Hello Travelers!
Ready to pack your bags for another adventure? Don’t forget your swimsuit this time, we’re headed to Orlando, Florida. Nooo not everything is about Disney, as much as we love the parks we opted out this time around. We will discuss all the fun things happening around Orlando.
We wanted to make sure we were safe as possible when traveling so we decided to drive instead of fly. It’s about a 13 hour drive from Ohio, but with all the potty breaks it took us around 15 hours. Can I get an EEEK!
This will be our first time driving to Florida in several years. Listen up to our favorite road trip tips for driving during Covid-19.
- Waze, saved us from traffic, accidents and police.
- Rest Stops continuously cleaned throughout the day! These seemed much cleaner than the fast food and gas stations along the way
- Bring a cooler of water and snacks. Since we were traveling during this time we wanted to have as little contact with people as possible.
Now let’s get on to the good stuff, the stuff you guys came here for! The fun things happening in Orlando!
Crystal River:
Crystal River is located about an hour and 30 minutes from Orlando and definitely worth the drive! We booked our tour with Get Up and Go Kayaking and they did not disappoint. We reserved the 2 hour manatee kayaking tour with the clear kayaks. Our guide for the day was Jennifer and she did a great job spotting all of the manatees! During our tour we were able to see several manatees. Our favorite was when we saw a baby manatee and its mother. There are so many different manatee tours you can do, snorkeling, sightseeing from a boat, paddle boarding and of course kayaking. The reason we think kayaking was the best option was because we were in clear bottom kayaks. This gave us such a unique experience to be able to just look down and see everything. The water is crystal clear. Please keep in mind manatees are a protected species and you are not allowed to touch them. While kayaking, if you get close to the manatees you need to stop paddling and float to avoid harming them with your paddle. Once we spotted a manatee, we immediately stopped paddling, but the manatee still wanted to come visit. There was a very large manatee that swam over to our kayak and swam right underneath us. The manatee actually lifted our kayak a few inches as it swam under our kayak!
They offer a large variety of tours. We highly recommend booking with @getupandgocrystalriver
Be sure to give them a follow on Instagram to check out the daily manatee encounters!
Celebration:
Celebration is located about 20 minutes from Orlando. This cute waterfront town is located on Lake Rianhard with bakery’s, restaurants and shops along the perimeter. We stopped by Le Macaron to pick up some sweet treats to enjoy by the water. Let me first start by saying how delicious everything was! We couldn’t decide on one thing so we ordered the following:
Gelato, Macaron’s (birthday cake, vanilla and coconut) iced coffee and some yummy pastries!
Karley’s Favorite: Mango Gelato
Kelsey’s Favorite: Macarons “felt like she was teleported to France”
If you want a more low key vacation, they have great hotels located in celebration giving you more local vibes.
Beach Day
The closest beach from Orlando is Cocoa Beach. It’s about a 55 minute drive. You can also stop by the Kennedy Space Center while you are in the area. We decided to go to Melbourne Beach for the day it’s about 15 minutes south of Cocoa Beach.
You can purchase a day pass from the Hilton Beachfront Melbourne Resort. The day pass is only $10 per car. You will have access to the pool, beach, towels and bathroom! Melbourne is a small beach town with tons of beachfront properties. We ate lunch at Long Doggers, I personally recommend the Hawaiian Burger- pineapple, bacon, teriyaki sauce, and swiss cheese. This thing was HUGE, but I definitely had room for dessert. If you knew Karley personally you’d know she loves peanut butter ice-cream, so obviously we had to get some. If you love peanut butter ice-cream too, visit Del’s Freeze on the way back for the best soft serve around. This little joint is a spot in the road serving up huge portions. These were served in drink cups, so when you are ordering a small it will be around the size of a small drink at McDonald’s.
Orlando Food:
Disney does a great job of social distancing at their restaurants and reducing the capacity.
For breakfast one morning we visited the Kona Cafe at The Polynesian Resort. The servers at Kona Cafe were wearing face masks and face shields. Before entering the restaurant they took our temperature and did a great job of cleaning and making sure you felt safe!
All Disney reservations can be made through the My Disney Experience app. Kona Cafe is like a little slice of Hawaii! If you get the chance to go we recommend ordering the Macadamia Nut Pancakes and the Tonga Toast! The portions are very large and enough to share between 2 people.
If you are looking for something quick to eat while you are exploring Disney Springs be sure to stop by the Polite Pig for some great BBQ and D-Luxe Burger! If you are looking for a smaller portion the kids meal is a great option. After visiting Disney Springs we would recommend going early to maintain social distancing. They do take temperatures of everyone entering and have staff on duty making sure everyone is wearing their mask over their nose and mouth.
If you have a sweet tooth you must make the trip to Gideons Bakehouse! It’s about 20 minutes from Lake Buena Vista with no traffic. Let me tell you these cookies are on a different level! The cookies are rolled in chocolate chips and are large enough to split, but I don’t know why you would want to. Be sure to arrive early because they sell out everyday. We had to wait in line for about 10 minutes, but it was so worth the wait.
Rocco’s Tacos is located in Dr. Phillips about 15 from from Lake Buena Vista. They have happy hour 4pm-7pm daily at the bar. They have an outdoor bar where you can wait for your table and enjoy $5 margaritas. We sat on the patio outback on the water, it felt like a tropical oasis. If you haven’t been to Rocco’s Tacos, they are known for their guacamole made fresh at the table and adjusted to your personal taste preferences.
Shopping:
Orlando has some of the best shopping and outlets in the country. There are 2 different outlets in the area. The first outlet is located in Lake Buena Vista on Vineland Ave. This is the closest location to Disney Springs. The Premium Outlet on Vineland has some nicer upscale shops. They have Burberry, Gucci, Tory Burch and a lot more stores to choose from. The next outlet is located on International Drive about 15-20 depending on traffic from Lake Buena Vista. The Premium Outlet on International Drive has a Victoria Secret Outlet! When you walk in everything is on sale and the store is huge! We like to visit both outlets because they offer something a little different.
I hope all this information helps you plan your next adventure to Orlando! Please email us if you have any additional questions.
Until next time,
Adventurestine 🌎
ADVENTURESTINE 