Unless you live under a rock, you know about the theme parks in Orlando. But there’s so much more to do than just Disney and Universal. On our three day trip to O Town, we did spend some time at Universal (read about that here) but we also made time for a little local flavor – some really really tasty flavor.
Here are just a few of the things we did, saw and ate in Orlando.
Where We Stayed
First off, let’s talk about where we stayed. Margaritaville Hotels and Resorts provide a laid-back yet upscale experience. No matter the latitude, Margaritaville delivers island attitude. The best part of the Orlando location is that there is so much entertainment on site. In addition to the pools, bars and restaurants at the hotel, there’s a water park, movie theatre, shops and restaurants right on property at Promenade at Sunset Walk!
What We Ate
As soon as we landed, we set off for lunch. Just around the corner from the resort, we found Sickie’s Garage. They have such a HUGE menu it was almost impossible to make a selection.
What we ate: Pretzel Fries (Fry-size soft pretzel sticks served with warm beer cheese dipping sauce), Sweet Chili Wings, The Smoky Burnout (Smoky meats on top of a burger with bacon, beef brisket, Jameson sauce, and cheddar cheese) and the Cinnamon Toast Shake (Cinnamon Toast Crunch® cereal, Fireball® Whisky, and Rumchata®).
On night one, we dined at Euphoria Fish House located adjacent the Margaritaville lobby.
What we ate: Lobster Roll, Grilled Broccolini, Florida Grouper served with Crab Fried Rice, Soy-ginger Glaze and Citrus Zest and the Salmon, which was served with Lemon, Roasted Baby Potatoes, Citrus Beurre Blanc and Baby Spinach.
On night two, we checked out Yeoman’s Cask and Lion located at the Promenade at Sunset Walk. It’s a British pub with fab decor and a broad menu.
What we ate: Bangin’ Brussels Sprouts, Cambridge Wings (served with Buffalo or Coconut-Curry Wing Sauce), the Brie Castle Sandwich (Toasted Sandwich Filled with Brie & Muenster Cheese, Arugula, Caramelized Onion, Granny Smith Apples, and Pot Roast on Toasted Sourdough Bread), and Shepherd’s Pie (a House-Made Shepherd’s Pie paired with Fresh Veggies with Beef and Braised Short Ribs, Topped with Creamy Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes). In addition to that, we tried two drinks. The first was the Marmalade Sour, made with Jameson Irish Whiskey Caskmates IPA Edition, Triple Sec, Lemon Sour and Orange Marmalade. The second was the Gin Garden made with Hendrick’s Gin, Elderflower Umbers and O Tonic.
Night three included a late night run to White Castle – ALWAYS a good idea.
But the best meal was at Se7en Bites located near downtown in the Milk District. Specializing in nostalgic southern comfort foods with a modern twist, this brunch spot is run by Chef Trina Gregory-Propst and has been featured on the Food Network a number of times.
What we ate: 7th Trimester (buttermilk garlic biscuit, over medium egg, applewood smoked bacon, smothered in five cheese mac n’cheese, topped with a potato chip bacon crumble), Minnie Pearl (two pearl sugar waffles hugging our “almost famous” buttermilk fried chicken with a splash of HOT (spicy, kickin, buffalo- for all you temp-spice-level wonderers) honey & over medium egg , topped with vanilla bean butter syrup and served with a side of cheddar chive grits), And the Cheezy Q (BBQ Pulled Pork , Mac-n-cheese, crispy onion tanglers on brioche bun, served with crispy seasoned tator tots served with signature scratch-made ranch for dipping). This food is legit to die for.
What Else We Did
So the actual catalyst for the trip was Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but since the park closes at 6pm in the winter, we had our evenings free for other fun. As previously mentioned, there’s a lot to do at the Promenade at Sunset Walk – and we wanted to try it all. We popped in at each of the following: River Street Sweets, El Jefe Tequilas, Rock & Brews and The Wharf.
Whenever we travel, we want to get a locals experience in addition to the tourist. That’s why we went to eat at Se7en Bites. We also stopped by some downtown spots including Wally’s Bar and Liquors, Casey’s on Central and Lake Eola Park.
Of course, all that running around can sometimes make you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation. But we did get some relaxation in! At Margaritaville, we enjoyed massages at the St. Somewhere Spa. And we ended each day with a good night’s sleep thanks to Ampersand CBD’s Citrus Tincture Oil 2000mg. Learn more about how their products enhanced our travel experience here.
Looking for more travel recs? Check out all of our ATX Trips right here.
