The Best Indoor Activities in Orlando When Raining

Intro

The first time I went to Orlando (or the Beautiful City as some call it) was when I was 7-years-old. My family took a few day cruise to the Bahamas before spending the remainder of the trip in Orlando to visit Disney World.

I remember the Big Red Boat stopping off at Sandy Cay, Bahamas and my Mom telling me some of Gilligan's Island was filmed there. I am not sure why a 7-year-old would be so excited about Gilligan's Island as it was dated by the 1990's and it wasn't necessarily a kid show, but I was an odd duck and loved anything film or television themed from a very early age.

Which was inopportune as we were on a cruise ship for multiple days, so my mom kept having to take medicine before bed. In the room I shared with my parents and brother, there were two sets of bunk beds. I was jazzed about it, but I wonder how my 30-year-old parents felt about it. Either worried that they would fall off the top bunk or that their children would, which subsequently happened to me a few years later while on vacation. Who knows which came first, the chicken or the egg. Was I not used to bunk beds because my parents didn’t let me sleep on them or did my parents not let me sleep on them because I was not used to them, but I digress.

The last vivid memory I have of the trip prior to arriving in Orlando was how rocky the Atlantic Ocean was on our cruise. I was all excited to go swimming in the pool so I got in my bathing suit and put my floaties and goggles on just to get down there and have my mom tell me I couldn't go swimming. Still to this day I remember thinking, well why did we go through this whole suiting up process just to not swim?? To be fair to my mom, the rockiness of the Atlantic Ocean made the ship rock, and in turn waves in the pool, so little Tracy (even with floaties) probably wouldn't have made her way out of that pool.

Universal Studios Florida — Universal Studios Orlando

The Main Attraction

But now to the main attraction. Our arrival to Orlando, Florida. I was super excited for my first time to Orlando. Orlando maybe known as the Beautiful City, but to a child it's purely magic. I was even more excited because a school friend was also going to be at Disney during the same time as my family and I was hoping we would see her. We actually did wind up bumping into my friend but I am not even sure how. This was the 90's before cell phones and pin dropping. I can't remember if our parents planned a meetup at a certain spot and time, but knowing my parents they probably didn’t, and it was just coincidental. Just as exciting, nevertheless. We took a picture together on a Disney Park bench with a camera that needed you to develop film, which usually happened 4-6 months after snapping the picture.

I was really afraid of heights as a kid and my mom didn't really enjoy rides, so most of the time we went on the kiddie rides as a family but for the bigger rides, my mom and I would split off to walk around and my dad and brother would go on the big roller coasters. Ah the blissful ignorance of the 90s. This was well before all these news reports about roller coasters that haven't been maintained or people getting injured on the rides. Maybe I was onto something when boycotting them at 7.

At one point when my mom and I split off, somehow I heard the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would be performing and signing autographs and I made it my mission to get all four of their signatures as I was obsessed. Let me clarify. I had a little 7-year-old crush on a boy from school who was obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so I assumed if I got the real Turtles autographs while touring in Orlando, my boy crush would fall in love with me and we would live happily ever after. Unfortunately, I had my 37-year-old Mom weighing me down so I strategized with her by informing her I would be right back. Couldn't have her dragging me down. So, I bolted...in Disney World...by myself...at the age of 7...with no cell phone. While my mom panicked and got security involved, I obtained all 4 Ninja Turtles signatures. When I came back, I was thoroughly confused as to why my mom was overreacting as I informed her I would be right back. Oddly, I wasn't grounded for life or leashed after that.

The one thing I didn't hop on board with during my first visit to Disney World, was the nightly fireworks display. In addition to hating heights, I hated loud sounds, and fireworks fell under that category. To my good fortunate, Disney World in the 90s decided to put on a firework display every…single…night. So, each night instead of leaving prior to the fireworks or taking me to a spot further away where the sound would be muffled, we just played this fun game of me running into the nearest shop on the City Walk crying, with one of my parents trailing behind me. When I visited Orlando once as an adult with my parents and the fireworks display started, my mom asked if I was going to cry. I thought about singing the Lesley Gore song, It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To song, but honestly I much prefer her, You Don't Own Me, hit. Even more honestly, no one wants to hear me sing.

Second Time is a Charm

I have visited Disney World two more times as an adult. Once in my 20s with my friends, where drinking was our focus and getting spun around on roller coasters was our second focus. The other time I visited Disney as an adult, was with my parents when I was living in Sarasota. That trip, drinking was not our focus. The roller coasters didn't seem to be my 60-year-old parents speed either, so our focus became going around the world at Epcot.

When I went with my friends, we stayed at the Marriott's Grande Vista in Orlando, which is situated on a golf course just off of I-Drive, down the road from SeaWorld. This was an ideal location as there were four of us, so it gave us room and our own beds in addition to being situated just 20 minutes between both Universal Studios and Disney World, which we would be visiting over the course of our 3-night, 4-day stay in Orlando. Also, the company my friend worked for, he was able to get hotel discounts with Marriott, which was handy for four broke 20-somethings.

The first night we arrived, we just rested. When I say rested, I mean we just didn't go to a theme park but straight out to the bars in downtown Orlando instead. We were somewhat of a rowdy bunch, so getting us in at somewhat of an early hour and enough sleep and hydration to sustain two full days at Orlando theme parks was no small fete. But we persevered.

Like I mentioned above, our focus during this trip was the rides and drinking so some of the fun things we did were going on the rides such as the Hulk, Islands of Adventure, and the more anticlimactic Splash Mountain. I am probably going to get a lot of flak for that bold statement as I am sure there are quite a few Splash Mountain lovers out there, but past the drop, I felt like we were just moseying around on a boat. As a kid being so afraid of heights, I was not a big fan of roller coasters, so this was my first real time on roller coasters, and I was 25. And my first roller coaster encounter was the Hulk, which really didn't ease me into roller coasters.

Like I’ve mentioned multiple times so far throughout this post, the trip with friends in my 20s to Orlando was focused on rides and drinking so naturally we went to Epcot and when I say we went around the world, we went around the world. We had lunch at the Japanese Pavilion with a little sake. We went around to Germany for some beers and Italy for some taste testing of wine. Then we took a pitstop to see if my face was red from sunburn or alcohol. Disclaimer, I fortunately and unfortunately can no longer drink like I am 24 and then go on rides that spin me around forcefully with all the contents in my stomach.

The last time I went to Orlando with my parents, I was working in Sarasota for Marriott Hotels and had a free night stay at the SpringHill Suites Orlando at SeaWorld, which was conveniently located because we would be spending one day at SeaWorld right across the road. I knew the General Manager and some of the staff at this hotel, so it was nice seeing them in person and catching up during breakfast before our long day at the theme parks.

The second night, we stayed at the Orlando World Center Marriott, which is a gorgeous property. When we were checking in the person helping us at the front desk asked if my parents and I wanted adjoining rooms. Seeming I was 30, I didn’t think that was necessary, so I said no at the same time my dad was saying yes. What my dad didn’t know being a CPA that had never worked in hotels before, is that adjoining rooms usually have one room with a king bed and one room with two full beds. And knowing my dad the way I do I knew this would automatically put me in the double bed for no reason. We were there for Thanksgiving, and I was trying to be thankful that I had a bed, even though it was a tiny baby bed.

This hotel’s grounds were even magnificent. One day we spent lounging at the pool, which I knew we would want to do because November in Florida is typically great weather, and the pool area was so relaxing. There was a lazy river and another area that had a few water slides that were ginormous. I decided to go down a few times because that’s what most fully grown adults without a kid in toe that never matured past 15 do. When I got to the top of the platform, there was a little girl maybe 9 or 10 on the platform near the other slide all alone, too afraid to go down. Apparently, she was at the hotel with her grandparents who were waiting at the bottom. I have been that girl many times in my life, especially at that age. Wanting to do something but too nervous to do so. So, when I saw her apprehension, I went up to her and asked if she would go down if I went down the other slide at the same time and would meet her at the bottom. She agreed with a big smile on her face, and we were off. I could hear her from the other slide, squealing the whole way, and arriving at the bottom with that same big grin on her face.

Now, before you get on me for not watching Blackfish. My last visit to Disney and SeaWorld was before the documentary came out. My parents and I spent the day at SeaWorld. Neither of them are into roller coasters, so I only went on Manta once by myself. Before the ride started, after you were buckled in, the ride pulled your legs back (almost like a superman position). This was the moment I realized that if this ride malfunctions, I am not strong enough to hold myself up, even for a second. So that was the first, last, and only ride I went on while at SeaWorld. We just leisurely walked around sightseeing, checking out the exhibits like Empire of the Penguins, Pacific Pointe Preserve, and the Manatee Rehabilitation Center as well as periodically checked out the park’s eateries.

The second day, we went to Epcot. Before going back to these theme parks as an adult, I just assumed they were all filled with roller coasters and unhealthy food. However, there is a lot of entertainment at many of the parks without having to step foot on a roller coast. The trip with my parents to Epcot, we definitely wanted to check out the World Showcase to taste-test some food and beverage.

In addition to the ample amount of food options at Epcot, there are a variety of shows, shopping, films, museums, live music, and an aquarium, so we were at no storage of things to do with our day at Epcot.

Nuts & Bolts

So that’s the background on my experience in the Orlando area and the surrounding theme parks. But past an amusing story about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you might be thinking: Sooo, what are your recommendations while in Orlando? Where are the best places to stay? What if it rains (gaspppp)?

Here's the thing, Florida is known as the sunshine state, but unexpected rainstorms are a common occurrence in Florida during Hurricane Season (which is May through November, so yeah like half the year). These storms come out of the clear blue sky (literally), and they are usually intense rain storms for like an hour or two, with loud thunder and bolts of lightning (that’s where the hockey team got its name) and then it goes back to a sunny day, like nothing happened. If you’re coming during the hurricane season months, you must prepare for that and the heat/humidity. But a positive note to all that negative weather talk I just mentioned, during the rainy season you usually can get sweet hotel discounts and cheap flights being how uncomfortable it is to do just about anything that does not include excessive air conditioning.

Occasionally, it will rain in the morning during this time, but usually the rainstorms come somewhere between 1-5pm. What I would recommend, is to get to the theme parks as early as they open to beat the Florida heat, the crowds, and get your fill before getting rained on. If you are not afraid of a little rain (sometimes a lot of rain) and inclement weather and decided on an Orlando vacation during the summer months, below are some fun things to do indoors if you encounter a rainy day.

Best Indoor Activities

The above is an extensive list of indoor attractions and a great way to spend time during rainy weather in Central Florida. Whether staying on International Drive, Disney Springs, or Downtown Orlando, you will find the perfect place to flee the inclement weather.

Orlando Casinos List

If your trip to Orlando is adults only and aren’t afraid of a little gamble, you may want to check out the below casinos in the Orlando area for another indoor activity in case of bad weather.

Orlando Outlets Store List

This list is a bit of a catch-22 as outlet malls typically have outdoor walkways between the stores, but you can stay dry while in each store. On the upside there are quite a few outlet options in a small radius.

Theme Parks

If you only know Orlando, Florida for their amusement parks and that’s all you want to know, you are in the right place. Orlando, as many people know, have a plethora outdoor theme parks and even an indoor amusement park or two as well as water parks. Universal Studios also has Universal Citywalk if you’re more interested in grabbing some food, movie, or a show.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed learning a little more on what Orlando, Florida has to offer or at the very least refreshing your memory and sparking a desire to visit the Magic City again soon.

Whether optimal weather or budget friendly is your focus, you will never be at a shortage in Orlando for indoor or outdoor activities to entertain the whole family.

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