Venture out of Orlando

[lovetotraveltx]

We would like to sight see for a day, outside of Orlando. Would like to make a one day drive to St. Augustine. Would it be easier to go round trip from Polynesian for the day? Or, go after our Dream cruise docks, spend the day then drive back to WDW? Thank you!

 

[OKW Lover]

St. Augustine is about a 2-2.5 hour drive from the Poly. Biggest issue is dealing with I-4 construction between WDW and I-95. How long would you be spending in St. Augustine?

Personally, I'd do it after your Dream cruise. Straight shot up I-95 (about 2 hours) with no particular traffic/construction issues getting there.

 

[JimMIA]

Agree with OKW Lover. Also, to get from Port Canaveral to St. Augustine, you have to go around Kennedy Space Center -- making KSC a no-brainer for me.

In St Augustine, have lunch or dinner at Columbia (old-style Tampa Spanish/Cuban cuisine). Whatever else you order, get the legendary 1905 Salad -- tossed at your table and to die for!

There's a Columbia in Celebration as well, and it's an absolute must-do for us on ALL Orlando trips. We would skip MK before we'd skip Columbia!

 

[joelkfla]

Biggest issue is dealing with I-4 construction between WDW and I-95.

Most of the construction can be circumvented by taking 417 between WDW & Sanford, where it joins up with I-4 eastward. It's a longer route and has several dollars of tolls, but it can be faster at times.

Check Google Maps when departing to see which route is faster. Or you may want to take 417 even when it's slower, just to avoid the lane narrowing and zigzags. Even on 417, you may be dealing with slowdowns at certain times of the day.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Agree with OKW Lover. Also, to get from Port Canaveral to St. Augustine, you have to go around Kennedy Space Center -- making KSC a no-brainer for me.

In St Augustine, have lunch or dinner at Columbia (old-style Tampa Spanish/Cuban cuisine). Whatever else you order, get the legendary 1905 Salad -- tossed at your table and to die for!

There's a Columbia in Celebration as well, and it's an absolute must-do for us on ALL Orlando trips. We would skip MK before we'd skip Columbia!

Yes, my husband wants to eat there! Do you know of any good local seafood restaurants in the orlando/kissimmee/lake buena vista area?

 

[JimMIA]

Yes, my husband wants to eat there! Do you know of any good local seafood restaurants in the orlando/kissimmee/lake buena vista area?

I'm sounding like a broken record, but...Columbia in Celebration! If you can't hit the one in St. Augustine, definitely go to Celebration when at WDW. I usually get the Grouper Jimmy (duh!) but everything on the menu is great. (Added bonus in Celebration: Kilwin's ice cream is right around the corner.)

Also in Celebration, we've been to the Celebration Town Tavern which is supposed to be a transplanted South Boston place. I had a "Lobsta" roll and it was OK. "Chowda" was also OK. Not as good as I'm used to in the Boston/Cape area, but good.

We also tried Joe's Crab Shack in Kissimmee. Won't go back. It wasn't bad...just unremarkable and overpriced, IMHO. A little better than Red Lobster.

I can give you lots of suggestions in the Miami/Florida Keys area, but those are the places we have been in the WDW area.

 

[OKW Lover]

Also in Celebration, we've been to the Celebration Town Tavern which is supposed to be a transplanted South Boston place. I had a "Lobsta" roll and it was OK. "Chowda" was also OK. Not as good as I'm used to in the Boston/Cape area, but good.

Funny you should mention that. I'm originally from Plymouth MA and moved here to central FL about 4 years ago. We just ate at Town Tavern last night and it was the closest I found to what we had back in MA. Had the chowder and fish & chips.

 

[JimMIA]

Funny you should mention that. I'm originally from Plymouth MA and moved here to central FL about 4 years ago. We just ate at Town Tavern last night and it was the closest I found to what we had back in MA. Had the chowder and fish & chips.

I agree that Town Tavern was good, and we'll probably try it again.

Part of our problem was we sat outside with all the "cool" golfcart locals and their dogs (I love dogs) and listened to the worst musician I've heard in a millennium. Truly painful to listen to -- don't know who could have hired the guy.

The food wasn't bad; it was good. But it wasn't Union Oyster House lobstah or Land Ho Orleans chowdah! Yeah, we're spoiled!