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Orlando for the Single Traveler

You Won’t Miss a Thing!

If you’re traveling alone, Orlando won’t leave you feeling bored or lonely. With less than half of all visitors coming to Orlando with their families, the city’s image is shifting as convention business expands and more single travelers discover high-energy nightlife, great restaurants, world-class shopping and a good bit of culture.     

Nightlife

Downtown Orlando offers more than a dozen nightclubs, all within walking distance of each other along Orange Avenue, Central Boulevard and Church, Magnolia and Pine streets.  Visitors might try the stylish Ybor Martini Bar or laid-back Wall Street Cantina, or for live music head to The Social.  Hip Sky 60 has a South Beach vibe with cabana-style booths while Latitudes features live reggae. Both rooftop clubs have a great view of Orlando’s skyline. A unique hideout is Eye Spy—look for a British telephone booth on Washington Street (that’s the front door). Live comedy is on tap at Orlando Improv on Church Street and at the nearby SAK Comedy Lab, a training ground for new comedians.

The International Drive area has its share of nightspots, including Backstage at the Rozen Plaza and JJ Whispers.  Or, guests can head to The Cricketers Arms at The Mercado for British fare with 17 beers on tap and live entertainment.

Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island has eight clubs, ranging from rock ‘n’ roll to jazz—and one cover price gives admission to all.  Just a short walk away at Downtown Disney West Side is the House of Blues and Bongo’s Cuban Café where a lively Latino band often plays.

Universal CityWalk has plenty of after-dark options, from Hard Rock Café and Hard Rock Live Orlando to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and Bob Marley—A Tribute to Freedom.  For those with their dancing shoes, the groove or Latin Quarter are other options.

Dinner for One

If it’s dinner for one, visitors can take a seat at the sushi bar at Wolfgang Puck’s Grand Cafe at Downtown Disney West Side, or at the countertop in front of the exhibition kitchen at Flying Fish Cafe at Disney’s BoardWalk or Emeril’s Restaurant Orlando at Universal CityWalk.  The ethereal bar at Todd English’s bluezoo at the Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel is another perfect place to dine solo.

Singles will appreciate the lively bar at Seasons 52 on Sand Lake Road, the perfect place to wait for a table in the popular restaurant.  Or, venture to Thornton Park’s ultra-chic HUE for cool, creative dishes, or to Dexter’s of Winter Park with plenty of wines by the glass to pair with the casual fare. 

Serious Shopping

For Burberry, Gucci, St. John, Versace, Tiffany’s and more world-class shopping, both Orlando’s visitors and locals alike frequent the Mall at Millenia with nearly 150 stores and seven full-service restaurants.  The Florida Mall with its 270 stores, from Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue to Pottery Barn is also a guest and local favorite.

Winter Park welcomes shoppers to its own “Rodeo Drive” on Park Avenue, where galleries, upscale shops and trendy stores share the streetscape with pleasant outdoor cafés. There’s fun browsing at Orlando’s Antique Row along Orange Avenue with vintage and antique shops side by side for several blocks.

Bargain shoppers favor Orlando Premium Outlets with labels including Coach, Polo Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic. Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores has Gap Outlet, Old Navy Outlet and 40 other off-price options.  Another option, Prime Outlets Orlando and Belz Designer Outlet Centre, has more than 200 stores combined.      

A Little Bit of Culture

For an enjoyable afternoon, visitors can head to Winter Park’s Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art with its prized Tiffany glass and pre-Columbian collections, or the charming Mennello Museum of American Art in Loch Haven Park. {place morse_musuem_women photo here}

Singles looking for an alternative to the bar scene should head to Orlando Museum of Art on the first Thursday of every month for the popular 1st Thursdays, where young professionals unwind, mingle and explore themed exhibitions showcasing the work of local artists and listen to live music.

The curtain rises regularly on Central Florida’s theatrical and dance performances, and there’s no better place to begin than the critically acclaimed Cirque du Soleil’s “La Nouba” at Downtown Disney West Side.  The 90-minute show combines theater, dance, live music, acrobatics, elaborate costuming and gravity-defying stunts in a surreal tale produced only on the Orlando stage. 

Nationally touring shows share the stage with dance companies at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, and local productions at Mad Cow Theatre, Lowndes Shakespeare Center and other venues broaden options. In addition, avant-garde theatre is at its best each spring when the city welcomes the internationally acclaimed Orlando International Fringe Festival.

First-run independent feature films are the specialty at Enzian Theater in Maitland, a former home where wine is on the menu and seating is in comfortable chairs. Enzian features a variety of special events, such as the nationally recognized Florida Film Festival.

Just Plain Fun

{place swim-with-dolphins photo here} Consider the ease of a day flying solo in the theme parks, especially if visiting for the blockbuster attractions—many offer a “singles line,” making it much quicker to board, like Test Track at Epcot or Revenge of the Mummy—The Ride at Universal Studios Florida. Take a swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove, where singles can join a group for the dolphin experience, spend a lazy afternoon under an umbrella on the sandy beach or snorkel with stingrays.  Singles can also experience vertical wind tunnel sky diving at SkyVenture Orlando.  If enjoying sports in the Florida sun is the choice, golf courses and tennis centers pair up singles with foursomes or partners.

Don’t Forget to Relax

To wind down, singles can head to a number of world-class spas, from the exclusive

Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center to the expansive Ritz-Carlton Spa at Grande Lakes Orlando.  The Spa at Wyndham Palace Resort & Spa serves up an impressive menu of massages, facials, body treatments, as does the Mandara Spa at the Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando.  The new Spa at Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate is a perfect way to relax after a round of golf.

Disney offers the Grand Floridian Spa & Health Club at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World Resort and The Spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, both with state-of-the-art treatments. 

Essential Information:

For more information about vacation experiences in Orlando, visitors can log onto Orlando’s official Web site at orlandoinfo.com or call 1-800-551-0181 (United States and Canada) to order a free vacation planning kit. 

For additional assistance or to purchase vacation packages and discount attraction tickets, visitors can call an Official Travel Counselor at 407-363-5872. 

While in Orlando, visitors may stop by the Official Visitor Center located at 8723 International Drive, at the southeast corner of International Drive and Austrian Row (open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day of the year except Dec. 25).

Edited by Erika Wright

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