Best Orlando Spots Beyond the Theme Parks

For visitors who need a day off from the theme parks, and locals hosting guests, this guide points to the Orlando that residents enjoy. It covers Loch Haven Park, Winter Park, the Orange Blossom Trail on the city's south side and Sanford. Harry P. Leu Gardens spreads over 50 acres of themed gardens, with butterflies and outdoor sculptures along easy paths. In Winter Park, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art holds Louis Comfort Tiffany's leaded-glass windows and lamps, and a walk down Park Avenue fits in afterward. Gatorland fills 110 acres with alligators, crocodiles, live shows and ziplines over the gator pools. Up in Sanford, the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens offers a shaded, walkable animal day.

On a rainy or scorching afternoon, the Orlando Science Center's four floors of hands-on exhibits make an easy family pick, with the Orlando Museum of Art steps away.