AIR DATE JUNE 8, 2023
Title: Local Tourism
Emily’s going on the town to explore popular local attractions for visitors and community members alike.
Guests
Visit Orlando, President & CEO – Casandra Matej
Original Orlando Tours, President & CEO – Rich Bradley
The Hidden Gems in Central Florida That Everyone Should See
Millions of people visit Orlando and Central Florida yearly because of our world-famous amusement parks. I recently spoke with Cassandra Matej and Rich Bradley to discuss our communities’ other beautiful sights and hidden gems.
Matej is the President and CEO of Visit Orlando. “Looking at Winter Park, if anyone hasn’t taken that Winter Park scenic boat tour, it is a gem,” she told me. “You get to relax, and you get to see the neighborhood. And, then of course there’s shopping, and dining, and museums.”
Bradley agrees. “It’s just got such old-world charm, great restaurants. It’s got history. It has always been a mecca, even for celebrities over the years.”
We Have Main Streets All Across Our Communities
Matej told me she sees our neighborhoods as our best hidden gems due to their uniqueness. “When you think about District 5, and you think about Ivanhoe Village, there’s great restaurants,” she said. “There are artisans and art galleries. Each of the districts and neighborhoods provide a different experience.”
Bradley talked about how they pick the different stops and sights to see when conducting a tour. “If we were the guest visiting,” he said, “what would we like? When we tour somewhere else, we draw upon those experiences and ask ourselves if we have something similar like that back in the Orlando area.”
By getting to know a location before starting a tour, Bradley says they can talk to those who live there about what is important to them. By finding that information in advance, they can relay it to each guest.
It Takes Over 120 Days to Do Everything Central Florida Offers
“I think one of the special offerings that we have are some of the springs that you can kayak,” said Matej. “I think it’s a mixture of whether it’s our wonderful, well-known theme parks to some more of those nature experiences. We provide a lot of opportunities. In our area, we have over 6,000 restaurants with 40 international cuisines.”
Visit Orlando sent staff to try all the activities available in our community, and it took them 121 days to do everything. “You can make an entire week’s vacation very easily,” she said.
Because there are so many unique things to do in Central Florida, Bradley says that a portion of their customer base are locals. “It always brings a smile to our faces when we have a local guest who says they’ve been in this area all their life and never knew a restaurant existed.”
Even the theme parks reinvent themselves regularly to ensure local visitors can have new experiences. This effort to reinvent oneself is what keeps things fresh, which is why Central Florida is a prime destination for everyone to visit – or call home.
If you’d like more information about what is available to see in our communities, you can always go online to visitorlando.com. The site offers a significant resource for things to do, including a calendar of events. Bradley’s tours are available at originalorlando.com, including walking options.
