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Welcome to Orlando: The Magic Beyond the Theme Parks [ 3 Part Series]
3 Plays2 days ago
Orlando isn’t just the land of theme parks; it’s a city bursting with creativity, flavor, and unexpected adventures. In this special three-part States of Discovery series, we’re teaming up with Visit Orlando to uncover the experiences that make this Central Florida destination shine.
In this introductory episode, we’re setting the stage for what’s to come: three full days of exploration that take you from sunrise to sunset, diving into local neighborhoods, outdoor escapes, culinary delights, and undiscovered gems that go far beyond the roller coasters. We sit down with some beloved local chefs, tour incredible museums, and even get swallowed up by Lake Minnehaha and an unexpected storm.
Over the next three episodes, you’ll get a front-row seat to our Orlando adventure:
- Episode 1: A full day of discovery, from breakfast bites to after-dark surprises.
- Episode 2: The city’s vibrant mix of nature, art, and innovation on full display.
- Episode 3: Wrapping up our Orlando journey with hidden gems and unforgettable memories.
Even if you’re a frequent visitor to the city or planning your very first trip, this series will show you a side of Orlando you’ve never seen before. Subscribe now so you don’t miss a single stop along the way!
Presented in partnership with Visit Orlando.
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Transcript
Exploring Beyond Theme Parks in Orlando
00:00:06
Speaker
Now I'm thinking, maybe I could live here? Like, yeah it passed the test with flying colors. And yeah, it's it's just really fun. And i speaking of the passion that they had, you know, Visit Orlando had about, you know, the city, how she was so excited to share it with us.
00:00:23
Speaker
I think that can be seen in all of these off the beaten path, like little known adventures, because you don't think of the major spots, the the theme parks, the big tourism hits.
00:00:35
Speaker
But it was, everyone was so passionate on these little places and I think it was absolutely lovely.
Hosts Begin Their Orlando Adventure
00:00:42
Speaker
Welcome back everyone to States of Discovery. I'm here in Orlando, Florida with my co-host Sarah. Hi Sarah. Hi Marissa. We're actually in front of each other today, which is amazing. Weird. It's it's a strange feeling. Yeah. Usually we're talking to each other through a computer, but here we're actually in person in Orlando.
00:01:05
Speaker
And we have some exciting episodes coming up for you guys. We do. We're doing something a little bit different. It's definitely exciting. And because we are together in real life, we were able to set up some fun adventures that we're going to be speaking to in the next couple of episodes.
Curating a Unique 72-Hour Guide
00:01:26
Speaker
And I did say episodes. So Marissa, why don't you what do you tell everyone what we're going to do? So for the next 100 episodes. I like the commitment. I do. um So we were invited here by Visit Orlando to have a fun couple of days.
00:01:45
Speaker
And... Sarah and i have gotten the chance to explore some pieces of Orlando that maybe we wouldn't normally have chosen for our itinerary, which is really exciting and fun for both of us to get this new taste of the city.
00:02:06
Speaker
Yeah, and especially because you're coming here as a Florida local. Yeah. I'm coming as an Ohio native. And although I've been through Orlando before for travel or what have you,
00:02:20
Speaker
I will say i was not prepared for what we what we did this this trip. Yeah. And so we've decided to curate this 72 hours in guide to Orlando that is not what you would expect from your typical trip. So we're not doing any theme parks. We're not doing any of your like usual theme parks.
00:02:42
Speaker
tourism stops in Orlando, but we are breaking things up into daily itineraries that you guys can use to see what we've seen and do what we've done, which I think is ah pretty exciting in terms of like a whole new adventure for the city.
Conversations with Passionate Locals
00:02:59
Speaker
Right. So this alternative guide 72 hours in Orlando I think for me, gave me some really exciting things to plan and share with friends and family when they talk about, even if you are coming down here for a major tourist destination, what you can really do. And believe me, i was really surprised by a lot of the conversations we had, especially the conversations we had, you know, really along the way.
00:03:24
Speaker
Yeah, we've we spoke to business owners. We've spoken to restaurant owners. locals on the street. And we're going to include some of that, those conversations into what we have for our daily itineraries. But I think what was so cool is the fact that we're talking to these Orlando residents and they're each kind of saying the same thing about their city, which is just having like a genuine appreciation for where they live.
00:03:51
Speaker
Yes. And i will say that this city has some of the most supportive, passionate, and positive people that I honestly ever met in the small business community and just like the general like social
Impressions of Orlando's Friendly Community
00:04:06
Speaker
community. i was really blown away by it. Yeah, everyone was super friendly to us.
00:04:11
Speaker
I don't know if we looked like out of town. Do I look like a Midwesterner? I don't know. I'm so curious because everyone was just so friendly and and like stopping to chat or offering up, you know, information or i feel like I didn't have, knock on wood, a bad experience or a bad interaction this whole time with another human being.
00:04:30
Speaker
Just me, honestly. it it was it was fabulous because the the stories I love about travel all are the alternative unplanned, unexpected stories. So even though you know we went on this these grand adventures that Visit Orlando help us plan, some of the fondest memories I made was maybe stumbling into a fledgling author in a bookstore to chat about their plans or maybe to talk about or to talk with restaurant owners about how they came up with the weirdest concepts on their menu. Yeah.
00:05:05
Speaker
Yeah. Everyone seemed really passionate about what they're doing in Orlando, whether it's their restaurant, their business, the museum that they've they've helped curate or facilitate.
00:05:16
Speaker
Even we sat down with a representative from Visit Orlando who was phenomenal. And you could just tell how much She absolutely adored her city. And I feel like when you have that type of love for a place, it really is infectious when you sit down with someone and they're just they can't stop raving about it. And then you're kind of like, well, you know, I'm curious. I wanna see what this is all about.
00:05:40
Speaker
And we had three days to do that.
Inspired by Orlando's Charm
00:05:43
Speaker
And one of the main ways i measure if I like a place or not is that whenever I get here, i think, you know what?
00:05:51
Speaker
I can move here. I can live here. And before this trip, when I thought of Orlando, I never once thought that, and I will tell you, absolutely. Now I'm thinking maybe I could live here.
00:06:04
Speaker
Like yeah it passed the test with flying colors and yeah, it's it's just really fun. And i speaking of the passion that they had, you know, Visit Orlando had about, you know, the city, how she was so excited to share it with us.
00:06:18
Speaker
I think that can be seen in all of these off the beaten path, like little known adventures, because you don't think of the major spots, the the theme parks, the big tourism hits.
00:06:31
Speaker
But it was everyone was so passionate on these little places, and I think it was absolutely lovely. Yeah. and i think So just curious, how many times did you check Zillow while you were here? Oh, OK. So listen, one of the things I love to do is if I'm driving around a place and I'm really blown away by the houses or the neighborhood or trees, I'm, oh, gosh. I could ramble about mature trees for hours.
00:06:57
Speaker
Really? No, truly. It's such an investment. Like, you can't just put one in the ground. Like, it's rare. Anyway. No, that's great. I absolutely...
00:07:09
Speaker
checked my my Zillow near maybe Winter Park, near maybe, what was that other? Rollins College. Rollins College. Yeah, sign me up over there. Someone, anyone wants to, ah maybe I'll just enroll in Rollins College. That's what I thought. Keep getting degrees because, wow, that campus was absolutely stunning.
00:07:29
Speaker
And so speaking of, do do you want to just like drop a couple of things for people of what we did like things that we were able to participate in that we're going to cover in these daily itineraries, just like a little sneak peek.
Unique Orlando Adventures
00:07:43
Speaker
Yeah. Um, so, I mean, to start just because it's fresh in my mind, i think I had an outdoor adventure that unlike any other i will ever have probably, you know, I'll leave the comments for later, but it was definitely unique.
00:08:00
Speaker
It was alligator wrestling. No. there I survived. Don't worry. Unsolicited alligator wrestling. No. um Yeah, that will be that will probably be one of my favorite stories to tell in these episodes.
00:08:14
Speaker
But I also had my first full Filipino Filipino dining experience at Kaya, which was wow. I cannot wait to tell you guys about this meal.
00:08:25
Speaker
Wow. Kaya, it blew me away. Yeah. Not only the food. But the experience, the people, i want I want to live there if possible. Yes.
00:08:37
Speaker
Surrounded by mature trees in the. There were some mature trees. There was a party coming out and I heard her telling them about the trees and I was trying to listen. but i do I heard that too. I didn't get the scoop.
00:08:48
Speaker
um We also had probably one of the best breakfasts of our lives.
Culinary Discoveries and Recommendations
00:08:53
Speaker
Oh my. Best pancakes, chef Trina Gregory of seven bites. We actually like sat down and broke bread with her per se. I'll say bread, but it was like a banana bread with peanut butter and like syrup and all the goodness. Just wow. What a wonderful wonderful conversation from someone who absolutely loves Orlando and loves her community, loves the people and just wants to see this city shine.
00:09:18
Speaker
And speaking of that, not only does she want to see this city shine. Oh, that's hard. I know. I just... see See the city shine. But we got some amazing recommendations outside of what we did yeah that we would really love to share because they sound like incredible places. Some we hit, some we didn't, but Some of the best of the best recommended them in the city, so we're excited
A Unique 72-Hour Itinerary
00:09:41
Speaker
to share those. Yeah, it was a really comprehensive 72 hours. So we're going to give you really fun, unique things to do. We're going to give you restaurants to eat at, places where you can grab coffee and you can grab
00:09:56
Speaker
uh you know an egg sandwich and all this fun stuff we're gonna give it to you broken up into three days and but really you could do with with with it what you will you can take these experiences make your own itinerary but we just want to show you an alternative way of enjoying orlando Exactly. And speaking as a very sleepy person, i was, this 72 hours in Orlando that we're going to cover, I was able to do and survive.
00:10:23
Speaker
yeah Minimal crying, minimal. Minimal complaining. Yeah, it was honestly, it was great. And so this, I like to call it, you know, reverse tourism. We were talking about that earlier.
00:10:36
Speaker
It's the not, it's what we do at Only In Your State and what we love to talk about at States of Discovery. It's having the curiosity to discover these off the beaten path path places that are so, so unique and will change your perspective on perhaps a city.
00:10:51
Speaker
And you'll decide to to say, maybe, maybe you could move here. Yeah. so everyone come along on this journey with us for these episodes and break your misconceptions that you have about Orlando, because that is exactly what happened to us in these past 72 hours. And we really can't wait for you to join us on this journey.
00:11:12
Speaker
I couldn't say it better myself. Catch you later listeners.
00:11:37
Speaker
Only in Your State is an award-winning travel publisher that uncovers hidden gems and local favorites across the U.S. We have a presence in all 50 states with a passionate following of fellow travelers looking to get out and explore.
00:11:49
Speaker
Head on over to onlyinyourstate.com to find the best attractions in your backyard and beyond.