There's so much to do in Central Florida - it's alligator-watching, museum-going, hang-gliding, good-food-eating fun for the whole family.

Orlando is known as a perfect family destination, due to its amazing theme parks, aquariums, zoos, and water parks. But did you know that the Orlando area has even more to offer you and your family? Scattered among the rides and slides are unique cultural opportunities, fine and fun dining spots, and thrilling outside adventures.

Culture and History
Winter Park, dating back to the 1880s, charms visitors with a window into the world of Florida's past. The heart of Central Florida's oldest community is a 10-block area filled with oak-shaded brick streets, magnificent historic homes, and a plethora of upscale boutiques, galleries, and cafes. You can also explore the city's charms by water, with a guided Winter Park scenic boat tour that takes you through canals and nearby lakes.

Not to be missed in Winter Park is the Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which houses the world's most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The massive collection includes Tiffany jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded-glass windows, and of course, Tiffany lamps. The museum also boasts the chapel interior Tiffany designed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Fine and Family Dining
Orlando has the food you want, whether you're looking for a casual, fun restaurant or the latest in fine cuisine. For a one-of-a-kind dining experience that will delight both young and old, check out the creative and inspired Cafe Tu Tu Tango. While you're eating, you'll have an opportunity to see local artists creating paintings and local performers singing, dancing, and juggling. The menu is an eclectic mix of unusual appetizers (mostly tapas) for adults and more standard fare, like corn dogs and grilled cheese, for children. For an animal-themed eatery, The Rainforest Cafe is a good bet--most children love the sounds and scenery. Everywhere you look, you'll find nicely noisy robotic lions, gorillas, monkeys, and birds surrounded by a jungle decor.

For upscale dining, look to one of several award-winning Orlando restaurants, like Manuel's or Seasons 52. At the top of the Bank of America Building, Manuel's (aka Manuel's on the 28th) offers big windows with a fabulous view of the city and critically acclaimed contemporary world cuisine. Seasons 52 prides itself on an ever-changing, seasonally inspired menu. Every item on the menu is less than 475 calories, and the meals are designed to balance lean meat and seafood with "good" carbohydrates and oils.

Outdoor Adventures
If your family is looking for more thrills and chills once you're finished with the theme parks, then there are several locations just outside Orlando where you'll want to head.

At Wallaby Ranch Hang Gliding Flight Park in nearby Davenport, you can hang glide for 20 minutes from 2,000 feet in the air--without any previous experience. You will be tethered securely to a tandem glider with an instructor by your side, showing you how to control the glider by shifting your weight.

Want to fly a bit higher? Try one of the area's best-kept secrets--Fantasy of Flight--where you can experience the excitement of the "golden era of flight" firsthand. This unique attraction offers bi-plane rides seasonally from October through May. Take your kids up for a 15-minute flight in a New Standard D-25 vintage barnstormer, or go up in a dual cockpit World War II Boeing Stearman PT-17 and learn how pilots trained for flying during the war.

No mention of Florida adventure would be complete without one of the greatest thrills of all...the possibility of seeing Florida alligators up close and personal. At Boggy Creek Airboat Rides in Kissimmee, you can glide through canals and swamps in the Central Florida Everglades, with beautiful views of cypress trees, wetlands, and wildlife. And here's a tip: you'll likely see the most alligators during Boggy Creek's night airboat tour, which will give you a unique opportunity to tour the Everglades in the dark.

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