It goes without saying that you should spend a couple of days during your Orlando trip visiting theme parks. Though parades and fireworks shows aren’t on the agenda for the time being, the smaller crowds offer an opportunity to experience popular rides with shorter lines. Still, make reservations ahead of time using Disney’s helpful My Disney Experience app, which also lets you book tables and order meals at restaurants and unlock your room at Disney resorts. MagicBands can also link to your account and are a contactless way to enter the parks and charge food and merchandise to your room. At Universal Studios, the Universal Express passes let you skip the long lines, even on Harry Potter rides.

There are plenty of other appealing attractions outside of the theme parks. Spend an afternoon wandering the orange groves and flower-lined pathways of the Harry P Leu Gardens, stopping for a picnic lunch on the lawn. Skim across the grasslands on an Everglades airboat tour while keeping watch for alligators. Visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition to view 200 items recovered from the sunken shipwreck, plus full-scale room recreations with costumed actors. And view the region’s most compelling collection of artistic works at the Orlando Museum of Art, which has a particularly strong collection of American art.

The city of Orlando has an excellent dining scene, and our advice is to enjoy its full high-low spectrum. On the upscale end, there’s Kadence, a nine-seat sushi bar that offers an omakase-style tasting experience (a Japanese tradition where the fish is all selected by the chef based on what’s freshest that day).

If you’d rather dine more casually, check out Black Bean Deli, a café with a killer Cuban sandwich. The mingling of sweet ham, cheese, and pickles in toasted bread is considered a signature Floridian dish, thanks to the state’s large Cuban population.

Can’t decide what you’re in the mood for? Get a little taste of everything at East End Market, a food hall showcasing the best independent chefs and vendors in the region.

There are malls galore in Orlando, but if you know where to look, you can find some unique local stores as well. Case in point: Washburn Imports, which sells one-off pieces of furniture and home accessories in the front of its store, while offering customers a tipple at The Imperial wine bar in back.

If unique vintage items are your thing, peruse the extensive collection of old vinyl records at Rock & Roll Heaven, or retro designer clothing at Dechoes Resale.

For an afternoon of browsing and window-shopping, head to Winter Park’s Park Avenue, which has a better ratio of independently owned stores to chains than most of the big malls.

About a 20-minute drive north of Orlando you’ll find Wekiwa Springs, a state park known for its clear, turquoise waters. Take a dip in the cool spring, kayak down the Wekiwa River and Rock Springs Run, or explore the 13 miles of trails that weave through the park. A visit here will give you a taste of what Central Florida was like when the Timucuan Indians resided here centuries ago.

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