ann m

Hello good folks on t'USA forum.

Am holidaying in Orlando in July, renting a vacation home just south of the city, with another family, and will have four teenage girls with us - and looking for a couple of ideas for days out.

We all visited in 2011 and did the whole tourist thing with the parks and dolphins and rides, etc, and we will return to a selected couple of those, but the focus will have shifted slightly since the kids were younger. Wondering where else is worth a couple of hours drive to visit? Head east or west for a beach? Dining? Shopping? The men want to do the Kennedy Space Center - I would have liked to head to the Everglades but it's too far and would necessitate a night or two there I think.

Some other ideas please? I suspect it's going to be so bloody hot we will dive from a pool to the first air-conditioned building we can find and wonder why we made the daft decision to go at this time ! (kids exam schedules actually).

Thank you.

scrubbedexpat099

Four teenage boys?

steveq

Sarasota, on the West, KSC on the East.

Depends too on what the girls are into (apart from boys...)

IMHO the Everglades are pretty, but unless you are a serious nature buff, there's nothing there but extreme wet flatness. The Everglades are essentially a river, 2" deep and 100 miles wide.

For a 5 or six hour journey south, you could be in the Keys for a couple of days ?

Noorah101

A day trip to St. Augustine!

Saint Augustine Day Trip from Orlando - Orlando | Viator

Rene

joto

Clearwater Beach or St Pete's Beach, just south of Tampa.

ann m

Ok, thanks guys, will look into all of those.

Except teenage boys. Got enough of those here, and the girls will no doubt be looking for those anyway, without my help. Was wondering if it was possible to leave the hormones at home?! � ����

Sheepdip

Second for Clearwater Beach - absolutely beautiful and a sunset over the water

Sue

I second St Augustine, it's a great place to visit, loved it when we went.

Personally I don't think Sarasota is a great place for teenage boys. We went there for five days when our son was around 15 and he hated it. He said it was too quiet for him. In the main it seems to be older couples and snowbirds that tend to go. However, saying that it does have lovely beaches. Siesta Key has been voted one of the best beaches in the world, I believe.

Another option, that is a little different, is an afternoon at Gatorland. I LOVE that place (although hubby thinks I'm mad ).

You might also enjoy a Bogey Creek Airboat ride.

Jerseygirl

Another vote for Clearwater Beach. The keys just south of there are nice too...south of that tends to be a little on the quiet side for me. Pity the Everglades, Ft Launderdale and Miami beach are too far for a day visit.

Pulaski

We loved it too. The castle is a rare example of something genuinely old (significantly pre-revolutionary war) in the US.

Hiro11

Note that Universal holds much more appeal for most teens than Disney. I took my teenagers there this year, they loved it. If you haven't been to Universal, it might be worth a go.

ann m

Agh, the humidity. I'm melting. Who lives here and how do you do it?

Universal, check.
Aquatica, check.
Mall, check.
Lots of food, check.

St Augustine soon, beach soon, Busch gardens soon.

No teenage boys located yet.

Sue

You get used to it. To be honest I found the humidity in Charlotte NC worse than this. At least here we do get some ocean breezes wafting across. It's very still today though. Not much of a breeze.

Stay hydrated and have a wonderful time!!!!!!

scrubbedexpat099

Humidity is not allowed in Colorado.

Lord PercyPercy

I try to stay in the AC at all times until November to be honest.

St. Augustine is absolutely beautiful and one of the few towns that has an individual feel about it. If you do take the trip towards Clearwater (Not an insignificant drive along an extremely boring stretch of I-4), I would try and get to Fort De Soto rather than Clearwater beach, if only to avoid the hellish traffic there.

Careful around Busch Gardens, it's not in a particularly nice area of Tampa, so if you go out of the park for whatever reason, don't leave any valuables in the car if you happen to leave it.