What area should we stay for non-park portion of trip?

[CAPSLOCK]

We're 2 adults doing the Orlando Informer Meetup at Universal in Nov. We have two & a half days afterwards to branch out with some non-park stuff. We're looking at going to Blue Springs to kayak, would love to do an airboat ride, maybe an escape room, researching other fun things. Currently planning to rent a car for those days. We are staying onsite at Universal for the Meetup days, but what area would everyone recommend for the 2 nights afterwards?

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

You could stay in the same hotel and just drive to those places, unless you want to experience a different part of town? I’d recommend staying in downtown Orlando or Winter Park. Lake Eola in downtown Orlando is really lovely, there’s several hotels around there including a brand new Hilton Garden Inn and Home2 Suites. I’ve also heard really great things about The Delaney Hotel. There’s really quaint historic neighborhoods around there (Thornton Park, Eola Heights, Delaney Park, Mills50, etc) with great restaurants, bars, etc. Winter Park has the Alfond Inn, which is pricey but beautiful. Downtown Winter Park is gorgeous and very high end, lots of cute boutiques and restaurants. The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour is beautiful, it goes through different canals and you can see all the huge estates along the lakes.

 

[MrKnight]

I strongly agree with the pp, both Downtown Orlando and Winter Park are great areas if you are looking for a truly local experience away from tourist areas.. These areas are filled with beautiful parks, museums/art galleries, shops, restaurants, festivals, sporting events, etc. Here are a few recommendations in these areas, I hyperlinked the sites to each for easy access:

• Walk around Lake Eola / Thornton Park
• Leu Gardens
• Orange County Regional History Center
• Orlando Museum of Art
• Orlando Science Center
• Walk around Park Avenue / Winter Park Historic District
• Morse Museum
• Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (Broadway, orchestras, etc.)
• Amway Center (NBA Orlando Magic games, concerts, etc.)
• MLS: Orlando City

Lots of hotel options in these areas as well, Grand Bohemian, Embassy Suites, DoubleTree, etc.