A month ago, I asked if it were possible to visit Orlando without visiting all things Disney here on Traveling Mom.  We live in Florida so we have been to the Disney World theme parks on multiple occasions and we do have plans to return.  We had a long weekend, so we decided to take a family holiday trip to Orlando.  It is close enough that we can drive it so we have been to Disney several times since having children.  For this trip, we wanted to explore other things Orlando has to offer.  We squeezed a lot into the two days we were there and the kids are still talking about our trip!    

CoCo Key Hotel and Water Park– This hotel is located right in the touristy part of International Drive.  We were lucky enough to be guests of the hoteland this is where we stayed during our weekend.  The hotel has been completely remodeled and reopened as the CoCo Key Hotel and Water Park.  We spent hours splashing in the water at the water park.  The kids played in the Minnow Lagoon and ran around the Parrot’s Perch.  It was wonderful being able to walk back to the room for breaks or snacks.  We didn’t stress about being in line as soon as the park opened.  We were able to spend the morning at the water park, explore Orlando around lunchtime and return to the water park for evening activities.

Lake Eola Park– This park is located in downtown Orlando.  We walked the circle around the lake and watched the swan paddle boats and the swans swim around the water.

A Visit to IKEA– The Orlando IKEA is the closest IKEA to us.  I had a little wish list so we spent the morning wandering IKEA, snacking in their restaurant, and looking at all the kid friendly activities available.

Get your Disney fix without buying a ticket at Downtown Disney– Wander around the Disney stores and then stop by the LEGO store and play with the LEGO pieces.  You can get an ice cream sundae at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop or dinner at the Rainforest Café.