Beyond the Theme Parks: Exploring Central Florida

Whether a resident or tourist, this text explores Central Florida, from attractions within easy driving distance to places to enjoy real-life heritage. It includes photographs, an easy-to-follow map, a cultural arts calendar and lists historic sites and arts organizations with brief descriptions, addresses and phone numbers.

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 book 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 its 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
-- and architectural marvels and examples of historic preservation throughout the region.

Beyond the Theme Parks also includes photographs, an easy-to-follow map, a cultural arts calendar, and lists of historic sites and arts organizations with brief descriptions, addresses, and phone numbers. More than a guide, this book offers a rich blend of heritage and history, a delightful primer of newcomers, and a homeowner's manual in which residents can (re)discover the delights of their own backyard.