Resources for Non-Disney Touring
(in the Orlando area)
 "Orlando's
Other Theme Parks, What to do When You've Done Disney"
by Kelly Monaghan
I've actually created this page just because of this book. Kelly
Monaghan has done a very good job of describing the other things to do
in the Orlando (actually, Central Florida) area. There are several
books that "cross over" and cover Walt Disney World and Universal
and maybe another park or two, but this book covers just about every non-Disney
attraction in the area including Universal Studios (and Citywalk and Islands
of Adventure), SeaWorld, Cypress Gardens, Gatorland, Splendid China, Church
Street Station, the Kennedy Space Center, Busch Gardens, and the three
top water parks (Wet 'n' Wild, Water Mania, and Adventure Island).
Monaghan also includes information on the local dinner shows, zoos, gardens
and parks, museums, and spectator sports.
This book, along with Birnbaum's (which is still the best WDW guidebook
available) would be a strong one-two punch for the general purpose Central
Florida traveler.
Review Summary:
Trip Planning Helps: very minimal, but this is not this book's
purpose
Resorts Descriptions: none
Off Site Hotel Descriptions: none
Attractions Descriptions: excellent descriptions of the non-Disney
attractions - nothing on WDW
Restaurant Reviews: only covers the non-Disney ones...but the
information on the non-Disney dinner shows is extremely valuable
Minor Parks Reviews: nice work on the non-Disney minor parks
(Citywalk, Gatorland, Splendid China, Church Street Station and the
non-Disney water parks)
Non-Disney Information: tops, but that would be expected, right?
Overall: if a main focus of your trip is non-WDW, buy this book
The Intrepid Traveler
ISBM 1-887140-09-3
Copyright, 1998
$16.95 US
Florida Division of Tourism
Deb Wills, the author of Deb's (Unofficial) Walt Disney World Information
Guide (a link to that excellent Web site is provided on the Resource Net
page) e-mailed me with the following information, from the Tampa Tribune:
Visitors hoping to vacation in Florida this year can plan their trips
and save money with the help of several publications available from
the Florida Division of Tourism.
The Florida Vacation Guide is the standard source of information on
each of the state's seven vacation regions including attractions, national
parks, state parks and recreation areas and lists of community information
sources such as visitors bureaus and chambers of commerce.
Vacationers wanting to customize their itinerary should read the Florida
Calendar of Events and the new Florida Value Activities Guide. Both
can stretch a vacation budget while providing insight into community
cultural and ethnic festivals and celebrations, the state's diverse
environment and lesser known entertainment options.
The Florida Calendar of Events is a comprehensive list of community
activities, events and festivals. The Florida Value Activities Guide
is a statewide list of free and low-cost attractions and activities.
For a free copy of any of these guides, a Florida highway map or other
information, write to:
Florida Division of Tourism
Visitors Inquiry OPR
126 West Van Buren Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2000.
You'll find the following links valuable
as you look for More Information on Orlando's "Other" Attractions
Sea World Information
Guide - A new and extensive guide covering the four Sea World parks.
Also, here are a few links to some of the more popular central
Florida attractions:
Busch
Gardens (Tampa Bay, FL)
N.A.S.A.
/ Kennedy Space Center Launch Schedule
Seaworld
(Orlando, FL)
Spaceport
USA Site
Universal Studios Florida
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