Beyond The Theme Parks: Exploring The Central Florida

This illustrated guide provides an off-the-beaten-track tour of 15 of Central Florida's most interesting towns and cities. A thorough exploration of alternative vacation destinations, this definitive insider's road map to Florida's rich, cultural organizations, historic sites and a calendar of events.

This book invites you to visit the number one vacation destination in the world and see sights that tens of millions of people miss every year

Whether you're a central Florida resident or a tourist in the Orlando area, this illustrated guide takes you to attractions within easy driving distance, where you can enjoy and explore a rich real-life heritage more varied and extensive than any theme park:
-- cowboy culture and competition (a century in the making),
-- the London Symphony Orchestra at their official summer home,
-- Zora Neale Hurston's legacy in the oldest incorporated African-American municipality in the United States,
-- a hotbed of antiques and collectibles and the most comprehensive collection of Tiffany glass in the world,
-- a thriving spiritualist community (since 1894),
-- a working Pioneer Florida settlement,
-- the home of American space exploration,
-- the biggest stock car races and motorcycle rallies in the country,
-- art colonies and festivals, architectural marvels, and examples of historic preservation.