3 perfect days Orlando

It might sound like heresy, but it's possible to visit Central Florida and never set foot in a theme park. That means a vacation with no lines, no crowds, and—best of all—no wallet-emptying price tag. Trust us though when we say you will still have plenty to keep you entertained.

What to do if you’re not hitting a themed land? Where should we start? Downtown Orlando has some of the region's prettiest lakes; you can explore them by paddle boarding, kayaking, or even taking a spin in a swan-shaped paddle boat (more on that later). There are beautiful botanical gardens for strolling and nature preserves where you can spot alligators in their natural habitat. And if you prefer town to country, there are the tree-lined streets of both Winter Park and Winter Garden filled with fun shopping and great dining spots. Orlando also has multiple Michelin-starred options to check out, too.

With a little advance planning—including making a few restaurant reservations in advance—three days is plenty of time to explore everything the Orlando area has to offer. While you’re here, take the advice Tripadvisor readers have offered over the years. We’ve included their best tips for exploring Central Florida.

Some designers insist that less is more, but whoever decorated the White Wolf Café wasn't paying attention. There are so many Tiffany-style lamps hanging over the bar here that if you're not careful you'll almost certainly bump your head. Every inch of wall space, and a good portion of the ceiling, is covered with artwork. The result is a fun and funky place for breakfast. We dare you to pass up the "Hungry Like the Wolf" platter, which is pancakes or waffles, two eggs any style, hash browns, home fries, or grits, and ham, bacon, or sausage.

Heading east for two miles and you’ll arrive at the 50-acre Harry P. Leu Gardens, a favorite spot of many Tripadvisor readers. It's literally covered with flowers in late February and early March, when more than 50 varieties of azaleas in various shades of white, pink, and crimson are in full bloom. Regardless of the season, though, there’s always something blooming here, which is why you shouldn't be surprised if you catch a glimpse of a couple tying the knot (or at least taking some wedding photos).

Less than a mile east of Harry P. Leu Gardens is the Audubon Park neighborhood and East End Market, where there’s an array of permanent vendors ranging from jewelers to cheesemongers. If you need a little caffeine, stop by the streamlined Lineage Coffee Roasting, where Tripadvisor readers swear you'll get the "smoothest yet richest coffee you have ever had." If you love the beans, take home a pound or two. Then make your way down the hall to Gideon's Bakehouse, dressed up to resemble a Victorian library. There will likely be a wait for these nearly half-pound, chip-studded cookies in flavors like banana bread and coffee cake, but you won’t face the multi-hour waitlist and lines out the door of the much more crowded location in Disney Springs.

If you've worked up an appetite from exploring the gardens, you won't find a better place for satisfying ramen cravings than the award-winning Domu. Chef Sean "Sonny" Nguyen serves the classics alongside creative concoctions like the Tokyo Ramen, with fried chicken thighs, infused duck fat, and a seared soft-boiled egg. (If you’re not hungry yet, don’t worry, we have more options below.)

If you’re an animal lover, head about five miles north to the community of Maitland. There you'll find the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, where species like ospreys, falcons, and kites are rehabilitated and returned to the wild. Visit the facility on the shores of Lake Sybelia and get a close-up view of about 50 raptors—including several types of owls—that aren't able to be released. Seeing a bald eagle up close might be the highlight of your trip.

Just to the south of Maitland is Winter Park, one of the region's most inviting small towns. Park your car as soon as you can and take a walk around the fountains of Central Park and down tree-lined Park Avenue. You probably won't be able to resist popping into beautiful boutiques like Peterbrooke Chocolatier or The Ancient Olive, which specializes in artisanal vinegars and oils.

If you have time for just one museum while you’re in Orlando, make it Winter Park’s Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. This showplace has one of the world's most comprehensive collections of works by American artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany. (The same Tiffany known for the beautiful stained-glass lamps and other furnishings.) His chapel for the 1893 World's Exposition, now located here, is a stunner.

For a memorable meal, consider making a reservation ahead of your trip at the Michelin-starred Soseki. With a modern take on Japanese cuisine, Chef Michael Collantes and his tightly knit team create omakase meals for 10 lucky diners at a time. Dishes have whimsical names like Single Breasted Suit — that one's made with duck breast, persimmons, and pea shoots — but with serious attention to how the flavors blend.

Didn’t book days ahead? Duck into AVA MediterrAegean, right on South Park Avenue in Winter Park. Tripadvisor readers heartily agree it’s one of the region’s best, giving it a Travelers' Choice award. The creamy white walls and rattan furnishings make the dining room feel like the Greek Islands. It’s the perfect backdrop for the upscale Mediterranean fare, although you might have "truffle" deciding between top-notch dishes like the white truffle linguine or the black truffle risotto (there’s also platters of dips and excellent fish dishes here as well).

WINTER PARK AREA TOUR OPTIONS

Heading west of Orlando, you'll pass an endless string of chain eateries. You’re, however, headed to the House Blend Café, which is the complete opposite. The profits don't go to a conglomerate, they are funneled back into the community. (Turns out the sign above the door—"Eat good, do good"—is more than a slogan.) Just about everything on the menu is homemade, including the delectable baked goods.

The easiest wildlife viewing in Central Florida might just be at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. This 11-mile driving route, which leads along the Lake Apopka North Shore, is prime alligator-spotting territory. It's not unusual to see dozens of these fearsome-looking creatures sunning themselves by the sides of the road. Traffic slows to a crawl when someone stops to gawk at racoons or otters. This is a popular destination for birding, since it's home to species such as black-necked stilts, and both fulvous and black-bellied whistling ducks. There's a parking lot part of the way through, where you can walk to the lakefront and see herons and other birds. This is also an access point for the popular Lake Apopka Loop Trail.

Not many Florida communities have a walkable downtown, which is what makes Downtown Winter Garden so special. A tree-lined park runs down the center of West Orange Trail, the main drag. On either side are hometown shops and eateries like Urban on Plant. The Korean-style beef tacos, smothered in a sweet barbecue sauce, are a winner on the widely traveled menu, as is the Mediterranean flatbread topped with olives, mushrooms, and a sun-dried tomato pesto. If it's a cool afternoon, try for one of the handful of seats on the rail.

Duck into Winter Garden's Plant Street Market, a handsome brick building with plenty of postage stamp-sized stands where you can eat and drink. Even if you're full, stop by Sir Benji's for homemade donuts or Paleteria for handcrafted popsicles (trust us and order the pineapple). It's a great perch for people-watching.

If you want to skip straight to drinks, Plant Street Market is the home of Crooked Can Brewing Company. The microbrewery's themed brews — including the Florida Sunshine lager and the Citrus Kicker IPA — are well worth including in a flight, as is the Cloud Chaser hefeweizen. If you stop by on a Sunday, make sure to take a tour of the brewing facilities, too.

Ranked by Tripadvisor readers as the top restaurant in Winter Garden, Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine is perhaps the best place in Central Florida to sample authentic Middle Eastern fare. You won't regret ordering the flavorful lamb shank, braised for five hours and so tender it falls off the bone. The dining room is a work of art, with hammered copper accents and colorful lamps.

Check to see if anything's playing at the Garden Theater, built in 1935 when "talkies" were all the rage. It still hosts movies, along with musicals and concerts. The interior is mind-blowing: It resembles a Mediterranean courtyard, with matching Romeo and Juliet balconies across the aisle. Day or night, a starry sky twinkles above.

WINTER GARDEN AREA TOUR OPTIONS

Fuel up for the busy day ahead at Benjamin French Bakery & Café, a longtime favorite in Downtown Orlando's Thornton Park neighborhood. On one of the area's bumpy but beautiful brick-lined streets, it's the place to go for an early morning pour-over and a pastry. If you're feeling energetic, get your coffee to-go and take a stroll past the beautifully restored bungalows of one of the city's most interesting neighborhoods.

Head to nearby Lake Eola Park, the centerpiece of Downtown Orlando. Join the locals on a mid-morning walk along the grassy shore, taking in some sculptures of birds taking flight along the way. You can even rent an adorable swan-shaped paddle boat and explore the water. The dock is on the west side of the lake.

A few blocks away is the Orange County Regional History Center, occupying a stately neoclassical courthouse dating from 1927. In three floors, it swiftly gets you up to speed on 12,000 years of Florida history. If you're interested in what Florida was like before it was colonized by the Spanish, or how the citrus industry changed the state's economy, this is the place for you. It even has a story to tell about Orlando's surprisingly raucous punk rock scene in the 1970s.

A pink neon sign that commands you to "TACO DIRTY TO ME" sets the tone at Tin and Taco, one of the most entertaining places to eat in Downtown Orlando. A few of the oddball ingredients—the tangy barbecue sauce on the "Barnyard," or the homemade ranch dressing on the "Buffalo Soldier"—definitely wouldn't be found in Mexico, but they somehow make sense here. Wash everything down with a craft beer or soda.

A bit farther away is the colorful district surrounding the intersection of Mills Avenue and State Road 50—better known these days simply as Mills 50. You’ll definitely want to hit many of the side streets around North Mills street, including Wilfred Drive, so that you can take in the large-scale murals painted across the sides of buildings. One of the best eateries in the neighborhood is Hawkers Asian Street Food, a continent-crossing culinary adventure where you can mix and match dishes including grilled shishito peppers from Japan, twice-fried chicken wings from Korea, and thin rice noodles with yellow curry from Singapore. China is well represented, especially with the five-spice duck fried rice. There’s another great mural on the umbrella-shaded patio.

If there's the usual afternoon downpour—or even if there's not a cloud in the sky—head to International Drive. This thoroughfare, beginning where Interstate 4 and Florida's Turnpike intersect, is a bargain shopper's paradise. The first stop for Tripadvisor readers is usually Orlando International Premium Outlets, which has scores of brand-name stores. Always popular is the Disney's Character Warehouse, where you can buy Disney merch without fighting the crowds (or paying the high prices) at the Magic Kingdom. There's often a crowd, and occasionally a line out the door.

Just beyond a second massive mall—this one called the Orlando Outlet Marketplace—is an Orlando favorite stop, Gods and Monsters. It's filled with comic books, graphic novels, and tons and tons of movie merch. If you need a superhero costume, this is the place to pick one up.

What you do next depends on whether you have kids in tow. With kids, consider Tripadvisor reader recommended Congo River Golf, a miniature golf course overlooking a pool of live alligators. Without, head to the Beer Spa, where you can soak in a thermal tub while you enjoy serve-yourself beer on tap.

Although many of them are quite good, the restaurants on and around International Drive don't attract a hometown crowd. If you're looking for where the locals hang out, we suggest heading back toward the center of the city. Take a detour to the hip-and-happening neighborhood of Lake Nona to Bacán, which has been winning awards for its Latin American cuisine. The dining room manages to be cavernous but also cozy, thanks to a row of banquettes that runs down the center. Start with charred octopus with smoked feta, then move on to the duck breast with black truffle sofrito. Or head back to Thornton Gardens for a meal at the award-winning SoCo. The name is a nod to the chef's focus on Southern Contemporary cuisine, so expect creative takes on classics like "The Other KFC," which is Korean-style fried cauliflower.

Downtown Orlando is also where locals go for a nightcap. A favorite is Hanson's Shoe Repair, a speakeasy where you need to know the password to enter. (Trust us, it's not hard to figure out.) The bartenders really know their stuff, and since there's room for maybe a dozen people you get their undivided attention.

DOWNTOWN ORLANDO AREA TOUR OPTIONS