Lisa's Travels

Posts Tagged ‘Travel and leisure’

If you are taking your family to the Orlando vacation resorts, then be prepared for a busy time at the parks, although you can always take a break and visit one of the many other interesting attractions. Orlando city has a wide range of sights, places to eat with many of these available along International Drive where it is possible to park the car and take a stroll. Although it wasn’t always this full of attractions, it has been pulling in visitors for many years and its popularity does not seem to be diminishing.

As one of the most tourist centered cities in the world, Orlando a great deal to offer including large shopping malls, restaurants of every type, night clubs, bars and many specialist shops. An Orlando vacation has far more to offer than this short article can possibly hope to highlight so only a few of the more unusual attractions and places to see are brought to your attention.

If you are an animal lover then you must visit the Central Florida Zoological Park in Sanford which was opened to the public in’75 and houses a collection of over 400 hundred animals. The zoo has a charity status and is dedicated to the preservation of all exotic animals, including those that are only found in Florida.

Then there are the works of Louis Tiffany whose famous collection is housed here in the Morse Museum of American Art. The collection is the most comprehensive anywhere with Tiffany jewelry, art glass, ornaments, pottery, paintings and leaded glass.

Surprisingly, Orlando is not just about fun for the children because adults are very well catered for in this entertainment town full of Orlando vacation resorts. For people that prefer the night, the list of things to do on an Orlando vacation is almost endless with families, teenagers and adults all well looked after.

The Orlando Science Center is another of the major attractions and its four-story center is the biggest of its kind in the Southeast; offering 10 exhibit halls that allow visitors everything from the Florida swamplands to the dry plains of Mars. Then there is the International Trolley and Train Museum where you can see toy trains from the’20s; plus take a ride in a California Victorian-style half open/half closed trolley car.

The Titanic – Ship of Dreams Exhibition can also be found along International Drive; this is a moving, often eerie depiction of the great Ocean Liner with a tour guide depicting a character from the ship with many original items on display. A quieter more relaxing time can be found within the grounds of Lake Eola Park where you can enjoy over forty three acres of wonderful parkland which includes a boating lake for the more energetic.

No trip to Orlando would be complete without a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort which comprises of four main theme parks plus water parks, or Universal Studios resort complex which is equally as popular. Everything you need for your vacation is in Orlando – a place that’s open all year round but if you want to escape huge crowds then avoid the holiday seasons, in particular Easter and Christmas, as the Orlando Vacation resorts are likely to be full, and the theme parks even fuller.

For interesting facts on orlando vacation resorts, keep up to the minute on what to do on vacation in orlando at the online travel guides.

The most difficult decision to make when planning a vacation to San Diego is determining what things to do. San Diego has an excellent array of fine and trendy restaurants covering a wide range of cuisines, world-class beaches and hotels from lavish to budget. This article lists six things to do in San Diego that you should not miss when visiting one of America’s finest vacation destinations.

1. The Gaslamp Quarter is San Diego’s vibrant dining, entertainment and shopping district. A walk through this eighteen-square-block in historic downtown San Diego takes you by modern restaurants and nightclubs inside turn of the century architectural buildings, complete with gas lamps and brick sidewalks. Explore avant-garde art galleries, historic theaters, unique boutiques and shops, more than a hundred restaurants, chic bars, hot nightclubs and a hardware store founded more than 100 years ago. One of San Diego’s best travel destinations, the Quarter is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and extends from Broadway to Harbor Drive, from Fourth to Sixth Avenue.

2. Get Culture And Fun: Take in an organ concerts at 2 p.m. any Sunday at the famous Spreckels Organ Pavilion in pastoral Balboa Park. The Organ Pavilion features one of world’s biggest outdoor pipe organs and has been a San Diego landmark since 1914. Here you can see organists from all over the globe play their traditional favorites and fun show tunes on the huge thirty-two-foot pipes. A fun time will be had by all.

3. Look at Jupiter’s moons through a telescope in Balboa Park as the San Diego Astronomy Association sets up many of their big telescopes by the fountain in front of the Reuben Fleet Science Center. Because there are several amateur astronomy groups and professional observatories in San Diego, this is a great opportunity for you to explore the cosmos. Held each month on the first Wednesday after dark, you’ll be able to see the rings of Saturn, the planet Neptune and the craters on the moon – and understand why San Diegans consider Balboa Park the Smithsonian of the West.

4. The San Diego Natural History Museum is where you will have fun combining education with knowledge. See the huge tree in the front yard? It’s a Moreton Bay fig tree that has been documented as one of the largest of this species in the state. Inside you’ll find a Foucault Pendulum that gives visual proof of Earth’s rotation. You can become mesmerized watching it swing back and forth, knocking over a circle of dominos with no force acting to make it change direction other than the turning of the Earth beneath it. Wow!

5. Explore the tide pools in LaJolla at low tide and see strange and unusual life forms. There’s lots to see if you look closely: scuttling hermit crabs, colorful sea anemones, real octopus, creepy dead man’s fingers and cavernous gaping barnacles. Many of these creatures shelter under rocks or bury themselves in the sand; some use their camouflage to hide in plain sight. Like a hidden puzzle, tide pools must be examined carefully to reveal their treasures. San Diego travel tip: look closely!

6. How can we not mention the beach? With over 65 miles of coastline, this best part of San Diego is absolutely free – and all the beaches are just perfect for trying your hand at surfing or boogie-boarding.

W. Terry Hunefeld decided to quit his job 2 years ago as a CEO to pursue his passion of exploring the oceans of the world to observe seabirds and mammals. Terry and his wife Ann Dunham own and operate the delightful Inn At Moonlight Beach Bed and Breakfast in the San Diego area. For more information visit: San Diego Bed and Breakfasts or Encinitas Hotels.