March Break - Orlando

The first stop on our vacation was Orlando. Lucas and I traveled down on Thursday, while Marilu had to wait until Friday due to work. As a result, it gave the two of us a whole day to have fun together before heading out to sea on Saturday. In the week leading up to the trip, I was researching lots of different places, trying to figure out what to do.

While the big amusement parks like Disney and Universal Studios can be fun, going alone with a 4 year old would be a huge waste of money. I wouldn't be able to go on any adult rides since there was no one else to watch him, and the kids rides are just a fraction of the rides in the park. Considering the average prices were $80+ for an adult and $60+ for a kid, you can see why I marked these off the list quick. Don't even get me started on how crazy I would go waiting in multiple hour long lines with Lucas. We'd hate each other by the end of the day.

Thanks to a suggestion from a friend in Florida, we decided to go to the Orlando Science Center. Not only was it a much less expensive (a little over $30 total for both of us), but it wasn't terribly crowded. OSC is a pretty good science museum with plenty of stuff to interact with for the kids. We ended up spending a good 3-4 hours there. I think Lucas also enjoyed the bus rides there and back. I was going to rent a car, but then I realized I could get an all-day bus pass for less than $5. I'm not a cheap person, but that's just common sense right there.

So here are some of the highlights from the Orlando Science Center.

One of the first exhibits we looked at was a really cool one that demonstrated the process of harvesting oranges. Kids pulled "oranges" out of the trees and dropped them into a couple holes at the back of a machine. Then another kid would pedal the tractor, raising the oranges up above the tractor, at which point they would roll across and drop into a box. The kids could then put the oranges into little crates, place them on a conveyor belt sort of thing, and the oranges would dump into a hole behind the scenes. The oranges would then appear back on the trees. All in all, a clever exhibit. It was really neat to see a bunch of kids playing around it, each performing a different task.

It might be a little hard to see, but he is standing in front of a display that has a black snake in it.

Remember the photo in the last post in which Lucas was standing in front of an island full of reptiles? Here's a better look at what was right behind him.

Even great scientists need to take a break now and then. In case you're wondering, I'm not sure where the hat to the side thing came from. God knows I didn't teach it to him. I suppose it's cute on a 4 year old. Less so as you grow older.

I thought this next one would be a really cool picture, but it ended up just looking confusing. For what it's worth, we are standing inside a kaleidoscope. It was pretty impressive as we could see hundreds of reflections of us. Unfortunately, in the photo, it looks like I'm taking a picture of a dirty wall.

He spent a good 10 minutes at this wall, rearranging the pipes and tubes to see how a ball would roll down them. It probably would have been even better for him had he been a couple of feet taller.

Here are a few random shots taken in front of other exhibits.

Finally, the hurricane booth! In the weather/climate section of the Science Center, there was a booth you could stand in that would simulate winds up to around 75 mph. When we first got there, the line was huge since there was a camp group or something. However, about 10 minutes after we got there, a movie started on the first floor and the room emptied out completely. As a result, Lucas and I were able to experience it about 5 times in a row before some other people started showing up. As you'll see in the following photo and video, he got a kick out of it. Me too, to be perfectly honest.

So that's Orlando. We didn't get any other pictures since the rest of our entertainment was riding in buses and going to a nearby mall. Thrilling stuff! Tomorrow, the cruise photos begin!

One quick comment to wrap this up: I would highly recommend the Orlando Science Center for anyone who has a free day in Orlando between Disney parks. It's affordable, and as you can see from the pictures, a heck of a lot of fun for kids.