Title: 
Orlando's Famous Neighbors-tampa And The 'Space Coast'

Word Count:
448

Summary:
If you become so bored with Orlando because there is not enough to do and you just have to leave town you are in luck. Orlando has some very popular neighbors that are not very far away and offer some great diversions: Tampa to the west and Cape Canaveral and the "Space Coast" to the east.

Tampa is located 84 miles to the west of Orlando on I-4. It is the commercial center of Florida's west coast with a major seaport, high tech manufacturing and one of the largest cigar ma...


Keywords:
Orlando, Cape Canaveral, Tampa, Kennedy Space center, NASA, Busch Gardens


Article Body:
If you become so bored with Orlando because there is not enough to do and you just have to leave town you are in luck. Orlando has some very popular neighbors that are not very far away and offer some great diversions: Tampa to the west and Cape Canaveral and the "Space Coast" to the east.

Tampa is located 84 miles to the west of Orlando on I-4. It is the commercial center of Florida's west coast with a major seaport, high tech manufacturing and one of the largest cigar making cities in America.

Major tourist attractions include: "Adventure Island" a 25 acre water theme park second to none in the country; "Busch Gardens" which has some great thrill rides and one of the best zoos in the country; the Florida Aquarium one of the best there is anywhere with over 5000 aquatic animals and plants; and Ybor City. Ybor City is a not to be missed glimpse into the heart of the Latin district, the very root of much of Florida, where great food, music, shopping all have the distinct aroma of a fine hand rolled cigar.

On the east coast 46 miles to the southeast of Orlando lies the "Space Coast" with Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. On a recent trip I asked the concierge if he had one day to do anything he wanted what it would be. After a split second he said Kennedy Space Center. 'Nuf said. It was absolutely awesome!!

Getting there is easy but you must have a car. NASA established some beautiful pristine wildlife areas around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) that you will see on the way in and out but the major attraction is the Space Center. An extensive renovation project is underway so check to make sure anything special you want to see is open. It is very easy to spend the whole day there but the highlights can be done in 2-3 hours with the tour bus.

The bus makes stops along the way, get out, linger, see what you want, hop back on to the next stop. The tour has everything spacey you can imagine from actual rockets to lunch with an Astronaut. Check out the International Space Station Center where engineers are working on additions to the space station and the Apollo/Saturn V center with the largest rocket ever made.

The visitor center has food, souvenirs, an IMAX theater, a host of activities for children, and of course a wealth of information on space related topics-more than most people can handle.

So don't worry if you become bored in the fabulous city of Orlando there's plenty to do nearby.

For more information check the links below.