Florida Guide > Other Activities
Old Town Kissimmee (8)
Old Town Kissimmee
A rather unusual place to visit whilst
in Orlando is Old Town in Kissimmee. It was originally built to represent what Florida was like back in the old days. It is mainly one street of old style shops selling novelties along with shops selling collectors items and unusual memorabilia. Most of them are just fascinating to walk around and nobody pushes you to buy anything. Some sell cowboy hats and boots and others old style leather items as worn in the days of the gold rush. There is a sweet shop selling only salt water taffy for which Florida is famous. You can see them making it and buy the sweets. There is also a popcorn shop that sells every flavour you can imagine from toffee to egg and bacon (seriously, egg and bacon flavoured popcorn).
At the weekends and during the height of the season (Easter, School Holidays and Christmas) it really comes alive in the evenings. During those times they have bands playing in the square and dancing in the streets. There are cafes, ice cream shops and soda fountains with chairs and tables outside to sit and watch the world go by. They have old fashioned fun fair rides with a spectacular ferris wheel, old style swings and a carousel ride. There is also a mechanical bucking bronco situated in the middle of the street and you can sit in nearby cafes and watch people trying desperately not to fall off.
In the more modern area they have a go cart track and the most horrendous (well to my mind anyway) aerial swing - you know the type you see on “You’ve been framed” with young guys trying to eat and drink on them. Plus one of those balls that shoot people up about 100 feet in the air. Also in that area there is a simulated drag race, in which you can get to drive a dragster and race against other contestants.
On every Saturday night they have a display and a cavalcade of old cars (a bit like our veteran car rally). Except, you can get close up to these cars and talk to the people that own them. These cars are polished to within an inch of their lives and the chrome positively gleams. This is a wonderful photo opportunity.
Old town is definitely best seen at night so why not add this to your itinerary. It is something you can not see anywhere else in the world.
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