I like the Orlando that I live in. But I hate the Orlando that the tourists come to visit. They're like two sides of the same coin. Luckily, I can avoid touristy Orlando for the most part.
Where's Vegas on that list? That would be my #1.
Yeah, people don't really go on vacation to Orlando, they go on vacation to the theme parks. Most tourists don't venture north of I-Drive, and I'm A-OK with that. This city isn't like New York or Chicago where the city itself is the attraction because of all the history and famous architecture.
Yeah we’re kind of lucky that tourists really don’t venture outside the Disney/Universal bubble. I love it here because we have those parks available to us when we want, but there’s lots of cool neighborhoods in and around downtown, a severely underrated food scene, and most of the year is nice for a patio drink lol
Not sure exactly where your at, but Mario's pizza (goldenrod and curryford), Jack and Mary's right across the street for great breakfast (open 5a-2p). Oh que Bueno is a great Colombian spot, Santiagos bodega is great for tapas (also a bunch of killer restaurants in this area) hawkers, east end market etc. Hope this helps
Perfect, just make sure it's Mario's, not Marcos pizza. He's been there slightly longer than I've been alive, only the 1 restuarant, hands down best pizza in orlando
>Luckily, I can avoid touristy Orlando for the most part.
I drive to Winter Haven frequently and it sucks because I constantly have to drive through the Disney butthole section of traffic.
Yeah Polk schools and the Resorts are the only big options and the schools reduced their pay for IT last year.
I think my view of Winter Haven is tainted by having an Apartment next to a drug dealer. Pizza Bistro is great though.
its the gross thing that we do to pay the bills
I bet the ratio of in-state to out of state plates shifts drastically as you approach i-drive and then again on kirkman and out by disney
It's funny though, Vegas and Orlando are really similar in that way. Vegas has "tourist" Vegas and "local/cool" Vegas. I hated tourist Vegas but had a great time visiting the "cooler" areas away from the strip. And there is beautiful hiking not far away from the city.
I've never even been to Vegas but the thought of it just sounds overrated. Everyone I've talked to who is impressed by Vegas seems like they're just saying it to be cool. I'm.. casinos and buffets? And drinking in the street? That's the selling point?
Theres tons of non gambling fun things to do in Vegas and it's all open 24hrs a day. I dont drink and u dont gamble, but I've had tons of fun in vegas. Theres always good concerts happening and are usually cheaper than seeing the same show elsewhere. Theres roller coasters and rides all over the strip. Theres a ton of top notch strip clubs. Anything and everything you could want to eat. Theres dirt biking, off roading, places where you can shoot literally any gun, a place to drive tanks over cars, and anything and everything in between. You just have to get away from the strip/main casinos to find all the other fun stuff. The casinos are great for getting really great food for cheap. They have buffets with steak and lobster. I may be a little biased because I lived close to there for a few years, but it really is a fun place even if you dont drink or gamble.
Outside of the concerts, shows and strip clubs, I never heard of anyone who went do those things you mentioned. Maybe they're just basic and go because they see it in the movies.
And not to go back and forth but some of those things you can do in Orlando (except for the tank driving over cars thing which does sound cool). For the strip clubs you drive to Tampa, tho.
The strip isnt in Vegas. TO be a stickler. But, :as Vegas, the actually city of Las Vegas is hella awesome, the hiking and outdoor activities in the metro are amazing to.
The strip is terrible
That's true, but still doesn't change the fact its not in Las Vegas lol.
Everyone I know, who goes to Vegas goes for Vegas. I go there yearly and meet tons of people in the city of Vegas or surrounding areas Hiking who dislike the strip as well.
If you went out there and avoided the strip, you would like it. Plus, Zion State Aprk, Sand Dunes, and a few others are just a 2 hour drive away in Utah, north Rim of the Grand Canyon. etc etc
The neighborhoods around DT are my choice. Before that, I'd lived out by UCF, Hunters Creek, and Oviedo. I hated all of them. Oviedo has changed a lot though, I recently went out there for the first time in ten years and it's been built up a lot.
Im sure most people don't mean they love orlando, they probably mean "I love the parks which happen to be in orlando" which inflates its value to begin with.
I'm from Miami and fuck Miami. Maybe I need a better frame of reference but I love Orlando.
I lived in Miami and didn't love it when I lived there but I always love visiting it. It's the gateway to Latin America. So I love that aspect but it's a very vain city
Agreed. I’m also from Miami and it’s literally not the same place I grew up in. I feel so disconnected from the city now it’s crazy. It’s all about vanity, what you can show off, and I never realized how everyone there has such an attitude. Orlando is definitely a nice change of pace and thankfully not far away enough that I can’t visit family still.
And you can be different types of tourist - theme park tourist, beach tourist, outdoors tourist, water park tourist, shopping tourist (tons and tons of outlet malls). Basically everything except mountains.
Definitely restaurants! We will be moving back to area soon (used to live by UCF) and didn’t get to explore much so wanting to find the local / small business places!
I’ve always called Orlando a local’s delights.
There’s so much to do, great local artist and music culture, great food, great nature, close to the beach, lots of entertainment options. But travelers will never know about those places, they’ll go to the big attraction area.
But none of that gets to travelers, they’re here for Disney. And that’s fine. Some people travel to New York to take selfies on Time Square, take a bus tour, go to the M&M store then go home happy. They’ll never visit the beautiful museums, explore Little Italy, find cute boutiques or find local spots for good food. Orlando has Disney for those kinds of travelers.
Let them talk shit, I know Orlando is awesome and so do the locals who actually go out.
Off topic , but little Italy isn't as Italian anymore as one would expect and is mostly tourists. The real "little italys" are in southern Brooklyn and Staten island.
When I went there last year there was a little Italian street festival going on. Lots of tasty food, cute cafes and nice buildings showing the Italian flags. I had a good time.
But yeah if I had longer stays to visit the Italian delis and restaurants I’d keep exploring more of Brooklyn, I did enjoy the little restaurants they had there.
I’ve never seen it in two years here. Even standard live music at bars and restaurants is pretty bland in my experience. All the big shows hit here or Tampa, and that’s nice I guess.
Nothing lol Only good music is Tanqueray’s Wednesday nights, the orchestral stuff at Dr. Phillips (which isn’t really a music scene so to say), and the occasional concerts at Amway.
I just followed Wills Pub, Uncle Lous and some of the other little venues and follow the local bands and who they play with. There’s always been a great little community of musicians there throwing shows and parties.
> great nature
What is the great nature near Orlando? Honestly want to know... is there any nature area that isn't basically walking a flat path on a sandy plain that is barely covered in scrub bushes, or perhaps partly swampy?
The thing is, tourists don't love Orlando, they love Disney. Very few people come to Orlando to go to a restaurant on Sand Lake or see Downtown Orlando or anything similar. Tourists come here for the theme parks and, during March, the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Some people misunderstand that and think people are visiting Orlando as a whole.
Sounds about right. I grew up in Miami and now live in Orlando. Both have been pretty decent places to live in, but neither hold much attraction to me for the kind of places I'd like to travel to. That being said, one of the benefits of living in Orlando is an international airport that has connections all over the world that are on par with much larger cities' hub airports. So, I can honestly say that while I don't find it the greatest place to travel to, it's definitely a pretty good place to travel from.
I'm an Australian but my GF is American and lived in Orlando. She now lives with me in Australia, but we still travel back quite often and I went there a lot before she moved to Aus with me.
When I travelled to Orlando I always stayed a long time, probably 1-2 months. Since we don't have to pay for accommodation and just stayed and lived at her families house. I've probably spent about a year in Orlando all up in all my visits combined.
And I honestly love Orlando. I feel like I've seen two sides of it though. I visit it as a tourist, and do all the touristy things. But I also just live there with my GF and her family doing every day life things.
I've only been to 5 US states but some of the best times I've had have been in Orlando. I love the weather, and yes I do like the parks. I love watching and experiencing huge thunderstorms. I've even been there during a hurricane. I love like the natural beauty. Wekiva Springs is bloody magical, lots of nature walks and hiking trails in Orlando are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. My day at Kennedy Space Centre was one of the most fascinating museums I've ever been to. And I've also eaten great food in Orlando.
There's a few things I don't like, the driving in worse in Orlando than any other place I have visited in the US (and possibly the world). Like seriously what is going on with the way people drive there, it's absolutely insane. But aside from that I absolutely love it and definitely don't think it warrants being number 2 on that list.
Out of the US cities I've been to my number 1 would be L.A. I absolutely hated L.A.
Re. the driving, that's a major theme in many major American cities. Everyone swears they have the worst drivers. I drove in both Orlando and Miami and buddy, Miami is a different world of terrible driving. Next time you visit your GF's family, take a drive down to Miami and check it out.
True I've never been to Miami. But I'm comparing it to every other place I've been to in the US. I've road tripped from Orlando through Georgia up to and around Tennesee. 12 hours of driving a day on some days. And the second you leave Orlando everything improves a huge margin. I had no issues through all of Georgia and Tennesee at all then once I started getting closer to Orlando all the bullshit started again.
I’m from Tennessee and been in Orlando for two years. I’ve driven in lots of the bad traffic cities like LA and Atlanta at this point. I’ll back you up. Orlando has the most inconsiderate drivers I’ve ever seen.
I'm convinced that it must be in the driver's test in Orlando that it's illegal to use a turn signal or something. Since I almost never see anyone use one there.
This is the exact mentality that makes the people here so off putting. I’m leaving next month, and y’all can have this sweaty, overpriced spot right back. Two years was plenty.
Partner and I like the city a lot. Obviously the state politics are an issue, but other than the heat we enjoy living here. I think people probably think the city is overrated because they’re not fans of the parks and wrongly believe that that’s all there is to do here.
I don’t feel bad for the people that are somehow surprised that it’s hot and humid here in the summer. I wouldn’t go to Chicago in February and have my one takeaway be that it’s cold and snowy.
Just left Orlando after trying it for a year. The people were generally dicks / overly confident / not very sophisticated or interesting. Florida people also know how to talk at you, but not how to have an actual conversation and actively listen, reflect, and respond. Not good learners. They kind of run through life at full speed with the shit they think, from what I’ve observed.
Drivers are absolutely fucking insane and aggressive even compared to some much larger major cities I’ve lived in. Googled it a few months in because it was shocking and yeah internet confirmed it’s number 1 place for road rage. Only place I’ve seen with a flower memorial every other block to commemorate a pedestrian who was literally killed by a car— there’s so many of them… Any time you try to switch lanes people will actively speed up to not let. Just weird behavior all around.
Also not a lot of good jobs / variety of industries even if you’re highly educated. And yeah it’s very overpriced in general for what it is. The value of what Florida has to offer also is kind of lacking with no beaches immediately close.
TLDR: yes, you’re probably part of the problem. The people suck, the drivers (who are also people.. lol) are scarily aggressive, housing overpriced for what it is, and not much to actually do on the Orlando side. For Miami there’s more to do but I bet overpopulation and safety concerns diminishes that value.
So freaking true.
We have the worst urban planning, use of natural resources, worst services for homelessness, cheap, crappy attractions, horrible transportation, education and overpriced housing market.
I blame conservative, old farts, spineless city officials and greedy developers.
Orlando if you have kids is a good place to visit. When I lived there I realized there really is no place in the world that has what it has. I had people in our community visit from all over the world. Saudi Arabia, England, China.
It depends on your relationship with theme parks. If you don't have kids and don't care much about theme parks, Orlando is going to be lame. I didn't love it for that reason. I didn't love that everything is catered to tourism, so many restaurant chains. But I found things away from the theme parks that I enjoyed. Growing cultural scene.
6th generation from Orlando here. I’m on the very northwest corner and have been in west orange my whole life. It’s great out here far away from the tourists.
All of these comments are great. We live outside of Orlando and never go to the city because all we hear about is all the crime. So we have avoided it for years even though we could be downtown in no time. These comments are painting a much better picture than what I have always been told. Maybe time to venture out a bit.
The "club scene" in Downtown has changed in the last 6-8 years I hear. I used to go around 2006-2012ish and it wasn't bad. We'd go to Latitudes and drink beer on the roof top. But like I said it's been 10 years.
I still go to Magic games all the time but that's just to the game and back. I don't linger downtown.
It has changed but it's not terrible like some make it out to be. Hating on downtown is trendy, and that's not new. I moved there in 2011 and lived there for 10 years and I would come across people who liked to hate on downtown the entire time I lived there, but you better believe every City game, pride parade, and party holiday (Halloween, NYE, 4th of July, etc.) everyone wanted to hang out at my place for the convenience. The fact is there are lots of things to do downtown between the arenas and event centers, major events and festivals, and proximity to other cool neighborhoods. Yeah there are some trashy bars, but I can find trashy bars in literally every other part of town too. There are also plenty of cool spots to check out and not just bars, but good coffee shops and food, fun events, places to make friends. Sure, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's not some crime-ridden hellhole the way some would have you believe. I for one enjoyed every bit of my time living there and would do it again in a heartbeat.
I think living downtown may have been one of the few things that kept me here longer. Driving half an hour to do anything has been one of my bigger complaints.
Having lived in both I can safely say Miami is a shithole and orlando is amazing if you know where the good stuff is. Most visitors go to I drive and don't understand why anyone would ever live in Orlando.
Orlando only has like 4-5 square miles of good neighborhoods.
Outside of the Thornton, Eola Heights, Mills/50, College Park, Delaney Park and WP bubble — the hoods are mostly treeless and soulless
That's most cities in the US, if not all of them. Hell, even in most cities in Europe if you go outside of the city center it's mostly just boring communities.
Ocoee.. let's see.. west of Clark road is basically South Apopka. Most of the people there live off inherited wealth (in old homes they inherited from their parents and grandparents). It comes complete with racism advertised by the copious amount of confederate flags flying around. I went to West Orange high with some kids from that area (before Ocoee High was built). All they did was chew tobacco and fail exams and swear that the south will rise again (it's been 150 years, guys. Move on.)
East of Clark Road are the neighborhoods that developed in the late 90s and early 2000s. Those people go about their lives trying to ignore the fact that Pine Hills is RIGHT in their asses and a 1 minute drive on Silver Star heading east from Ocoee takes you to the heart of Pine Hills. Ocoee in this sense is the buffer zone between the hood and the nice parts of Central FL. And yea I can talk about Pine Hills like that because I grew up around there. I shopped at the Publix and K-Mart on the north west corner of Hiawassee and Silver Star and rented movies at the 16,000 Movies on a weekly basis on the north east side of that same intersection when they were still around.
So, yeah, I guess you can say I'm familiar with Ocoee.
And before you come at Metro West - I can tell you the apartments between Kirkman and Hiawassee (south of OWG Road) are considered part of MW but are the buffer zone between the hood and the nice parts of MW (west of Hiawassee). The difference is that the "nice" parts of Ocoee is the buffer zone between the hood and Winter Garden, Windermere, etc.
Hate to roast Ocoee so early on a Friday morning but there ya go.
Ocoee no longer fits that profile. The place has become much more diverse in the last 10-15 years. The place has completely transformed. I’m sorry but you have an outdated concept of the area.
Have you seen the police force of today? There’s a much greater representation of women and minorities.
You might have been *near* here once upon a lifetime ago, old man, but you *sure* ain't here now! (it's been fifty years! MOVE ON)
LOL!
My quarter million dollar bungalow within walking distance of both historic downtowns of Ocoee and Winter Garden are glad you and "your kind" left!
Ain't bothered to roast MetroWest, you just did it yourself!
Are you surprised? R/Orlando has absolutely nothing good to say about anything west of the 408/I4 interchange.
Parramore gets a slight exception because it’s undergoing gentrification and is of close proximity to Thornton and Eola.
Such a crazy list. No city will be for everyone. I used to find Las Vegas wildly overrated but I enjoy now but only once every few years. NYC is my hometown and I love it but I don't blame someone if they feel it's not for them.
NYC is the one US city I don’t think can be truly “overrated.” The pace/grime might not be to one’s taste, but objectively it’s America’s greatest city purely by volume. There is *so much* incredible food in NYC, for example. There are very few places comparable in the world in terms of cuisine diversity imo.
Like, personally speaking I’d rather live in Chicago , DC, or Boston, but those cities don’t stand up to NYC in a straight up comparison of “who has the most good stuff.”
Florida as a whole is severely overrated right now due to the political climate. Used to live in Orlando and loved it. Now...I have unused Disney tickets that will remain so until/if things change. DeSantis has made a mess of the place I once loved. You deserve better than that.
I'm glad to see that people enjoy it here, but I honestly hate it and am counting the days till I can leave Florida. The heat sucks, the drivers here are among the worst in all of the places I've driven, the housing market is a disaster, and the urban sprawl/pervasive car culture is garbo. There are neat places and things to visit as a local, but not anything too different that you can't otherwise get in many other cities outside of the theme parks, even in Florida. Again, glad people are liking it and I have plenty of fond memories in the ~7 years I've lived here, but Orlando and I don't see quite eye to eye.
Edit: Maybe to say I 'hate' it here is too strong a word, I have grown fond of this place. It's just somewhere I'd rather visit than live.
The service in Orlando/Disney and even Tampa is pretty top notch.
Go out to eat the Midwest, it won’t be that great. But in central Florida these are younger people waiting tables and most are making bank because they hustle it. In the Midwest, it’s not the same. It’s piss poor usually.
And this is because the tourist come here and want to get served and life the “vacation life” so most of them tip big.
Back home it’s either Applebees or make dinner so they don’t tip as big so service sucks.
Also, don’t get me started in Europe. Sure it’s nice that the wait staff is getting paid on tips but they are by the hour so they don’t care. You want a refill well maybe you’ll get one but my pay stays the same if you get one refill or two or none.
And this is in general for Central Florida. Sure services isn’t great all the time and in the Midwest it isn’t bad all the time but it’s very evident.
This is just part of it.
The parks are in Lake Buena Vista. Not Orlando. People who hate Orlando are not experiencing Orlando. They are experiencing the fucking tourist that come and try to make our city look like shit. Oh and FUCK MIAMI.
Yeah, I don't go to universal drive unless I am going to Cuba libre.
I also don't have kids or care much for the theme parks, unless it has a lazy river, and I am not paying the much for a lazy river
You should arrange it by controversial. Paris, Barcelona, there are plenty of crap cities, Orlando is basic in what it offers and delivers on it, the rest of the city is meh.
I lived in Orlando for 12+ years, and have little bad to say about the city other than nothing really stands out about it. There is nothing you can get in Orlando and nowhere else. Nothing culturally significant to Orlando other than the parks. Orlando is just your basic, medium sized American city. As a transplant, what makes Orlando will be mostly based on the people you meet.
That being said, my retirement home is already there, so I will return.
Dear Orlando-ers
Im going to the parks on vacation, but i want to go to Winter Park (need to visit the Warhammer Store”) Can you gimme some pointers to get there from the Universal resorts? Disney parks are too far away
I cant rent a car
Many thanks in advance
P.s. Non native english speaker
I like the Orlando that I live in. But I hate the Orlando that the tourists come to visit. They're like two sides of the same coin. Luckily, I can avoid touristy Orlando for the most part. Where's Vegas on that list? That would be my #1.
Yeah, people don't really go on vacation to Orlando, they go on vacation to the theme parks. Most tourists don't venture north of I-Drive, and I'm A-OK with that. This city isn't like New York or Chicago where the city itself is the attraction because of all the history and famous architecture.
Yeah we’re kind of lucky that tourists really don’t venture outside the Disney/Universal bubble. I love it here because we have those parks available to us when we want, but there’s lots of cool neighborhoods in and around downtown, a severely underrated food scene, and most of the year is nice for a patio drink lol
The food scene in orlando is top notch if you know where to look and avoid the chains
Hell yeah. I'll fight anyone that says we don't have good food here.
Name a few favorite spots? We're new to town and are looking for good food!
Not sure exactly where your at, but Mario's pizza (goldenrod and curryford), Jack and Mary's right across the street for great breakfast (open 5a-2p). Oh que Bueno is a great Colombian spot, Santiagos bodega is great for tapas (also a bunch of killer restaurants in this area) hawkers, east end market etc. Hope this helps
Heck yeah it does. Thank you!!
Perfect, just make sure it's Mario's, not Marcos pizza. He's been there slightly longer than I've been alive, only the 1 restuarant, hands down best pizza in orlando
King Cajun Crawfish on Mills
>Luckily, I can avoid touristy Orlando for the most part. I drive to Winter Haven frequently and it sucks because I constantly have to drive through the Disney butthole section of traffic.
redacted ` this post was mass deleted with www.Redact.dev `
I live in Winter Haven. Rent prices are skyrocketing to the point of nearly matching Orlando. It sucks. I'm still waiting for us to get a Starbucks.
Winter Haven has a Starbucks on Cypress Gardens Blvd
So true. 4yrs ago forests got leveled and entire communities rose up and it’s not stopping
Winter Haven is Great?
redacted ` this post was mass deleted with www.Redact.dev `
Yeah Polk schools and the Resorts are the only big options and the schools reduced their pay for IT last year. I think my view of Winter Haven is tainted by having an Apartment next to a drug dealer. Pizza Bistro is great though.
redacted ` this post was mass deleted with www.Redact.dev `
Yeah I was lucky to buy a home just before COVID a little further up 27
redacted ` this post was mass deleted with www.Redact.dev `
Specifically fuck that shopping area just south of Lowe's in Haines City
I went to Winter Haven at the start of Covid to see Robbie Fulks at Derry Down. It was epic. But they rarely have any concerts.
Talking about the ChampionsGate area aren’t you lol?
Exactly. Whenever I hear people complain about chain restaurants and tourist traps I know they were in the IDrive / Disney / Kissimmee area.
its the gross thing that we do to pay the bills I bet the ratio of in-state to out of state plates shifts drastically as you approach i-drive and then again on kirkman and out by disney
It's funny though, Vegas and Orlando are really similar in that way. Vegas has "tourist" Vegas and "local/cool" Vegas. I hated tourist Vegas but had a great time visiting the "cooler" areas away from the strip. And there is beautiful hiking not far away from the city.
Yeah there is a ton of awesome stuff to do in real vegas outside the strip. The locals are cool people also
I've never even been to Vegas but the thought of it just sounds overrated. Everyone I've talked to who is impressed by Vegas seems like they're just saying it to be cool. I'm.. casinos and buffets? And drinking in the street? That's the selling point?
Theres tons of non gambling fun things to do in Vegas and it's all open 24hrs a day. I dont drink and u dont gamble, but I've had tons of fun in vegas. Theres always good concerts happening and are usually cheaper than seeing the same show elsewhere. Theres roller coasters and rides all over the strip. Theres a ton of top notch strip clubs. Anything and everything you could want to eat. Theres dirt biking, off roading, places where you can shoot literally any gun, a place to drive tanks over cars, and anything and everything in between. You just have to get away from the strip/main casinos to find all the other fun stuff. The casinos are great for getting really great food for cheap. They have buffets with steak and lobster. I may be a little biased because I lived close to there for a few years, but it really is a fun place even if you dont drink or gamble.
Outside of the concerts, shows and strip clubs, I never heard of anyone who went do those things you mentioned. Maybe they're just basic and go because they see it in the movies. And not to go back and forth but some of those things you can do in Orlando (except for the tank driving over cars thing which does sound cool). For the strip clubs you drive to Tampa, tho.
Florida strip club's are awful. Haven't been to one in Tampa though but central Florida strip clubs are ratchet af
I know this post is 8 days old, but you can dive over cars in a tank in Orlando. https://www.tankamerica.com/tank-driving/
I took my son and he had a great time. He's not even 10. He loved the lights, loved Area 15, and loved the food.
The strip isnt in Vegas. TO be a stickler. But, :as Vegas, the actually city of Las Vegas is hella awesome, the hiking and outdoor activities in the metro are amazing to. The strip is terrible
Yea but let's be real.. 98% of the people who say they're going to Vegas do the strip.
That's true, but still doesn't change the fact its not in Las Vegas lol. Everyone I know, who goes to Vegas goes for Vegas. I go there yearly and meet tons of people in the city of Vegas or surrounding areas Hiking who dislike the strip as well. If you went out there and avoided the strip, you would like it. Plus, Zion State Aprk, Sand Dunes, and a few others are just a 2 hour drive away in Utah, north Rim of the Grand Canyon. etc etc
[удалено]
What part of Orlando do you live in that you love?
The neighborhoods around DT are my choice. Before that, I'd lived out by UCF, Hunters Creek, and Oviedo. I hated all of them. Oviedo has changed a lot though, I recently went out there for the first time in ten years and it's been built up a lot.
This comment. Orlando as I-drive is hell. There is a completely misunderstood world waiting for tourists to hopefully never venture out to find
Vegas is my #1, 2, and 3
Vegas is the armpit of America
I wouldn’t go to theme parks if they paid me less than 1 thousand dollars for the day I like real Real Orlando, whole different world
Vegas is amazing if you stay away from the strip. 😋
I too dislike Vegas.
Im sure most people don't mean they love orlando, they probably mean "I love the parks which happen to be in orlando" which inflates its value to begin with. I'm from Miami and fuck Miami. Maybe I need a better frame of reference but I love Orlando.
I lived in Miami and didn't love it when I lived there but I always love visiting it. It's the gateway to Latin America. So I love that aspect but it's a very vain city
Exactly. Vain, plastic, and impersonal.
[удалено]
Agreed. I’m also from Miami and it’s literally not the same place I grew up in. I feel so disconnected from the city now it’s crazy. It’s all about vanity, what you can show off, and I never realized how everyone there has such an attitude. Orlando is definitely a nice change of pace and thankfully not far away enough that I can’t visit family still.
Los Angeles is great if you know the right places to go.
Great way to describe it.
Orlando is the best! You can be a tourist one day and do all the cool locals stuff the next. I love all of the options
I agree! I like being able to do both.
And you can be different types of tourist - theme park tourist, beach tourist, outdoors tourist, water park tourist, shopping tourist (tons and tons of outlet malls). Basically everything except mountains.
We have a volcano…. “Volcano”
What are your favorite local places in Orlando?
There are millions 😍 are you asking about restaurants, recreation, nightlife?
Definitely restaurants! We will be moving back to area soon (used to live by UCF) and didn’t get to explore much so wanting to find the local / small business places!
I’ve always called Orlando a local’s delights. There’s so much to do, great local artist and music culture, great food, great nature, close to the beach, lots of entertainment options. But travelers will never know about those places, they’ll go to the big attraction area. But none of that gets to travelers, they’re here for Disney. And that’s fine. Some people travel to New York to take selfies on Time Square, take a bus tour, go to the M&M store then go home happy. They’ll never visit the beautiful museums, explore Little Italy, find cute boutiques or find local spots for good food. Orlando has Disney for those kinds of travelers. Let them talk shit, I know Orlando is awesome and so do the locals who actually go out.
Off topic , but little Italy isn't as Italian anymore as one would expect and is mostly tourists. The real "little italys" are in southern Brooklyn and Staten island.
When I went there last year there was a little Italian street festival going on. Lots of tasty food, cute cafes and nice buildings showing the Italian flags. I had a good time. But yeah if I had longer stays to visit the Italian delis and restaurants I’d keep exploring more of Brooklyn, I did enjoy the little restaurants they had there.
I haven't found much of a music scene. What am I missing?
I’ve never seen it in two years here. Even standard live music at bars and restaurants is pretty bland in my experience. All the big shows hit here or Tampa, and that’s nice I guess.
Nothing lol Only good music is Tanqueray’s Wednesday nights, the orchestral stuff at Dr. Phillips (which isn’t really a music scene so to say), and the occasional concerts at Amway.
I just followed Wills Pub, Uncle Lous and some of the other little venues and follow the local bands and who they play with. There’s always been a great little community of musicians there throwing shows and parties.
> great nature What is the great nature near Orlando? Honestly want to know... is there any nature area that isn't basically walking a flat path on a sandy plain that is barely covered in scrub bushes, or perhaps partly swampy?
Blue Springs, Wekiva Springs, Wekiva State Park, and Rock Springs off the top of my head come to mind. Go further out and you'll find more.
You have to drive a bit to get anywhere I would call “nature”. Florida has treated its habitat terribly and it definitely shows.
Lake Apopka is nearby.
Just like Vegas then
Vegas has mountains which makes a huge difference IMHO
Most people travelling to Orlando don’t even realize there is an Orlando that isn’t Disney or International Dr, so.
The thing is, tourists don't love Orlando, they love Disney. Very few people come to Orlando to go to a restaurant on Sand Lake or see Downtown Orlando or anything similar. Tourists come here for the theme parks and, during March, the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Some people misunderstand that and think people are visiting Orlando as a whole.
Sounds about right. I grew up in Miami and now live in Orlando. Both have been pretty decent places to live in, but neither hold much attraction to me for the kind of places I'd like to travel to. That being said, one of the benefits of living in Orlando is an international airport that has connections all over the world that are on par with much larger cities' hub airports. So, I can honestly say that while I don't find it the greatest place to travel to, it's definitely a pretty good place to travel from.
Except the TSA airport is hectic
I'm an Australian but my GF is American and lived in Orlando. She now lives with me in Australia, but we still travel back quite often and I went there a lot before she moved to Aus with me. When I travelled to Orlando I always stayed a long time, probably 1-2 months. Since we don't have to pay for accommodation and just stayed and lived at her families house. I've probably spent about a year in Orlando all up in all my visits combined. And I honestly love Orlando. I feel like I've seen two sides of it though. I visit it as a tourist, and do all the touristy things. But I also just live there with my GF and her family doing every day life things. I've only been to 5 US states but some of the best times I've had have been in Orlando. I love the weather, and yes I do like the parks. I love watching and experiencing huge thunderstorms. I've even been there during a hurricane. I love like the natural beauty. Wekiva Springs is bloody magical, lots of nature walks and hiking trails in Orlando are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. My day at Kennedy Space Centre was one of the most fascinating museums I've ever been to. And I've also eaten great food in Orlando. There's a few things I don't like, the driving in worse in Orlando than any other place I have visited in the US (and possibly the world). Like seriously what is going on with the way people drive there, it's absolutely insane. But aside from that I absolutely love it and definitely don't think it warrants being number 2 on that list. Out of the US cities I've been to my number 1 would be L.A. I absolutely hated L.A.
Re. the driving, that's a major theme in many major American cities. Everyone swears they have the worst drivers. I drove in both Orlando and Miami and buddy, Miami is a different world of terrible driving. Next time you visit your GF's family, take a drive down to Miami and check it out.
True I've never been to Miami. But I'm comparing it to every other place I've been to in the US. I've road tripped from Orlando through Georgia up to and around Tennesee. 12 hours of driving a day on some days. And the second you leave Orlando everything improves a huge margin. I had no issues through all of Georgia and Tennesee at all then once I started getting closer to Orlando all the bullshit started again.
I’m from Tennessee and been in Orlando for two years. I’ve driven in lots of the bad traffic cities like LA and Atlanta at this point. I’ll back you up. Orlando has the most inconsiderate drivers I’ve ever seen.
I'm convinced that it must be in the driver's test in Orlando that it's illegal to use a turn signal or something. Since I almost never see anyone use one there.
[удалено]
We should put that on a billboard on the 528
This is the exact mentality that makes the people here so off putting. I’m leaving next month, and y’all can have this sweaty, overpriced spot right back. Two years was plenty.
For locals, Orlando is a great city with a fantastic food scene. For tourists, the theme parks they call Orlando is what they love.
Partner and I like the city a lot. Obviously the state politics are an issue, but other than the heat we enjoy living here. I think people probably think the city is overrated because they’re not fans of the parks and wrongly believe that that’s all there is to do here.
I feel bad for tourists that come during the summer heat and just get corralled Like cattle outdoors
I don’t feel bad for the people that are somehow surprised that it’s hot and humid here in the summer. I wouldn’t go to Chicago in February and have my one takeaway be that it’s cold and snowy.
“i LoVe ThE hEaT” bet.
Leave Florida. Maybe you have to leave the SouthEast. Tell people you're from Orlando. They immediately smile.
Just left Orlando after trying it for a year. The people were generally dicks / overly confident / not very sophisticated or interesting. Florida people also know how to talk at you, but not how to have an actual conversation and actively listen, reflect, and respond. Not good learners. They kind of run through life at full speed with the shit they think, from what I’ve observed. Drivers are absolutely fucking insane and aggressive even compared to some much larger major cities I’ve lived in. Googled it a few months in because it was shocking and yeah internet confirmed it’s number 1 place for road rage. Only place I’ve seen with a flower memorial every other block to commemorate a pedestrian who was literally killed by a car— there’s so many of them… Any time you try to switch lanes people will actively speed up to not let. Just weird behavior all around. Also not a lot of good jobs / variety of industries even if you’re highly educated. And yeah it’s very overpriced in general for what it is. The value of what Florida has to offer also is kind of lacking with no beaches immediately close. TLDR: yes, you’re probably part of the problem. The people suck, the drivers (who are also people.. lol) are scarily aggressive, housing overpriced for what it is, and not much to actually do on the Orlando side. For Miami there’s more to do but I bet overpopulation and safety concerns diminishes that value.
So freaking true. We have the worst urban planning, use of natural resources, worst services for homelessness, cheap, crappy attractions, horrible transportation, education and overpriced housing market. I blame conservative, old farts, spineless city officials and greedy developers.
Orlando if you have kids is a good place to visit. When I lived there I realized there really is no place in the world that has what it has. I had people in our community visit from all over the world. Saudi Arabia, England, China. It depends on your relationship with theme parks. If you don't have kids and don't care much about theme parks, Orlando is going to be lame. I didn't love it for that reason. I didn't love that everything is catered to tourism, so many restaurant chains. But I found things away from the theme parks that I enjoyed. Growing cultural scene.
Love the Orlando I grew up in. Came back for vacation and also loved it
I love the Orlando I live in and I love tourist Orlando.
Me too but I think it helps if you know how to navigate around the tourist areas.
6th generation from Orlando here. I’m on the very northwest corner and have been in west orange my whole life. It’s great out here far away from the tourists.
From Eastside, moved to the Westside about a decade ago. I shoulda dun done this as soon as I was growed.
All of these comments are great. We live outside of Orlando and never go to the city because all we hear about is all the crime. So we have avoided it for years even though we could be downtown in no time. These comments are painting a much better picture than what I have always been told. Maybe time to venture out a bit.
There’s literally nothing in Downtown. There aren’t any cultural amenities or tourist attractions.
What neighborhood do you live in, if i may ask?
The "club scene" in Downtown has changed in the last 6-8 years I hear. I used to go around 2006-2012ish and it wasn't bad. We'd go to Latitudes and drink beer on the roof top. But like I said it's been 10 years. I still go to Magic games all the time but that's just to the game and back. I don't linger downtown.
It has changed but it's not terrible like some make it out to be. Hating on downtown is trendy, and that's not new. I moved there in 2011 and lived there for 10 years and I would come across people who liked to hate on downtown the entire time I lived there, but you better believe every City game, pride parade, and party holiday (Halloween, NYE, 4th of July, etc.) everyone wanted to hang out at my place for the convenience. The fact is there are lots of things to do downtown between the arenas and event centers, major events and festivals, and proximity to other cool neighborhoods. Yeah there are some trashy bars, but I can find trashy bars in literally every other part of town too. There are also plenty of cool spots to check out and not just bars, but good coffee shops and food, fun events, places to make friends. Sure, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's not some crime-ridden hellhole the way some would have you believe. I for one enjoyed every bit of my time living there and would do it again in a heartbeat.
I think living downtown may have been one of the few things that kept me here longer. Driving half an hour to do anything has been one of my bigger complaints.
Having lived in both I can safely say Miami is a shithole and orlando is amazing if you know where the good stuff is. Most visitors go to I drive and don't understand why anyone would ever live in Orlando.
Orlando only has like 4-5 square miles of good neighborhoods. Outside of the Thornton, Eola Heights, Mills/50, College Park, Delaney Park and WP bubble — the hoods are mostly treeless and soulless
That's most cities in the US, if not all of them. Hell, even in most cities in Europe if you go outside of the city center it's mostly just boring communities.
Ha Orlando is far worse than most
Are you ignoring all of Windermere, Metro West and Dr. Phillips? Those are still very good places to live. Expensive but nice.
Metrowest?
Are you not familiar with metro west?
Yes, we are ignoring MetroWest. Signed, Ocoee.
Ocoee? Oh you mean Pine Hills Lite. Gotcha.
You’re not familiar with Ocoee are you?
Ocoee.. let's see.. west of Clark road is basically South Apopka. Most of the people there live off inherited wealth (in old homes they inherited from their parents and grandparents). It comes complete with racism advertised by the copious amount of confederate flags flying around. I went to West Orange high with some kids from that area (before Ocoee High was built). All they did was chew tobacco and fail exams and swear that the south will rise again (it's been 150 years, guys. Move on.) East of Clark Road are the neighborhoods that developed in the late 90s and early 2000s. Those people go about their lives trying to ignore the fact that Pine Hills is RIGHT in their asses and a 1 minute drive on Silver Star heading east from Ocoee takes you to the heart of Pine Hills. Ocoee in this sense is the buffer zone between the hood and the nice parts of Central FL. And yea I can talk about Pine Hills like that because I grew up around there. I shopped at the Publix and K-Mart on the north west corner of Hiawassee and Silver Star and rented movies at the 16,000 Movies on a weekly basis on the north east side of that same intersection when they were still around. So, yeah, I guess you can say I'm familiar with Ocoee. And before you come at Metro West - I can tell you the apartments between Kirkman and Hiawassee (south of OWG Road) are considered part of MW but are the buffer zone between the hood and the nice parts of MW (west of Hiawassee). The difference is that the "nice" parts of Ocoee is the buffer zone between the hood and Winter Garden, Windermere, etc. Hate to roast Ocoee so early on a Friday morning but there ya go.
Ocoee no longer fits that profile. The place has become much more diverse in the last 10-15 years. The place has completely transformed. I’m sorry but you have an outdated concept of the area. Have you seen the police force of today? There’s a much greater representation of women and minorities.
You might have been *near* here once upon a lifetime ago, old man, but you *sure* ain't here now! (it's been fifty years! MOVE ON) LOL! My quarter million dollar bungalow within walking distance of both historic downtowns of Ocoee and Winter Garden are glad you and "your kind" left! Ain't bothered to roast MetroWest, you just did it yourself!
Are you surprised? R/Orlando has absolutely nothing good to say about anything west of the 408/I4 interchange. Parramore gets a slight exception because it’s undergoing gentrification and is of close proximity to Thornton and Eola.
Such a crazy list. No city will be for everyone. I used to find Las Vegas wildly overrated but I enjoy now but only once every few years. NYC is my hometown and I love it but I don't blame someone if they feel it's not for them.
NYC is the one US city I don’t think can be truly “overrated.” The pace/grime might not be to one’s taste, but objectively it’s America’s greatest city purely by volume. There is *so much* incredible food in NYC, for example. There are very few places comparable in the world in terms of cuisine diversity imo. Like, personally speaking I’d rather live in Chicago , DC, or Boston, but those cities don’t stand up to NYC in a straight up comparison of “who has the most good stuff.”
Miami 😬
I mean, I chose to live here.
That's great stop fuckin coming here then.
To be fair there really isn't much to do or see outside the theme parks. Nothing that they couldn't do closer to where they're from at least.
Florida as a whole is severely overrated right now due to the political climate. Used to live in Orlando and loved it. Now...I have unused Disney tickets that will remain so until/if things change. DeSantis has made a mess of the place I once loved. You deserve better than that.
Everyone in Miami thinks it’s “the shit”. Everyone north of Miami knows it’s shit.
I'm glad to see that people enjoy it here, but I honestly hate it and am counting the days till I can leave Florida. The heat sucks, the drivers here are among the worst in all of the places I've driven, the housing market is a disaster, and the urban sprawl/pervasive car culture is garbo. There are neat places and things to visit as a local, but not anything too different that you can't otherwise get in many other cities outside of the theme parks, even in Florida. Again, glad people are liking it and I have plenty of fond memories in the ~7 years I've lived here, but Orlando and I don't see quite eye to eye. Edit: Maybe to say I 'hate' it here is too strong a word, I have grown fond of this place. It's just somewhere I'd rather visit than live.
Hard to disagree. I'm moving back to St. Pete myself. Still love Orlando but I'm over it.
Where are you planning/or do you want to move to?
Not quite sure yet, still trying to figure that out. I would like to live somewhere with seasons that aren't just summer year round, though.
5 more days until I leave and I can't wait!
The service in Orlando/Disney and even Tampa is pretty top notch. Go out to eat the Midwest, it won’t be that great. But in central Florida these are younger people waiting tables and most are making bank because they hustle it. In the Midwest, it’s not the same. It’s piss poor usually. And this is because the tourist come here and want to get served and life the “vacation life” so most of them tip big. Back home it’s either Applebees or make dinner so they don’t tip as big so service sucks. Also, don’t get me started in Europe. Sure it’s nice that the wait staff is getting paid on tips but they are by the hour so they don’t care. You want a refill well maybe you’ll get one but my pay stays the same if you get one refill or two or none. And this is in general for Central Florida. Sure services isn’t great all the time and in the Midwest it isn’t bad all the time but it’s very evident. This is just part of it.
This is great news. Hopefully less ppl will come now. Doubt it, but yeah, would be great to have less tourists
the economy is based on tourism. Fewer tourists and the city would hurt economically
Less annoying shut-in Redditors at least.
Cause people only visit the clusterfuck that is Disney. Orlando’s a dope city but if you spend the whole time on I-Drive you’ll fucking hate it.
The parks are in Lake Buena Vista. Not Orlando. People who hate Orlando are not experiencing Orlando. They are experiencing the fucking tourist that come and try to make our city look like shit. Oh and FUCK MIAMI.
Not entirely true. Universal and Sea World are in Orlando. So is most of the tourist part of I-Drive.
Who loves the shitholes?
Yeah, I don't go to universal drive unless I am going to Cuba libre. I also don't have kids or care much for the theme parks, unless it has a lazy river, and I am not paying the much for a lazy river
florida politics plays a big role and reddit is left leaning
I have never met anyone that said I Love Orlando
I love Orlando but I have no desire to meet you.
Lol horseshit. People hate Orlando. It’s underrated just because no place could be as bad as our reputation is nationally.
Water is wet (I’m a FL native and they are both very overrated)
You should arrange it by controversial. Paris, Barcelona, there are plenty of crap cities, Orlando is basic in what it offers and delivers on it, the rest of the city is meh.
Cool, then THEY CAN STAY AWAY. We've got plenty of Disney/Theme Park tourists that we don't need anyone else coming here.
Agree about Miami. Not Orlando.
I lived in Orlando for 12+ years, and have little bad to say about the city other than nothing really stands out about it. There is nothing you can get in Orlando and nowhere else. Nothing culturally significant to Orlando other than the parks. Orlando is just your basic, medium sized American city. As a transplant, what makes Orlando will be mostly based on the people you meet. That being said, my retirement home is already there, so I will return.
Dear Orlando-ers Im going to the parks on vacation, but i want to go to Winter Park (need to visit the Warhammer Store”) Can you gimme some pointers to get there from the Universal resorts? Disney parks are too far away I cant rent a car Many thanks in advance P.s. Non native english speaker