T-Rex Restaurant in downtown Disney Orlando, FL

Bed and Breakfasts in Orlando, FL

Sometimes couples and business travelers look for the charming settings and top notch service that comes with staying at a bed and breakfast. Antique settings and unique rooms typify the best bed and breakfasts and next time you are in Orlando, you might consider staying in an Orlando bed and breakfast as an alternative to the hotels and resorts. Take advantage of morning breakfasts to start your day off right before heading out to the Orlando theme parks, top Orlando Florida golf courses, or to explore town. And all the while, you’ll know that you are coming back to the comfortable and relaxing settings at your Orlando bed and breakfast. The list below offers ideas for an Orlando bed and breakfast, and for the best option for a bed and breakfast Universal Studios Orlando.

The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne, found at 211 North Lucerne Circle East, has your best interests in mind. This is a unique bed and breakfast in Orlando offering thirty different rooms set in 4 beautiful homes, and there are spacious wedding and event facilities for guests to use. The accommodations at The Courtyard provide great options for both the romantic couple, and the discerning business traveler looking for extra comfort and added space. Once check-in is finished, during which the staff provides you with complimentary wine, you can make plans to head back to the parlor for the daily cocktail hour. For those planning weddings in Florida, The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne has an able staff to help make your ceremony and reception extra special. There are two different wedding venues for couples to choose from, both offering beautiful settings for that special day. The location of The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne in downtown Orlando has guests close to all the action, and it makes for an ideal spot to hold your next special event, from business to pleasure. Rates at The Courtyard range from $99-$225 a night depending on the room you select. The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Veranda Bed and Breakfast is a European-style bed and breakfast in Orlando located in charming Thornton Park at 115 N. Summerlin Avenue. Staying in Thornton Park has you nearby a fine selection of restaurants and wonderful shopping opportunities, and The Veranda is also an ideal place for your next special event. Family gatherings, business meetings and especially weddings find the grounds at The Veranda to offer the perfect backdrop for a truly charming southern affair. Enjoy the style and taste of the five completely renovated historic buildings featuring a nice array of accommodations from rooms to cottages. The accommodations vary in theme, size and price, and wedding couples will enjoy the lovely honeymoon suite. The grounds at The Veranda are laid in a beautiful garden setting, and the courtyard serves as an excellent meeting place. When it’s time to relax, get rid of some stress at the swimming pool and spa area, although with all the room and property amenities offered here, stress usually isn’t part of the equation. Thornton park offers quaint and historic settings, and Walt Disney World and Universal Studios are just 20 minutes away. Expect to pay from $109-$189 per night at this quaint bed and breakfast in Orlando and around $249 to combine the cottage and junior suite.

The Perri House Bed and Breakfast Inn is your best bet for a bed and breakfast Universal Studios Orlando experience. It is located just 10 minutes from Universal Studios at 10417 Vista Oaks Court, and its sprawling fifteen-plus acres provide nature lovers with a welcome retreat away from the hustle and bustle of Orlando. The Perri House prides itself as a unique Orlando bed and breakfast option that mixes the pleasures of life with the joy of nature. The property’s bird sanctuary offers an array of birdwatching opportunities, and the Perri House even provides binoculars for guests to use out in the fields. Accommodations at the Perri House are comprised of 8 beautifully decorated rooms, and a new villa addition, each with private entrances and access to the common library and kitchen. The pool is circled by a generous patio with a spa overlooking it, and comfortable seating areas are found throughout in cabana-style settings complete with umbrellas and soft-flowing curtains. The Perri House is adjacent to the Grand Cypress Resort and Spa and guests can enjoy discounts at either the Grand Cypress golf course, or at the resort’s equestrian center. It is worth noting that Jack Nicholas designed the Grand Cypress Resort course, and it is both beautiful and challenging. Rates at the Perri House start at $99 per night for this bed and breakfast Universal Studios Orlando area inn, and it is an ideal spot to call home during your stay in Orlando. Like the aforementioned inns, the Perri House has ample facilities for your upcoming special event, and can help make your wedding a special one

Orlando Dinner Shows

When planning your vacation, theme parks and golf courses might be the first attractions that come to mind, but going to see Orlando dinner shows is also one of the great forms of entertainment in Orlando.

One of the popular dinner shows in Orlando is the Pirates Dinner Adventure Orlando. With night-sky lighting, a giant indoor lagoon and Spanish galleon, plenty of swashbuckling adventure, music, pyrotechnics, stunts, and humor, the Pirates Dinner Show Orlando is a show for all ages. The audience involvement extends even to children, who can row dinghies or help save a princess from an evil Captain. The show kicks off with an appetizer buffet, and then the feast presents soup, salad, a choice of entrees (perhaps pork tenderloin, roast chicken, or seafood) served with potatoes or rice, and apple cobbler. Complimentary coffee, soft drinks, beer, and wine are also offered during the main show.

Another one of the popular Orlando dinner shows is the Medieval Times Orlando. This dinner show offers hours of eleventh-century entertainment and a hearty four-course feast, all inspired by the medieval tradition of royal families giving a feast and festival and watching knights compete in jousts. The entertainment includes live horsemanship, hand-to-hand combat, jousting, and falconry, while the feast often includes garlic bread, tomato bisque, roasted chicken, potatoes, pastry, and drinks. Of course, true to eleventh-century traditions, you'll be eating with your fingers. The lively atmosphere makes the Medieval Times in Orlando a great choice for casual and family-friendly entertainment in Orlando

The Makahiki Luau at Sea World is another one of the dinner shows in Orlando. It promises an exciting and mesmerizing evening of performance and tasty food, showcasing both Polynesian customs and cuisine in a festive and jovial atmosphere. The lively entertainment will include talented musicians, hula dancers, and even fire throwing. The Makahiki Luau Dinner Show also includes delicious South Pacific cuisine, such as Hawaiian chicken, Polynesian barbecue spare ribs, mahi mahi in pina colada sauce, sweet and sour pork, fried rice, stir-fried vegetables, and desserts. A complimentary cocktail is included, but you can also purchase drinks from the bar.

Another of the popular dinner shows in Orlando is the Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show. This entertaining dinner show presents one of thirteen original comedy mysteries, from a traditional Italian wedding gone awry to a movie premiere that ended badly. Each unique and hilarious two and a half hour show is a mix of a scripted comedy mystery, improvisation, and audience participation. Before the show the audience enjoys appetizers. The main course could feature Cornish game hens with stuffing, sweet potatoes, prime rib with baked potato, or four-cheese lasagna with garlic bread, a mystery dessert, and unlimited wine, beer, and soft drinks.

Booking tickets for Orlando dinner shows is much like booking any other form of entertainment in Orlando, in that there are different prices for children and adults, discounts are often available, and it pays to book ahead of time to secure your preferred show and show time. No matter which of these Orlando dinner shows you go to, you are sure to have a wonderfully entertaining evening that will be a highlight of your Orlando holiday.

Orlando Restaurants

Orlando dining presents visitors with a full range of experiences to choose from. In fact, so numerous are the restaurants in Orlando, that you will likely be confounded by the bounty of choices. At the various theme parks alone you can find a complete list of dining options, and there is no shortage of eateries at the top Orlando shopping areas. From fast food to 5-star, the restaurants in Orlando have something for everybody. Whether it's a romantic meal for two, a character dining experience at a theme park, or a bargain buffet feast that you're after, you'll find Orlando restaurants that can accommodate you.

Many Orlando visitors look to hit up one or more of the area theme parks, and if you find yourself in that group, then the various theme park restaurants might be where you'll do the bulk of your Orlando dining. The Disney dining options offers some of the best family-friendly restaurants in Orlando, though they certainly aren't the cheapest. You will generally pay inflated prices to eat at all the major theme parks, so you will want to keep that in mind. When dining at Disney World, one of the best theme parks to visit is Epcot Center. Epcot visitors can sample an array of international flavors at the park's various country pavilions, which can be found in the World Showcase section, and there are also a bunch of other Epcot restaurants to choose from. The Hollywood Studios dining experience also offers a lot of variety, as do the other Disney theme parks. The Disney restaurants come in five categories, and they include the character dining establishments, where you can enjoy a meal in the presence of some of Disney's most famous characters. Kids especially enjoy the Disney character dining experience. At the Contemporary Resort, which is just one of the many Disney resorts, the breakfast and dinners at Chef Mickey's are among the best character dining experiences in the land.

At theme parks like Epcot Center and Sea World, you will find plenty of snack stalls and quick service restaurants that offer a less formal dining experience. If you feel like enjoying a more languid Orlando dining experience, the theme parks can also meet your needs. At Hollywood Studios, for example, the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant is a great place to sit down and take a load off. You might order the signature Cobb salad when visiting the Brown Derby, and if you like seafood or steaks, you'll definitely be in the right place. A lot of the theme park Orlando restaurants offer a themed dining experience, which is also the case at the Hard Rock Café, which can be found at the Universal Studios CityWalk. A top spot for shopping and clubbing, CityWalk is also an excellent place to grab a meal. At the Hard Rock Café at Universal Studios, you can enjoy the signature nachos, feast on a juicy burger, or perhaps try the barbecue ribs. Before or after your meal, examining the rock 'n' roll memorabilia on the walls is a must-do. The Universal Studios Hard Rock Café is the largest in the world, so there's a lot to see here. Another top restaurant at CityWalk is Emeril's, which serves up Louisiana food favorites such as oyster stew and crayfish.

If you like the Hard Rock Café experience, you will also want to check out the House of Blues, which can be found near Disney Quest and the Disney Village Marketplace in Downtown Disney. If you only eat one meal at the House of Blues in Orlando, then you might make it the Sunday Gospel Brunch, which is an experience that you won't soon forget. When it's a more upscale Orlando dining experience that you're after, you might treat yourself to a meal at Victoria and Albert's, which can be found at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, or you might make reservations at Norman's, which is the signature restaurant at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes. As for upscale restaurants in downtown Orlando, Manuel's on the 28th arguably takes the cake. Not only is the food at Manuel's divine, but so are the views. The restaurant is located on the 28th floor of a bank building, and in addition to enjoy city views, you'll also spot the major theme parks off in the distance. Orlando fine dining is not limited to these three upscale restaurants, however, so make sure to seek out other options as well.

More Orlando dining choices can be found along International Drive , which in addition to boasting fast food joints, also offers some trendy eateries along the revitalized Pointe Orlando stretch. From Italian cuisine and tropical seafood favorites, to mouth watering steaks and pork chops, the Pointe Orlando restaurants do well to satisfy an array of tastes. With so many great places to grab a bite to eat in Orlando, you'll likely have to schedule a second visit to pick up where you left off. Dining in Orlando is definitely one of the many joys that are associated with Orlando vacations, so you'll want to leave some extra room in the travel budget for some fun dining experiences if possible.