Florida Guide > Miscellaneous
Changes over 35 years - part 2
On our next trip we noticed that Highway 192 was getting wider and longer. Motels and restaurants were popping up along the side of the road and we travelled further before coming to countryside again. Still nothing turning left off Highway 192 though.
One of our favourite places to go for a stroll and a look at the shops was Old Town. They had original western stores with the staff all dressed in period costume. There was a A five and dime store, a taffy making machine in a candy store and a shop which sold just popcorn. They had some very bizarre flavours, like bacon and eggs, burger and beans, bubble gum along with the usual sweet or salty.
There was a photographers where we could dress up as a wild west family and have our photograph taken, that was fun and we still have the photograph. Our favourite cafe had a London bus in it where we could sit and eat a burger and drink coffee on the top deck. There were a couple of quality dress shops and a beautiful swim wear shop. At the end of the street was a carousel and that was about it. Changed a bit now!
After this trip, we did realise that maybe going at Easter was a huge mistake. It is the very busiest time of the year and the park stays open from 7am until midnight just for people to get all the rides done.
Our next trip was in 1989, still an excited 12 year old child, but with a little more control of her bladder thankfully! This time we were at Wet “n Wild, the best water theme park in Orlando in my opinion. While we were at the top of a water chute waiting our turn to go down, we noticed two very odd looking structures in the distance, not too far away. They looked like they were building a roller coaster somewhere. Sure enough the following year Universal Studios was opened. This place was getting pretty big now.
We now had two new water theme parks to go to and could even go and swim with Dolphins. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon are wonderful, but our favourite for rides is still Wet ’n Wild.
Downtown Disney was extended to include a nightclub area and over the bridge led onto a new area which included a new restaurant called Planet Hollywood and a few extra specialist shops and cafes.
Daughter is too grown up now. But, we weren’t. So in 1993 we were back, just two of us.
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