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Chris-Ottawa

Anyone able to help us out for a Florida Jan 16-20, 2017 Mini Vacation? (Non-Skydiving)

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Morning everyone,

When I was single, I came to ZHills and jumped for 3 weeks during Christmas 2007 and 4 weeks during Christmas 2008. Then I met my wife. Now, this isn't a bad thing, but it means that I can't just be a DZ bum for weeks on end and spend all my time/money on jumping. The wife has never been to Florida, and I'm not bringing gear (it hurts so much!!!), so I'm trying to plan a decent trip for her. I would certainly jump if I could get my hands on gear while I'm there, and probably will rent something for a couple of jumps.

Anyways, The more common things are easy (Disney/SeaWorld/Busch, various aquariums, Kennedy space center, Key West (maybe) etc), but there are a few things that I'm wondering if locals can recommend or point me in a good direction.

1) An inexpensive place to stay. I was thinking a DZ trailer might be ideal because it would give us a dry place to stay and maybe put some cash in someone's pocket while they're not there during the week (I'll even bring a special gift, like real maple syrup or something). (I think Pip and Judy still rent trailers, but I'd like to get something a bit nicer). With that said, is anyone interested in renting their trailer or a room for 5 nights? It'll literally be a place to sleep as we'll be out doing attractions pretty much all day, every day. We'll arrive in Orlando Monday the 16th at 9am and be leaving Friday at 8pm so the weekend is untouched.

2) Alligator and/or Air boat tour or something similar (kayaking, canoe seadoo etc). Anyone have a recommendation for a good one, or are they all pretty reasonable? Are there better locations than others in the Everglades? Maybe this is something we should avoid all together?

3) Guns... Let's be honest, gun laws in Canada suck. I do have a various hunting rifles and a handgun of my own, but I'd love to spend an hour or two at a range shooting some other types of guns I could never dream of owning here in Canada (black rifles, semi-auto, auto etc). If anyone can point me in the right direction or knows somewhere I can reach out to, I'd appreciate it. I can't seem to find somewhere that I can just go rent guns without a membership etc.

4) Anything else you'd recommend as a "do not miss" type activity/event. We're down for pretty much anything and I'd love to know what some of the locals might recommend, including places to eat!!!

*We will have a rental vehicle for the whole trip so travelling within reason is not a problem. We'll be basing ourselves around Orlando/Tampa/St Petes.

Thanks in advance!
"When once you have tasted flight..."

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You will be in Florida at the perfect time for manatee viewing, which is way better than alligator viewing, IMO. Look into "swim with the manatees" experiences in the Crystal River area. If the weather is nice, you can also rent your own pontoon boat there and take yourselves over to a cool place where the manatees hang out at Three Sisters Spring. The water is always 72 degrees in the springs, so it's up to you if you want to get in the water.

Clearwater Beach is a nice beach to go to. One place I haven't been to, but want to, is Caladesi Island State Park. It's always rated as one of the best beaches in the area. You have to take a kayak, boat or ferry to get to it, but it is supposed to be quiet and beautiful and a nice getaway for a couple.

Another highly rated beach is Siesta Key, in Sarasota (I grew up there). The sand is like baby powder! Shop, or window shop, where the rich people shop at St. Armands Circle. I highly recommend a visit to the Ringling Museum. There's actually three separate buildings you explore with your one entry ticket: a highly rated art museum, a circus museum (it's so cool!) and the historic and beautiful mansion, the Ca’ d’Zan, that was styled after a Venetian palazzo. Normiss and I spent about three hours there recently and we wished we had more time.

If you really want to see gators, Gatorland is actually fun and a throw-back to what theme parks in FL used to be like, back in the day. You will see a lot more wildlife than just gators. You can even sign up for zipline fun that takes you right over a pond filled with gators. :o:ph34r: That would be a fun place to go if you're going to visit Orlando for a day. There are some thrill rides on I-Drive that might be fun for you, and the bar scene in downtown Orlando is pretty hopping (I hear). And, I think every outlet store is here, if your wife likes shopping. There are also airboat rides at Boggy Creek near Orlando that you can take.

The theme parks are so crowded and expensive, we don't even go there. I like these other activities that I listed much better. Hope I've helped!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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Wow, thank you so much for the info...that's fantastic.

I hadn't realized that manatees could be viewed in Florida, but I know for fact that my wife will love that much, much more (as would I). I'm cool not seeing alligators as I actually swam (unknowingly) with a small alligator in the ZHills Swoop pond for New Year's 2007/8. I was searching Davey Jones' locker for the sunken treasure from the pirate ship...drunk as hell. Anyways....once again, my single days.

I'll absolutely check out some of the places you mentioned as this is exactly what I was looking for. Something that a local may know more than the typical tourist spots.

Thank you so much!
"When once you have tasted flight..."

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Will you be in the area the weekend before or after that week or both? I don't live in that area, but I travel there a bunch and I have some things that I guarantee you will not get in Canada.

Another Canadian with one of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0prPFD_Oa4&list=PLaG50Nso598ByWF5HgG9CFhV4MfV5SD46&index=10

So if you will be in town on the weekend and I can swing it, I'll bring one up.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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That would certainly be fantastic and the offer is very much appreciated, but unfortunately we won't be there for any part of either weekend. Again, I appreciate the offer... Maybe next time!

If it was my choice, I'd stay down there for a couple weeks, but my wife doesn't get much time off so we're on a pretty tight schedule.

Thanks again!
"When once you have tasted flight..."

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How many hours to drive from Orlando to Key West?



It's a long drive at 7-8 hours. It's actually probably longer than the maps say because traffic is really slow on the two lane roads once you get into the Keys. It's totally beautiful down there, but it would make for a rushed trip. It'd be better to have a three day weekend there.
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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Thank you so much!



You are so welcome! Let me know if you like, or don't like, any of the things I mentioned. If you don't like them, I'll stop suggesting them to people!
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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skymama

Quote

How many hours to drive from Orlando to Key West?



It's a long drive at 7-8 hours. It's actually probably longer than the maps say because traffic is really slow on the two lane roads once you get into the Keys. It's totally beautiful down there, but it would make for a rushed trip. It'd be better to have a three day weekend there.



We're taking it as one of those "we've been there" type of trips, but I agree, it'll be longer than we expect I'm sure. I'm actually thinking of changing our plans to have a stay somewhere in the keys to avoid driving there and back in the same day, but the options are fairly slim and very pricey. AIRBNB seems to be my best bet for that.

I'll keep you posted on what we end up doing an dhow we liked the events we chose.
"When once you have tasted flight..."

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Just to follow up after our vacation, I wanted to say thank you again Skymama. The manatee experience was absolutely incredible. Because the weather was unseasonably warm while we were there, there weren't a tonne of manatees, but we did see several. Highlight of our trip for sure!

Here's one of the clips from one of the more interested/playful manatees. It was definitely a unique experience. We went with River Ventures in Crystal River. Great company and would definitely recommend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB6NYB-1xeE

Thanks again!
"When once you have tasted flight..."

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Oh my gosh, that video is awesome! That manatee rolled over for you like a cat does when it wants a pet. That must have been so amazing to do.

I'm glad you had a good time. Thanks for following up and letting me know! I'll recommend the experience to others now. B|

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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Looks like you had a fun trip.

Just as an aside, you know you could have seen the same size creatures at Disney World and wouldn't have had to get in the water, don't you?
Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

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This is true... But the whole point is that we did it in the wild. We did go to Busch gardens, Lowry Park and Clearwater Aquarium... But it's a world of difference seeing them naturally and unconfined. Plus, having them intact with you like that is incredible.
"When once you have tasted flight..."

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