Florida but not Disney

[Emmaheather]

Hoping to visit a relatively in Orlando in April with DC 14 and 16 yo for a couple of weeks. Not keen on Disney or big resorts/crowds. Ideally will have a bit of beach time and will spend a bit of time in Orlando. I don't really have a clue where to start or what to do as main motivation is family visit. (They have newly moved so don't know the area well yet either). I would really appreciate any suggestions or recommendations, from places to eat, things to do, places to stay. Thanks

Clearwater beach is lovely.
St Augustine is nice to visit if you don’t mind a 90 min drive from Orlando. You could always stay one night in a motel.

Re the parks. I know you aren’t keen but just wanted to say, whenever we’ve been in March they really haven’t been busy. We’ve always been able to walk straight on to any ride without queuing, although we’ve never been in April.
Universal is far better than Disney though.

The St Petersburg/Clearwater Beach area is lovely. Also the area between Vero Beach and Cape Canaveral, on the east coast.

Naples is nice, the sunset from the pier is beautiful. I loved the Everglades, air boat ride is highly recommended!

Avoid Miami, it’s a total dump. I felt very unsafe there.

Easter will be busy in the parks so you’re probably right to avoid, but a couple of days at Universal on the quietest days might be fun for the teens.

Otherwise it depends how far you want to travel. You can go out to Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island areas, maybe see manatees and maybe a rocket launch. You could go to the Tibet Butler preserve, quite close to Universal Studios, or Wekiwa or Blue Spring state parks to see wildlife. You can shop at one of the outlet malls or Mall of Millenia. You could go down to the Everglades for a couple of nights. What do you like to do usually?

With kids that age I’d do at day or two at the parks at least. Universal. Space Center. And pretty sure they’d love the water parks.
there is a vast choice of accomodation in the area.
Orlando itself is pretty dull IIRC. Few American cities have proper city centres.

Agree about Naples, it’s lovely. And as well as airboat rides I’d recommend the 10,000 islands boat tour from Everglades City.

Never been to Miami but driving South from the outskirts of Fort Lauderdale (and I will drive anywhere) was enough to put me off going closer!

Absolutely Universal for your short time in Orlando!

Where in Orlando will you be staying?

Anna Maria Island is absolutely stunning and Siesta Key is lovely, bit more going on

There is loads to do in Orlando outside the parks but I have to say the parks are brilliant, especially Universal at that age. The water parks are fun too

Another vote for Anna Maria Island - although it’s very pricey to stay there now. Maybe Bradenton which is nearby would be cheaper? Venice is lovely too on that Gulf Coast. Casperson beach for fossil hunting is a must. I found the Everglades a little over rated.

How far are you willing to drive from Orlando?

The Gulf coast is gorgeous with white sand/powder beaches. Sarasota, Anna Maria island and Siesta Key are really lovely. There's a lot to do in and around Sarasota - what do you think the kids would be interested in doing?

Happy to drive quite a bit and considering flying in/out of Tampa, depending on flight prices.
Not sure what the kids would enjoy - most outdoor activities would go down well I think.
What sort of things can you do around Sarasota and any suggestions for accommodation @LifesShortTalkFast ? Thanks!

Do your teens want to visit the parks? Seems a shame to be so close and not visit as they really are great fun for kids that age?
If not Disney then universal and Busch gardens. I can't see any other attractions/ activities coming anywhere close. I've been in August and October, never felt particularly busy as they are so big.

Tampa is one of the best airports I’ve ever used! Quick access to gulf coast resorts. Lots to do around there. It’s quite a straightforward easy journey to the Orlando area as well.

@ThePoshUns I think we would go to universal and the space center. I don't know what Busch gardens is but a few people have mentioned that. Good to know they haven't felt busy.

Busch Gardens is a theme park near Tampa. It has lots of big rollercoasters if that’s your children’s thing. Plus animal attractions. Like all the theme parks in Florida it can be busy but if you pick a quiet time you’re pretty much straight on the rides. We used to go almost every Easter holiday - depending on when the US schools have their spring breaks it often meant that you would have very quiet days as they’d all gone back to school. They have much shorter holidays than we do.

Discovery cove is fab. Not cheap but well worth the cost IMO. Your DCs are the perfect age if they like swimming.

Are your kids happy to skip Disney? Might at least 1 or 2 days not be good?

If you are going at Easter the parks will be busy for a few days around the holiday weekend, so best to avoid those days.

It's a lovely time of year to visit climate-wise but everything is expensive compared to costs in other, less touristy parts of US. Florida Keys in particular are eye watering in terms of prices.

Boggy Creek (Kissimmee) airboat rides are great. We saw alligators, sea snakes, bald and sea eagles on our trip. Everyone loved it.

The space centre was rather dull (we thought). Even daughter's geeky boyfriend was underwhelmed.

Agree, Miami isn't how you see it on the TV. But then I didn't like LA either 🤦🏻‍♀️

Also, weekly in Kissimmee, there are Old Town car shows. We stumbled across it and thoroughly enjoyed looking at the cars and chatting to some proud owners. Really worth seeing and it's FREE!!!!!