There's already so much to do while you're visiting Orlando, but why not add a dash of weird to your road trip adventure? Don't worry, there are plenty of wonderfully offbeat things to do in the City Beautiful. Look no further than this guide to some of the quirkier highlights of this popular Florida destination!
Orlando is home to iFLY Orlando, a human body flight simulator. In other words, it’s an indoor skydiving tunnel where you can suit up and experience the rush without worrying about the hitting the ground.
Note: Two 60 second flights in the tube is going to set you back around $60-- not exactly cheap, but it's less pricey than an actual skydiving excursion.
Artegon Marketplace has all kinds of offbeat shops, ranging from comic book shops to tattoo parlors. Best of all, the lobby has an insane 30-foot high zip-line and climbing fence: perfect for any parent with kids who need to blow off some steam.
Make sure to swing by the Skyzone trampoline park while you're at it, and then grab some food at one of the venders. It's the perfect answer to the tourist trap gift shops, and you won't leave empty handed.
This may be the Holy Grail of bizarre US theme parks. At this living Biblical theme park, you can visit the Jerusalem Street Market, the Cavalry’s Garden Tomb, the Wilderness Tabernacle, or the Smile of a Child Adventure Land. Tickets will run you $50 each, but once you're inside you'll be surrounded by plastic Jesuses and live baptisms.
If you’re looking for a place to grab some grub, Hamburger Mary’s is a genuine classic-kitsch bar and grill. Known for their “half-pound burgers and hefty sides of sass”, Hamburger Mary’s is the perfect place to split a hubcap-sized burger and soak in some quirk before hitting the road to head off on your next adventure.
Hard Knocks - Beyond Laser Tag is the nation's first indoor combat simulation arena open for entertainment, law enforcement training and corporate team building. They have over 30,000 square-feet of urban-themed combat area and Florida's largest, most advanced Gaming Lounge. That means that you can spend some time booking the bad guys, and then play the slots afterwards to blow off some steam.
If you're headed to Orlando to hit the bars, look no further than the Parliament House, a budget friendly hotel/nightclub. Parking can be a bit of a pain, but luckily there is plenty of free parking nearby.
At Pirates Dinner Adventure, you and your hungry companions are special guests of Princess Anita, but as the show and meal progress, you’ll find you’ve been taken hostage by a hoard of… you guessed it, treacherous singing pirates, led by the infamous Sebastian the Black.
Not only are the cast and crew some of the best in the business, the food is delicious and will leave even the most hungry pirate busting at the leather waistcoat. And don’t worry: Pirates Dinner Adventure is 100% kid friendly.
You can’t think about weird without Ripely’s Believe It or Not popping into your head, and the Orlando Odditorium is about as weird as it gets! Visitors are invited to explore the amazingly crooked building and take an hour-long tour where they'll see some of the strangest things imaginable.
Want to see a Rolls Royce made out of a million matchsticks? They’ve got one! How about a piece of the Berlin Wall, or a cannibal dinosaur, or even a copy of the Mona Lisa made entirely out of toast? They’ve got those too.
Central Florida Racing Complex is not your neighborhood race track. Used for autocross, drifting, and drag racing, the 1/8 mile surface is where the pros come to show off their insane driving skills. Every single race is guaranteed to get your adrenaline going, thanks to the famously fierce driver competition. Expect lots of crashes!
Gatorland is a completely safe, family friendly, 110-acre alligator park perfect for an afternoon adventure. Guests are invited to visit the petting zoo, see a Gator Wrestlin' Show, take a ride on the Gatorland Express train to the splash park, or have an up-close experience at the Encounters Show.
If you had a hard time deciding whether you wanted to spend your vacation in Orlando or Dublin, don't worry, because Raglan Road Irish Pub is pretty much the next best thing... and it's smack dab in the middle of Orlando.
Grab a pint of Guinness and some delicious traditional Irish grub and get ready for a good time. Slainte!
Video games and booze: what more could you ask for? Player 1 Video Game Bar will not only get you drunk, it will also keep you and your friends entertained for hours on end. For $5, you can get unlimited play, which sets you loose on the new and vintage games, hassle-free, for an entire night.
WonderWorks bills itself as “an amusement park for the mind." The upside-down building, modeled after some kind of bizarro White House, feature movie theaters with full-motion sets, a huge indoor ropes course, and over 100 interactive exhibits for both kids and adults alike.
Icebar is the world’s largest permanent ice bar, and one of the top “extreme barhopping” locations in the entire country. Once you arrive at Icebar a hostess supplies you with a warm thermal coat and gloves to keep you nice and toasty while you sip cocktails. They even have benches, seats, and tables made entirely out of ice. Even the bar is carved entirely from one massive block of frozen ice.
The Harry P. Leu Gardens were created by Mr. and Mrs. Leu, who spent the early 20th century traveling around the world and bringing back some of the coolest keepsakes ever. After their deaths in the early 60s, the gardens and land were given to the City of Orlando and became a public garden, museum, and art gallery where guests (and both amateur and experienced horticulturists) could come and learn. Today the garden contains over 2,000 plants, broken up into groupings including magnolias, roses, palms, lilies, and bromeliads... and tickets to this lush wonderland only cost $10.
On Sunday nights at Spacebar, you can actually bring your own vinyls and spin some tunes. Known as being one of the best bars in the city, Spacebar also has one of the best selections of beer you'll find anywhere in Orlando.
This is everything you could ever want in fast food! Hot Dog Heaven sticks to the greasy staples, with a selection of burgers, hot dogs, and fries. They even have an authentic Chicago-style dog, so if you've got a craving for some Chi-Town grub, you know where to go.
Turn your trip to Orlando into an offbeat adventure, and you're guaranteed to have a memorable vacation!