FEATURE STORY
In Orlando for the PGA Merchandise Show? Here's a can't-miss travel guide
By Tim McDonald,
Contributor
ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 18, 2007) - So, you're attending the 54th PGA Merchandise Show and Convention Jan. 25-27, along with thousands of other golf industry people.
Maybe you've been to the tourist phenomenon known as Orlando, maybe you haven't. If it's been a while, trust me, it's changed. Some of us old-time Florida natives remember when Orlando was little more than orange groves and alligators. The orange groves are gone but the gators are still there, though they've pretty much been reduced to window dressing in theme parks.
Orlando no longer even remotely resembles the place it was when Walt Disney World exploded in 1971. It's evolved into one of the biggest tourist destinations on earth, with some 44 million people arriving every year from nearly every point on the global compass. Like pilgrims to Mecca, these visitors are drawn by the lure of the Mouse and all he encompasses.
There are, by the latest count, at least 100 attractions here, big and small, from the wildly weird and technologically advanced to the cheap and cheesy. And, of course, the related tourist infrastructure has developed along with it - adults have to have something to do besides sing along to "It's a Small World."
It's impossible to list all the things to do and see in Orlando, especially since you'll probably only be there the last part of January, but in this guide we hit the highlights.
Orlando golf courses
You'll want to put that fancy new equipment to use on some area golf courses, if you can break away. You're in a good place to do it. There are between 100 and 150 golf courses in the Orlando area, depending on who you ask. Here are a few of the best bets.
• Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and Reunion Resort & Golf Club, Tradition course: Looking for new area courses to conquer? Try the Greg Norman layout at the Ritz-Carlton in Grande Lakes or the new Jack Nicklaus"-designed Tradition at Reunion.
• Shingle Creek Golf Club: Within viewing distance Orange County Convention Center, Dave Harman's 7,213-yard will beckon show-goers in need of some fresh air. Caveat emptor: I've played it twice and, like other golfers I've spoken to, I don't believe the hype. But it's certainly convenient.
• Bay Hill Golf Club & Lodge: Bay Hill is Arnold Palmer's home course - he whipped Nicklaus in an exhibition match here back in the 1960s and was so impressed he ended up buying the place.
There are three nines; the Challenger and Champion, designed by Dick Wilson and later tinkered with by Palmer and Ed Seay, host the annual Arnold Palmer Invitational (formerly the Bay Hill Invitational). It's semi-private, with lodge guests able to play at reasonable rates.
• Grand Cypress Resort: All Nicklaus, all the time. The golf epicenter of Orlando, with three original nines and a newer one, the New course, inspired by the Old Course at St. Andrews.
• Orange County National: Maybe you don't have time to play; maybe you just want to practice with your new sticks. The Golfer magazine called Orange County National's practice range the best in America.
The 42-acre facility includes a 360-degree hitting area with 600 total tee spaces. There is a 25,000-square-foot lighted putting green, an 18-hole putting course and a short-game practice area. The facility also has two acclaimed 18-holers, Panther Lake and Crooked Cat, and a short course.
Restaurants
Criminy, the place has more than 5,000 restaurants, from world-class to low-class. Speaking of low-class - easy, guys, I'm kidding - for you barbecue lovers, here's an inside tip: Cecil's Texas Style Barbecue, with one location downtown and one on West Lee Road at Interstate 4.
For sports bars, try the ESPN Club at Disney's Boardwalk, Friday's Front Row Sports Grill and NBA City at Universal City/Walk Orlando.
For fine cuisine, head to Norman's at the Ritz-Carlton in Grande Lakes, named after chef and cookbook author Norman Van Aken, featuring new-world cuisine. Primo, also at Grande Lakes, offers farm-fresh produce and organic gardening.
For carnivores, there's the Old Hickory Steakhouse at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, with certified Black Angus beef; Charley's Steak House on International Drive; and Ruth's Chris Steak House.
For seafood, try McCormick and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, where the fresh seafood menu changes twice daily; Bonefish Grill; and the Venetian Room at the Caribe Royal All Suites Resort and Convention Center.
Sea World's annual BBQ Fest starts Jan. 27.
NASCAR Experience
For the redneck in all of us: The Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Walt Disney World Speedway offers gen-u-wine stock cars! Eat at the NASCAR Café.
For the more refined
King Lear is playing at the Margeson Theater. I'm betting not a single one of you goes to see it. I just couldn't resist mentioning it. For fans of musicals, there's Cabaret at the StarLight Theater.
Other stage options include the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival, the Mad Cow Theater and the Orlando Repertory Theater.
As you're in the Deep South, check out the exhibition The Civil War: America Divided at the Orange County Regional History Center.
For a bluesy warm-up to the PGA proceedings, catch Robert Cray at the House of Blues Jan. 24. The Indigo Girls play the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center on the 25th, and pop-rocker John Mayer is at the UCF Arena Jan. 27.
|
||||||||||
Orlando has a number of museums, including the Orlando Museum of Art: the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, featuring works by Tiffany: and the Maitland Art Center with its traveling exhibitions.
For the adventurous
Universal's Islands of Adventure has some wild rides, including the Incredible Hulk-Coaster and Jurassic Park River Adventure. Try indoor skydiving at SkyVenture (no experience necessary); take an airboat tour with Boggy Creek Airboat Rides or Glades Adventures; or ride a vintage biplane at the Fantasy of Flight Museum.
And no self-respecting Orlando visitor can skip Gatorland, the self-proclaimed "Alligator Capital of the World."
For the just plain nuts
The Wallaby Ranch Hang Gliding Flight Park will tow you into the sky by ultralight airplane then release you to god knows what.
For the more sedate
Drive to nearby Winter Park for the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour, a slow float through lakes and canals, or go to downtown Orlando's Lake Eola Park and paddle giant swans around the lake and pretend you're in some sort of British movie.
For the outdoorsy
Most of Orlando has been paved over, but there are still 300 lakes, springs and rivers. There are also parks, gardens, wildlife sanctuaries and zoos. If you really work at it, Orlando still has some great places to fish.
For the kids
Of course, there is always the Walt Disney Resort or SeaWorld, but there are dozens of easier-on-the-wallet attractions too, like miniature golf, water rides and go-karts at places like Magical Midway or FunSpot Action Park.
Orlando shopping options
Orlando has nine shopping malls, including The Mall at Millennia, the Florida Mall and Festival Bay Mall at International Drive.
For those needing laughs
What, you're bored with all the spiels about the latest golf gizmos? Get a dose of improv or stand-up at The Comedy Warehouse at Disney's Comedy Warehouse at Pleasure island, SAK Comedy Lab or The Improv Comedy Club and Restaurant downtown.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
