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Orlando 10Best Bet AwardsSlices of Life
Instead of looking like a tourist, it's satisfying to blend into the background and experience the city like a local. Here, we'll let you know about the locales that city residents frequent. On the list are places like Saturday farmers' markets, summer music concerts, and even historic churches that pull folks in each Sunday. We'll direct you to bypass the tourist traps and get a feel for what it's like to live rather than to sightsee.
1st Thursdays at the Orlando Museum of Art
Address: 2416 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803
Highlighting local artists and presenting a unifying theme to the evening, this popular event attracts lots of folks. Past exhibits have focused on chocolate, textiles, and illustration, but no matter the medium, the crowd that convenes is always eclectic (often as interesting to observe as the art). They're also...
Address: 108 Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789
Once you've treated yourself to lavas (a soft flat bread) and dipping sauces – maybe yogurt-based haydari or eggplant-based babagannush – you may forget that you have a full meal coming. Even so, make sure you give yourself over to char-grilled lamb chops, chicken or lamb sis kebap, or a luscious moussaka. Servers are...
Address: 3207 Curry Ford Rd, Dover Plaza, Orlando, FL 32806
Yes, "resale" does conjure up images of a thrift store, but this enterprise is upscale and filled with high-end merchandise. At Dechoes' three locations, you can scout out lots of women's and men's clothing. In fact, savvy locals often spend a whole day hitting up each store in the triumvirate. Filled with cardigans,...
Address: 544 W Fairbanks Ave, Fiddler's Green Irish Pub & Eatery, Winter Park, FL 32789
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Trivia-minded patrons regularly gather for these entertaining nights, which test folks' breadth of obscure knowledge. You can play solo or team trivia, and the opportunity to combine useless facts with alcohol consumption means that the "no blurting" rule is broken at least once. It also guarantees that everyone has a...
Address: 6405 S US Hwy 17-92, Casselberry, FL 32730
During this most unusual but entertaining sport, you'll watch players – often natives of Europe's Basque region, with names like Marku and Azpillaga – furiously hurl a pelota (hard rubber ball) at the wall with a cesta (curved wicker basket attached to the arm), attempting to accrue more points than the competing...
Address: Amway Arena, 600 W Amelia St, Orlando, FL 32801
From October to April (and hopefully into the postseason!), Orlandites flock to see these hardwood magicians play in Amway Arena. Even during times that the team is in the NBA's cellar, visitors can count on raucous energy, blaring music, antics by Stuff the Magic's Dragon (the team mascot), and, of course, cold beer....
Address: 8615 Florida Rock Rd, Orlando, FL 32824
Orlando is one of the world's biggest wakeboarding hubs. In fact, it's home to Wakeboarding magazine, and it breeds pros like hometown hero Dallas Friday, the top-ranked female wakeboarder in the world. If you've never heard of kneeboarding and wakeskating, then when you get to "the cable park" (named for the...
Address: 2916 Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL 32803
There are no perfectly tweezed Mouseketeers faux-rapping to bubblegum beats here. This independently-owned shop slings new and used indie CDs, and it's the place to stock up on tickets for local shows (if they're selling 'em, buy 'em, even if you've never heard of the band). Park Avenue also hosts weekly in-store...
Address: 2100 W French Ave, Blue Spring State Park, Orange City, FL 32763
Join the Woxbergs on a 2-hour, pontoon-boat cruise around Blue Spring State Park, which encompasses a section of the St. Johns River. Look for the ghostly shadow of West Indian manatees (they populate the river from mid-November through March) as you cruise, and keep an eye out for alligators sunning themselves on the...
Address: 200 W New England Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789
Held largely in a restored train depot in downtown Winter Park, this market certainly sells fresh, standard fare: just-picked produce, potted and cut flowers, and locally made pastas. But its quirky characters – cowboy-hatted vendors who pop kettle corn the old-fashioned way, a man selling butterfly pupae – keep...
