When I travel for work there are a few things I like to do, chief among them is planning to schedule my time accordingly so that I can do things for fun as well as the work related tasks I am in town to accomplish. Residing in the central Florida area presents quite a few options for passing your time between menial job related tasks, with theme parks all around you can choose just about anything to keep yourself entertained.
On the west coast of Florida you have Busch Gardens, if you're a thrill seeker this is the place to go, my personal favorite attraction being Kumba. The center of the state offers Legoland, although this is better suited to bringing your family along for the trip. Then there's the east coast, SeaWorld and Universal are great options, but nothing tops the offerings of Disney. Family time, or alone time, there's something for everyone on Disney property. You have fine dining, fast food, theme parks, movie theaters, even live music, and if you're going to be doing work in the Orlando area you can rent a room at a Disney hotel giving yourself even more time to enjoy their many offerings.
Another thing I enjoy when traveling around my area for business is to visit all the state parks that are scattered around Florida. I'm also a bit of a nature addict, so visiting State parks is a great option for me. There's the Mosaic Peace River park, the Little Manatee River Park, the Alafia River, and Beker State Parks, just to name a few. Having grown up in this area I've had the pleasure of visiting a couple of these through the years, they give me plenty of time to reflect on life and just enjoy the moment. I love to unplug from society and just focus on my inner thoughts, a few minutes of solitude in a beautiful setting is just what I need when I'm being forced to crunch numbers and study information for too long.
If all else fails and I'm looking for a different type of thrill I head out to Tampa and hit up the little taste of Vegas atmosphere in the central Florida region, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. There are plenty of people in the area who will bash the casino because it's “not as good” as Vegas but I have actually enjoyed every time I've had the opportunity to visit this place. I'm such a fan that I actually fought for, and won, the right to have my companies Christmas party at the Hard Rock Cafe that's just off from the casino. Not only does the casino give me the opportunity to feel a thrill similar to being slung around the tracks of a massive roller coaster without having to take my feet off the ground, but I haven't been able to find as well mixed of a drink as you get in the Cafe outside of this venue. If you're going to go for this route to pass time while here on business, make sure to either rent a room at the hotel or reserve corporate limousine service, it's easy to overindulge and driving after such a night wouldn't be a great idea!
Posted on Jul 17 2014
