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Orlando Fast Facts

Best Time to Go
Any time is a good time to visit Orlando. Because the weather is warm year-round, Orlando is an ideal travel destination. There are a few things to consider when planning your trip to Orlando. If you're taking the kids, you'll more than likely have to visit during the sweltering summer months, along with thousands of other school's-out families. It may benefit you and your family to visit a tad earlier, when the weather is perfect and the crowds are thinner. Remember, though, Orlando prices are often higher during the winter months and about 40 percent less from June through November.

Average Weather
Average yearly temperature is a hair over 72 degrees. Winter temps average in the 40s and 50s at night with highs in the 60s and even the 70s during the days. Summer days can sizzle with highs in the 90s and lows in the mid to upper 70s. Thunderstorms are common on summer afternoons, contributing to the area's 50-60 inches of rainfall per year. Remember to keep an umbrella in your car.

Transportation
Face it, you're probably going to have to rent a car. The good news is, the rental companies regularly offer discounts and deals within Florida. Many hotels provide airport pick-up as well. Orlando does have a bus service (called Lynx), but it caters to working locals, not visitors. There are two forms of mass transit useful for tourists: the I-Ride Trolley, which makes 54 stops to connect the hotels, restaurants, attractions and nightspots of International Drive. Fare is 75 cents for adults (25 cents for seniors). An all-day pass, available from the front desk of most hotels, is $2. Lymmo is a free bus service within the downtown Orlando core.

In-Season Costs
As the temperature rises, so do the prices. They go up at holiday time, too. A room with a queen bed in a moderately priced International Drive chain hotel costs $79 in November and $199 at Christmas. The best price you'll get in the summer is $109 for two double beds.

Day Trips
Daytona Beach -- 55 miles. Calls itself "The World's Most Famous Beach." The city that lays claim to this wide, driveable stretch of sand is a rallying point for bikers, spring breakers, NASCAR fans and just about everybody else.

Kennedy Space Center -- 50 miles. Get an up-close look at the space program. The tours cost a little extra, but they're worth it; take the one that goes by the shuttle launch pads.

Tampa/St. Petersburg -- 83 miles. Not all theme parks are in Orlando. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay features African animals and a safari theme. Across town is the Florida Aquarium, which specializes in Florida fish species. Nearby is Ybor City, the historic Cuban part of town. The Salvador Dali Museum is one of several cultural venues in downtown St. Pete.

Gainesville -- 116 miles. Home of the University of Florida. Football, football, a couple of museums, football, concerts and more football. Just south of Gainesville is Cross Creek, where Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings wrote Cross Creek, The Yearling and other books.

South Florida -- Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, roughly 2-3 hours. South Florida houses a hotbed of nightlife. There are several areas in this part of the state suitable to travelers of all types. A slew of beaches, museums, restaurants, tropical gardens and an accommodation for all tastes exists in the southern part of the state. Head a little further south and you'll fun into Key West.