Books-beer-beach-bum foodie in Florida.

June 19, 2007 10:27 AM

Florida questions: going to Leesburg (nearish Orlando). Want not usual Florida tourist things but instead books, beach, beer, food. And what can I do on a lay-over in Ft Lauderdale?

(Previous Orlando threads noted. Do I want to visit the Space Center, or...?)

I want to hit some good used bookstores, interesting food shops, and worthwhile non-chain restaurants. Mr Kmennie would probably really enjoy a good pub -- faux British would be okay so long as it's pub, not bar.

"Good used bookstores" is a bit "I'll take what I can get, seeing as how I don't know that it's really the area for it." Ditto with the food shops...I grocery shop when travelling for entertainment and even a big-boxy market will satisfy my yen since it'll be excitingly "foreign," but can I do better? Local restaurants look to be chain-or-crap...am I wrong there? It need not be posh, but it should have a few respectable non-tofu vegetarian options.

We'd also like to hit a beach; the in-laws I'm going to visit have suggested Cocoa Beach. Comments on that? Is there anything less crowded/big/touristy that's still in reasonable day-trip distance?

And, finally, we have 3 1/2 hours in Fort Lauderdale on the way there around lunchtime -- is there a restaurant (or swell attraction) within reasonable distance of the airport?

I realise "I'm going to Leesburg; please point me to the things Leesburg is not noted for" is a bit silly. I'll be happy if I get to one good beach and one decent new bookstore. But I'm still crossing my fingers that there's a MeFite who can Google-map me to foodie booklover beach bum nirvana...

posted by kmennie to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

the fort lauderdale airport is pretty close to the beach/downtown area. you can easily catch a cab and head over to Waxy O'Connor's on SE 17th Street. It's a little Irish pub with a very decent shepherds's pie and a nice selection of beers.

Las Olas is nearby and a great spot to grab lunch and people watch (the food at Timpano is particularly good). or you can always head down to beach place and grab a drink or three at blondie's.
posted by jessica at 11:00 AM on June 19, 2007

Hit Church Street in Orlando for some nice bars.
posted by spacefire at 11:05 AM on June 19, 2007

(psst..Jessica...Grady's shephard's pie kicks Waxy's ass! ;)

In Lauderdale, you'll be right down the road from Dania, so you could (depending on your schedule) check out some Jai-alai.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 12:02 PM on June 19, 2007

There's an awful lot of nothing to do in Leesburg. Mt Dora, which is just east, has some interesting wandering & little stores and such. They do a flea market that's pretty entertaining, and there are definitely some nice non-chain restaurants there. For beaches, you might also consider New Smyrna.
posted by judith at 12:35 PM on June 19, 2007

I'm from Tampa, but make the day trip to that area to surf and visit friends about 5 times a year.

If you drive about 15-20 minutes south on the A-1-A from the super touristy Ron Jon/CBSC area (the A-1-A is basically the only large thoroughfare in Cocoa Beach proper), you can hit three of my favorite places on the east coast.
-Da Kine Diego's, which is a really good (San Diego style) burrito place, and should satisfy your beach food and beer quota. It's about 3 minutes past Patrick AFB, and IIRC, has a meatless burrito that fills up nicely (It's just alot of beans, rice, and veggies)
-Natural Art, which is a local surf shop that hasn't given in to the pressures of tourism much at all.
- Air Force Base Beach and Satellite Beach. Best beaches in the area. These both will invariably have alot fewer tourists, and people in general, and are very nice. (Good Surf, too, if that means anything to you.)

I know there are a number of Antiques shops and at am pretty sure there's at least one used bookstore in the section of Cocoa, FL (The mainland part of the city) called "Old Cocoa." It's relatively touristy, but moreso in a quaint way than in a gaudy, bright, Day-glo sort of way (read: Cocoa Beach). There are also a few nice restaurants (albeit a might expensive) in this area.

If you like seafood, The Cove is also a little place on south A-1-A that is rather good, and not too expensive. There aren't alot of veg options there, though.

Also, the Space center is a worthwhile visit if someone in your party is an engineer or similar, or under 10, but not otherwise. The space tech parts of the place are really really cool for someone of the engineer/makerly persuasion, but the rest of it (the space history part) is a little boriing.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 12:35 PM on June 19, 2007

I live in Winter Park/Orlando, so here's my advice about near here:

For beaches, just north of the Space Center is Playalinda Beach. It's in a national park, which means it's nearly the wilderness, with all the good and bad things that implies. Few people; no running water. It's like $8 for a car to get in.

Also, consider Lake Jessup for an airboat ride. Big lake, many gators. It's where the troublesome gators were dumped when the species was protected. That means higher genetic disposition toward being not scared of people.

East of downtown is Thornton Park, a decent place to stroll aimlessly and find a pub to down a few beers. It's a franchise, but Total Wine on Colonial Drive is The Place To Go for alcohol supplies. The supermarket in my home town doesn't have this much space! They have everything, and it's cheap.

The Millennia Mall and Oviedo Marketplace malls are the most interestingly designed malls, if you must pay tribute to the gods of shopping.

Discovery Cove is a micro-park that allows only a thousand or people per day. Think Sea World on Ecstasy. I've never been but most of my friends have.
posted by cmiller at 2:20 PM on June 19, 2007

You'll definitely have time to hit very quaint Downtown Hollywood during your layover. It's just a minute or two from Dania Beach and about 20 minutes straight down US1 from the airport. Great restaurants including a wonderful place called Sushi Blues..or grab a great burger at O'Hara's. Cute boutiques. You can do the whole thing in an hour and be back in time for your flight (about a $20 cab ride).
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 4:27 PM on June 19, 2007

You should note that the northernmost point of Playalinda Beach is clothing optional. : )
posted by misha at 5:06 PM on June 19, 2007

I had no (convenient) net access on the trip, so this all flew by the wayside. An irritation, but also a recommended way to get a vacation in; no e-mail can be a real pleasure.

In case anybody else stumbles across this thread: Leesburg is an 'awful lot of nothing' indeed. I wish I'd spent more time in Tampa/St Petersburg. Recommended: Haslam's Book Store, and the Dali Museum was surprisingly worth it. Cocoa Beach was a pleasure; I dug the 24/7 surf shop, and El Tucan on Merritt Island had some pretty good and very cheap Ameri-Mex food.

Mind, looking at the tan lines, I'm off to Playalinda next time...
posted by kmennie at 7:47 AM on June 28, 2007