of groupon.com? I live in the Orlando area (they are throughout the US) and you can get discounts to lots of places for food and entertainment. I get their emails daily and there is usually something I'm interested in every few days. Enjoy!

Posted Jul 08, 2012

No advice on where to go, but Russell Banks has a wonderful piece about the Everglades called "Primal Dreams," available in a Conde Nast book called "Book of Unfogettable Journeys." Worth checking out, especially if you do visit.

Posted Jul 09, 2012