Loch Haven Park: Near downtown Orlando, this park is home to several art museums, theaters, and the Orlando Science Center. While it may be lacking in some of the typical accoutrements of a city park — for instance, there are no slides or merry-go-rounds — the wide-open spaces are great for picnicking, and the numerous cultural opportunities here make it well worth exploring.

Downtown Winter Park: Located just past the Orlando city limits, Winter Park got its start as a resort town preferred by upper-crust New Englanders in the early 1900s, and to this day, the scenic suburb is considered the toniest and nicest of all of Orlando’s neighborhoods. The tree-lined downtown area is great for window-shopping and sightseeing.

Nightlife in Orlando: Unlike any other city in Florida, Orlando’s downtown district transforms every weekend night and many weekday nights into a compact and vibrant nightlife district, with dozens of bars, nightclubs, and restaurants competing for the attention and business of the throngs of young people who flock here to drink, dance, see concerts, and cut loose.

Cassadaga: Few areas can claim to be home to a community of spiritualists and psychics, and the presence of one just a few miles from the gates of Walt Disney World is evidence to counter people’s preconceptions about Orlando and Central Florida.

Mount Dora: With a downtown district that’s right out of a historic small-town postcard, the charming lakeside city of Mount Dora seems as if it was transported from some halcyon vision of Old Florida. Appropriately enough, one of the main attractions here is shopping the numerous antique stores and craft shops.