Photograph: Getty Images
Shawn Welcome is the founder of popular Orlando open mic poetry session Diverse Word at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. He has performed across the state of Florida and the US and was nominated for state poet laureate. He is married to wife Jannah and has four children.
Enjoy thrills and spills
Orlando is the theme park capital of the world, so if you’re in search of a good rollercoaster, you’re spoilt for choice. Walt Disney World Resort’s best is Space Mountain, while Universal has the Incredible Hulk coaster, which dives through a mist cloud and spins upside down (don’t eat your lunch before you go on that one). For something more relaxed, a great venue for kids outside the big names is Gatorland. If you’ve never seen alligators, you’ll have your fill there.
Hit the art trail
We have our share of arts and cultural happenings here. The focus these days is the impressive new Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts which puts on all kinds of productions in its theatres - opera, comedy, theatre, classical music, you name it. I’m fortunate to be performing there in July. Orlando Museum of Art has some very progressive exhibits and a collection of African and Native American art. My own contribution to the Orlando arts scene is Diverse Word, the weekly poetry open-mic evening I host at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. Expect authentic spoken word poetry, comedy, singing and rap. It’s been going for 10 years now, making it the longest-running open mic in Orlando.
Taste local cuisine
You can eat every kind of food imaginable here. Our favourite spot is Izziban Sushi & Korean BBQ on the waterfront at Lake Barton, one of the smaller lakes in town. Cheddar’s is a local chain that does good, inexpensive food and Carrabba’s is our go-to Italian. My dad’s from Guyana and when he comes to visit we head for the Bahama Breeze Island Grille which serves good Caribbean food and great cocktails.
There’s also an area known as Little Vietnam which has lots of Asian places. We discovered Mamak which opened recently and serves up good Asian street-style food. We’ll be going back. For a treat, we go to Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant which has a nice ambiance and a great list of wines made at its own vineyards. And for an inexpensive treat, you have to go to Jeremiah’s Italian Ice for real Italian ice creams that people queue round the block for.
Check out the local neighbourhoods
Winter Park is an upmarket neighbourhood with a nice Ivy League appeal and smart brick roads. We sometimes go to the Wine Room which has a huge selection and an automated card system you can load up and use to sample them all. There’s also an outdoor mall there with lots of clothing shops, the Regal movie theatre and restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory.
International Drive, or I-Drive as we call it, is full of local attractions. Besides Universal, there’s WonderWorks which is an unusual upside-down building. It looks odd outside but inside it really plays with your head. There’s a mile-long strip of places to eat down on Sand Lake Road there known as Restaurant Row.
Relax by the lakes
The landscape around Orlando is pretty amazing. I flew back home from a trip recently and there was a couple sat next to me. The wife remarked to her husband, “Look at all the lakes!” and it dawned on me just how many there are in central Florida. If you don’t see the wonders of the Orlando area on your flight in, you can get a great view of the town and the surrounding landscape by taking a trip on the new Orlando Eye which is a big ferris wheel similar to the London Eye.
People often head to the lakes for a relaxing time or to camp at weekends. You take a picnic, go for a swim, maybe paddle on the water - there’s usually someone renting boards or canoes. Lake Eola is popular locally and known for its white and black swans.
There’s also Bok Tower Gardens – its huge stone bell tower is a local landmark. There’s a bird sanctuary there and the gardens are immaculate and very kid-friendly. Wekiwa Springs State Park is a natural hot spring that attracts manatees. Rock Springs in Kelly Park near Apopka is another warm free-flowing natural spring that is popular for tubing down. Airboating on the bigger lakes and surrounding marshes is great noisy fun.
Lake Tohopekaliga, or Toho as we call it, in Kissimmee is one of the biggest lakes in Florida, big enough to have its own island, Makinson Island, you can row to and hike around. There are lots of fish in the waters if you’re into angling. If that’s too much trouble, just take a peaceful stroll along Lakefront Park there.
Find the nightlife
If you’ve spent the day in the parks or the lakes and you want to let off steam, head for downtown Orlando, a real nightlife hub. It attracts a younger, dressed-up crowd, especially at the weekends, who gravitate to bars like Courtesy, which does swanky cocktails, and Latitudes, a rooftop bar with good city views. Downtown you’ll also find the new Amway Center which is a big sports and entertainment venue. It gets very busy up there on game nights. We have the Orlando Magic basketball team, Orlando City soccer team and Orlando Predators, an indoor American football team. All are well supported.
Discover Kissimmee
Kissimmee is 30 minutes south of Orlando and it’s like the city’s big backyard. Disney’s parks are actually there but otherwise it’s smaller, quieter - a homely place. The schoolkids get rodeo day off which kind of sums it up. A couple of places you might want to check are Old Town, a little outdoor mall themed to a nostalgic vision of 1950s America. It has weekly classic car cruises, simulation bull rides, restaurants and retail outlets. It’s a place a few generations can enjoy together. Celebration is a small town nearby which 20 years ago was designed by Disney to be the perfect small community and is oddly pristine.
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