Orlando, for free: 10 ways to see the city beyond pricey its theme parks

01.10.2024 - 09:07 / lonelyplanet.com

Sep 30, 2024 • 6 min read

Orlando’s major amusement parks are world-famous – and can be famously expensive, too. Yet if you have some time yet not much money left after your time with the Mouse, you might be pleasantly surprised at the many attractions and activities in and around Orlando that don’t cost a dime. There are no long lines, either.

Here are the best free things to do in Orlando.

This little city park sits between downtown and Thornton Park. A paved sidewalk circles the shore, a waterside playground delights little ones, and swan paddleboats are available for rent if you want to take to the water ($15 for 30 minutes). To see the real thing, keep an eye out for white swans and other birds that live in the park. A paved 1-mile walkway encircles the lake.

Consistent shade, convenient location and a fenced-in playground make it an ideal escape for families. Street parking is found all around the park.

Stretching along the shore of Lake Buena Vista, the Disney Springs complex boasts an outdoor pedestrian mall that lures tourists with a huge number of restaurants, bars, music venues and shops.

This is also where you’ll find the stage show Drawn to Life, a collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, and the largest Disney store in the world. Here, a Disney-inflected party atmosphere is the norm, particularly on the weekends, with street performers dancing on stilts, parents pushing strollers loaded with Disney shopping bags, and hundreds upon hundreds of people enjoying waterside drinks and excellent cuisine.

Although most of the restaurants and bars will have a Disney premium added to prices, a stroll around the grounds to take in the atmosphere is absolutely free.

Unfurling along the shore of Crescent Lake, just across from Epcot, the quarter-mile-long Disney’s BoardWalk echoes a waterfront promenade of a turn-of-the-20th-century seaside resort. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, magicians, jugglers and musicians add a festive vibe, and diners can choose a handful of good restaurants and bars. Pick up a doughnut or cute Mickey Mouse cakes at the bakery, and toot around on a surrey-with-the-fringe-on-top bike.

Far less harried and crowded than Disney Springs, Disney World’s entertainment district is free to the public, and the bridge connecting the BoardWalk to the Yacht Club and Beach Club is a good spot to watch the nightly Epcot fireworks.

When Orlandoans tell visitors about the beauty of their city, many of them mention Winter Park, a bucolic town (well, city) 15 minutes north of downtown that was founded in the mid-19th century as a winter getaway for wealthy Northerners. The town grew up around liberal-arts school Rollins College, Florida’s oldest institution of higher learning. Here, you’ll find