Florida in October, what do I want to do?

[PeterPan]

I don't know why I'm stressed about this. I think it's just so open-ended, I don't know. We went in January, taking my dad for my brother's wedding, and we did Disney. Disney was AWESOME. Ds and I LOVED Disney. However the goal this time is to connect my dad with my brother, who lives in Cocoa. I'm just along as conveyor, the person getting him there, and I figure if someone is gonna suffer in Florida for 5-9 days, well I'm cool with that. :D

 

Ds, who will be turning 9, has autism and will be with me. He's a trip, high energy, needs lots of supervision. My dad will stay with my brother. I can be politely near or far, as I wish, either doing activities with them or leaving to do our own thing entirely.

 

Options?

 

1--get a hotel on the beach in Cocoa. I haven't been there, but it seems to lack food or anything to do.

2--get a hotel in Dayton on the beach. At least the beach looks good and there's food. It's one hour north of my brother's place. 

3--get a VRBO or condo or something near Disney, go in a few days early and do things with my dad and ds (Dad has 2 days at Disney left on his tickets), then drive Dad to Cocoa while we continue to blow time in Orlando. Oh the suffering. I'm pricing it out at Florida Sun Vacation rentals, and with tax it's coming in at ~$100 a night, which is significantly less than staying on the beach (~$170 a night) but still requires buying food.

4--get a VRBO or condo or something else somewhere else in the state

5--Shades of Green for a few days to do Orlando junk, then hit the coast with a beachfront hotel 

 

Fwiw, I don't care about doing things with my brother. We don't really click very well, so it's not essential I be there. This is entirely about getting my dad to there to have time with my brother and not spending an outrageous amount of money in the process. Said no one ever when Disney was on the table, haha. We can get military tickets, which help. That's why I was thinking the VRBO, because I was trying to avoid two hotel rooms. On the other hand, if I deliver my dad directly (doing just the long weekend, not the week), then I don't need double hotel rooms.

 

I guess the real question is: In October, where do I want to be in Florida, on the beach or in Orlando doing touristy junk?

 

If we do touristy junk, it would be Disney, gator wrestling, legoland. I'm not sure ds will like legoland honestly. He refused almost all the characters at Disney. He hugged Belle, but other than that, hang it up. He's really challenging in places and isn't going to be typical. If he's bored, he's horrific, ugh. That's why I'm worried about what we'd do on the beach with him, kwim? 

 

Also, fwiw, my dad wants to go down again in winter (Jan/Feb) for two weeks. We'll assuredly do Disney then. The bummer of our January trip before was some cool things were down. The rapids ride, the railroad around MK, the wax museum of the presidents. So if we did some Disney now, it could be really cool. I just don't want to burn out my dad. On the other hand, my dad actually really LIKED Disney. It was just happy for him. And it's an easy place to do ECV plus autism, crazy as that sounds. When we did it before, we stayed at Shades of Green. We LOVED Shades of Green. Bummer there is needing two rooms and not being able to stay longer myself once Dad goes to Cocoa, sigh.

 

I don't know, do you see anything there? If you're a local, would you want to be on the beach in October or inland? Any advice? :)

[3 ladybugs]

I would go to the Keys. Then again I get an urge to go down there (to the Keys) every couple of years. LOL I am overdue to go. You can go to hotel or I camped the last time I was there, and hang out. I could have spent far longer then the 5 days I spent down there last time. Tons to do and it isn't Disney. 

[PeterPan]

Oh wow, hadn't thought of that! Like if I am gonna pay for somewhere, you're right, could be the Keys... I've marveled at the pictures. So the Keys in October are wonderful? I'll have to go look!

[3 ladybugs]

I went at Thanksgiving last time and it was good then. I think October would be just a bit warmer. But in November I was still able to swim. I stayed at the KOA on Sugarloaf Key. It was perfect! They have cabins you can rent. They have food if you don't want to cook. There is a beach. There is a pool. You can even take a shuttle to Key West if you didn't want to drive. 

[BusyMom5]

What about some local state parks? There is one with manatees, you could take an airboat ride to see wild gators, dolphin tour? Orlando has other non Disney things to do, Sea World, Legoland has great homeschooler discounts, knight or pirate dinner shows, just hanging around some of pools is fun. Universal might be a good choice, but not sure if it would work for your sons age. It has more high powered rides than Disney.

[Lady Florida.]

The Keys are a very long way from where you'll be so no, I wouldn't even consider that. Cocoa and Cocoa Beach are two very different cities. There is absolutely nothing to do in Cocoa. Cocoa Beach at least has a beach. Is your ds interested in space exploration? You'll be close to Kennedy Space Center. Legoland might surprise you. It's a little bit of a drive but not bad. And if you stay inland near Orlando it will be closer.

Daytona Beach has a small boardwalk (nothing like NJ style boardwalks) but other than that it's not more exciting than Cocoa Beach. I hate beaches you drive on so that colors my opinion. I would either stay in Cocoa Beach or towards the Orlando area.

 

Edited to say stay in Cocoa Beach. My tablet left out Beach. I would NOT stay in Cocoa.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Seasider]

Oh wow, hadn't thought of that! Like if I am gonna pay for somewhere, you're right, could be the Keys... I've marveled at the pictures. So the Keys in October are wonderful? I'll have to go look!

My favorite beach month is October! I prefer the Gulf (west) side over the Atlantic.

[kroe1]

I have been to Disney way over 100 times. I still have not done everything.

 

Traveling alone with one child at Disney is my favorite way to go.

[mom2att]

With the 9-year-old you've described, I would do the Florida Sun Vacation condo and Disney. You already know it will keep him interested, your dad enjoyed it, the accommodations are cheap (and decent--I've stayed with FSV), and Cocoa is not far away. You could even do the beach for a day.

 

October is a nice time to visit--still hot enough to swim, a chance to get a not ridiculously hot day, and the crowds aren't bad (though there are really no low-crowd times at Disney anymore).

[Pink and Green Mom]

A few random thoughts:

 

Have you looked into St. Augustine?  We did a VRBO in a condo building on the beach.  There were two pools and shuffleboard when the kids got tired of the beach (my kids, for some reason, think shuffleboard is awesome and would spend a lot of time doing that).   St. Augustine has a fort, a pirate museum, the Fountain of Youth (very 1950s tourist trap place but kids find it fun), an alligator farm/zoo, and all sorts of other things to see/do.  If you have four wheel drive on your car you can drive and park right on the beach - kids find that fun if they've never seen it before.  You could probably get 3 or 4 good days out of St. Augustine.

 

As mentioned above, Kennedy Space Center is a great place for kids that are into space.  Its about half an hour from Cocoa Beach.  We did it in one very long day, but you can probably break it in to two shorter days as well.  We went in October (I think it was over Columbus Day weekend) and there was hardly anyone there.

 

Off the wall suggestion - if your son likes Disney would he like a Disney Cruise?  The port is right near Cocoa Beach and I believe there are shorter 3 night cruises available.  If that isn't for you and you stay at Cocoa Beach, there is a park near the cruise ship terminals where you can wave to the ships as they depart - there are some large ships and kids enjoy watching that whole process.

 

No matter what you do, you should have great weather.  October is one of my favorite weather months in FL.

[Lanny]

Universal Orlando is awesome. Kennedy Space Center for our family is awesome and is a must for us. IMO, the best months to visit the USA, and particularly places like Texas and Florida, for the weather and the crowds, are April and October.  Possibly October might be a little cool on the beach, but it also might be just perfect.

 

Last year, we rented a  2 B.R. 2 Bath Timeshare in the Orlando area and that was wonderful. That was at the end of April and we paid $400 for the week, which included all taxes, service charges, free parking, WiFi, etc. This is the URL for Summer Bay Orlando. Villas at Summer Bay, where we stayed, are their smaller 2 B.R. units.  http://www.exploriaresorts.com/destinations/summer-bay-orlando/.WZGQXlWGOvE    We rented on eBay from magicalholidays which is the eBay store for SkyAuction.com  Zero problems. We would be extremely happy to stay there again...   No Timeshare Presentation is required if you rent from magicalholidays.

 

ENJOY YOUR TRIP!

[Lady Florida.]

A few random thoughts:

 

Have you looked into St. Augustine?  We did a VRBO in a condo building on the beach.  There were two pools and shuffleboard when the kids got tired of the beach (my kids, for some reason, think shuffleboard is awesome and would spend a lot of time doing that).   St. Augustine has a fort, a pirate museum, the Fountain of Youth (very 1950s tourist trap place but kids find it fun), an alligator farm/zoo, and all sorts of other things to see/do.  If you have four wheel drive on your car you can drive and park right on the beach - kids find that fun if they've never seen it before.  You could probably get 3 or 4 good days out of St. Augustine.

 

 

 

I thought about recommending St. Augustine. There are several things your ds (OP) would like there but it also requires a lot of supervision. I might do a day trip there in your situation. It's about 1-1/2 to 2 hours north of Cocoa Beach. I'm thinking 2 hours. I'm about 30 minutes north of CB and it takes us 1-1/2 hours to get there.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[sassenach]

The keys are a hell of a drive from Cocoa. That would not be my choice. I would stay in Orlando. You've got Disney, the science center, legoland... a lot of diverting activities to keep your son from getting bored.

 

Does he like to swim? Maybe stay at a place with a pool?

[StephanieZ]

I'd do a few day VRBO or hotel/resort (with a good pool They have such great pools in that area!) near Disney, and also do a few days in Cocoa Beach. 

 

Cocoa is a really nice area, in my distant recollection. I'm *sure* there's plenty of good restaurants, shopping, beach-town-stuff, etc.

 

There's also a really nice low-key zoo near Cocoa (within 20 min IIRC), where you can feed giraffes, ride a little train around, etc. Great half-to-full day low-key but pleasant outing. When we went years ago, it was very clean/pleasant/nice animal areas/etc. (I'm really picky about zoos.)

 

October is my FAVORITE time of year on the FL beaches. We've gone (to the gulf) nearly every October for over 20 years. We'll be back the end of October. :) The weather is generally lovely, high 70s to mid 80s . . . the water is warm . . . no crowds . . . Perfect beach season, IMHO. Similarly, it'd be a great time of year for Disney, especially water parks, as it will be plenty warm to be in the water, and there won't be bad crowds.

 

I can only hack Disney crowds/craziness for a few days, so going there for a few nights and 1-2 Disney or water park days would be perfect for me. 

 

 

[Lady Florida.]

Cocoa is a really nice area, in my distant recollection. I'm *sure* there's plenty of good restaurants, shopping, beach-town-stuff, etc.

 

Cocoa Beach, yes. Cocoa, no. In fact, there are hardly any hotels in Cocoa. 

 

The Brevard Zoo is nice. I hesitated to recommend it OP in case you're against zoos. 

 

October is a transition month in terms of weather. Though the temperatures drops to the mid 80s the humidity is still high, so it still feels hot. And we still get occasional tropical storms or hurricanes (Hurricane Matthew came through in October last year. In past years we've had mostly tropical storms that late in the season). It still is rainy (my birthday is in October and I can hardly remember a b-day without rain). The upside is that unless there's an actual tropical system it only rains for a short time, not all day.

[StephanieZ]

Cocoa Beach, yes. Cocoa, no. In fact, there are hardly any hotels in Cocoa. 

 

The Brevard Zoo is nice. I hesitated to recommend it OP in case you're against zoos. 

 

October is a transition month in terms of weather. Though the temperatures drops to the mid 80s the humidity is still high, so it still feels hot. And we still get occasional tropical storms or hurricanes (Hurricane Matthew came through in October last year. In past years we've had mostly tropical storms that late in the season). It still is rainy (my birthday is in October and I can hardly remember a b-day without rain). The upside is that unless there's an actual tropical system it only rains for a short time, not all day.

 

Oops, sorry, I meant Cocoa Beach!

[Lady Florida.]

Oops, sorry, I meant Cocoa Beach!

 

It gets tricky in Florida because some beach cities are separate cities from the similar named inland city. 

 

Cocoa and Cocoa Beach are two different cities.

Miami and Miami Beach are two different cities.

Daytona Beach is one city encompassing the mainland and beachside There's no separate mainland city called Daytona.

Vero Beach is like Daytona Beach, covering both mainland and beach as one city.

 

Those are just a few examples. Like I said, tricky. Unless you're familiar and even then it can be tricky. I don't even know how many cities on Florida's west coast have separate beach cities and I've lived in Florida nearly all of my life. I've obviously spent more time on the east side of the state than on the west.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[displace]

I think it depends on what you and DS want to do. Cocoa beach isn't a crowded Florida beach and is a low key destination. There is a pier with a few restaurants and shops, and sand. There are also local nearby chain places and tourist shops not on the beach. You can stay one or two blocks away and walk if you're willing to have a mediocre hotel for $80?/night. Most people just laze or play on the beach, read, etc. Kennedy space center is nearby.

 

Orlando has activities too if you want to avoid Disney because $$$. Legoland is close enough and they do have homeschool days that are cheap. Orlando has a nice science museum, lots of mini golf, lots of touristy things (crayon place, upside down place, Disney springs with a zillion shops and restaurants (Dino restaurant is awesome!)), movies, bowling, shows, etc. or you can theme park it up.

 

I forget how many days you said, but I get bored of more than a day or two at the beach. But a lot of people come for the beaches and enjoy swimming and sitting. I'd personally stay east of orlando with planned trips to the east coast and Orlando. I wouldn't travel to west Florida with a goal of needing to visit cocoa, as it's too far imo.

 

Btw, cocoa and cocoa beach are super close in case any readers are wondering.

[prairiewindmomma]

I would stay in Orlando. We've done the drive between there and Cocoa, and it's super easy.  Does he like vestibular stimulation? I'd take him to Universal Studios, and I'd put him on Minions and as many other rides as I could. We much preferred it to Disney. Heck, if he likes walking, and the weather is GORGEOUS in October, I'd just walk around and look at all.the.things in the Harry Potter lands.

[Cindy in FL.]

If it were a little late in the year, I'd say come to Crystal River and see the manatees. It probably won't be cool enough yet for them to be in the river in large numbers.

[gaillardia]

If you could afford it, fly to Miami from Cocoa, drive to Key Largo area. You don't have to go all the way down the Keys. Key Largo area is just awesome if you love the warm water. In October it will be pleasant, maybe not too crowded.

You can take the boat out to the coral reef and snorkel around if you're both skilled enough. John Pennekamp Park offers boat rides for a fee and supplies the gear, also for a fee. 

The restaurants are awesome.

The bay on one side, the calm ocean on the other.

Of course, that's just me, that's what I'd do. I'd rather go to Key Largo than anywhere else in Florida. 

[popmom]

If you are able to stay 9 days, I would stay a few days in Cocoa Beach and a few days in Orlando. I grew up vacationing every summer in Cocoa Beach because my grandfather worked for NASA. I haven't been in many years.

 

If you're a fan of seafood, take a little side trip to Titusville and eat at Dixie Crossroads. Their specialty is broiled rock shrimp. It's a smallish deep water shrimp that tastes somewhat like lobster.

 

I've never been in October, but I bet it's fabulous at the beach. Summer crowds are gone, and the grumpy snowbirds haven't come in yet. ;)

[popmom]

Oh, and definitely do the park at Port Canaveral--the ships are really cool.

 

Once you've decided on dates, you can google "NASA launch schedule". You might get lucky and be there when there's a launch. Mostly communications satellites. Note: Launch schedules change frequently, so check often for changes. They have to postpone frequently. Nighttime launches can be spectacular.

[PeterPan]

Thanks ladies for all the ideas!!! Definitely not opposed to zoos. :)  I see the Brevard Zoo has kayaking. Has anyone done it there? Is there another place to do kayaking that would be cool?

 

Yes, ds finds the rides very reinforcing. Yes, I've already measured him and I think he might be tall enough to do all the rides at Universal. I was concerned my ds might get over-excited with the rides, because they're so amazing. I really don't know. I haven't taken him to a big theme park yet for rides. I thought about it (Cedar Point) and just haven't gotten it done, sigh. He would love them, but I don't know if he'd get overwhelmed. He was NUTSO for Space Mountain. Like the kid rode it over and over and over. When we went in January, we hit the times right with low crowds and passes, and he could basically ride till I was ready to puke, lol. 

 

Also, I need to find crowd calendars for Universal. It looks like their disability access pass system sucks, totally sucks. Some kind of antiquated paper stuff, yes? And to get express lines, do you for real have to pay another $80 per person per day or stay at their special hotel? I can't wait in lines with him. Like 20 minutes, if the line has lots of built in entertainment. But hours, over and over, just can't do it. 

 

I LOVE the kayaking idea! 

 

Thanks for sharing that 2 days on the beach is adequate for people like us. :D  I agree, that would be nice. More would be, well variety is good. 

 

I LOVE the sound of the Keys, but I think that maybe it's something ds could do more completely in a few years. He can't snorkel yet, and I'm not sure he could learn that quickly. But if he did learn over the next year or two, then we could go. I'd definitely love to. I think I'd just be sad for him not to be able to snorkel, since it would interest him. With his apraxia, everything is just a little harder. We can work on it.

 

Yeah, if I stay in Cocoa at all, I'd definitely be on what I'm now realizing is Cocoa Beach. 

 

Back to Univeral. It doesn't seem very disability friendly. Like to take my dad there, I don't know. He'd be on an ECV, and you can't ECV through any of the ride lines. And I need to check, but it doesn't seem like any of the rides are trying to be as multi-generational as at Disney. So at Disney rides like Toy Story or the Little Mermaid or Peter Pan were perfect for my dad. They were all he could handle. He did 7 Dwarves Mine Train, but that was a lot for him. 

 

So it sounds like if Dad wants extra days, we do Legoland, maybe a couple at Disney. Then I could take ds to Universal while he goes to Cocoa. And if he doesn't want extra days, then I can either stay at Cocoa Beach and do a mix of ecotourism and beach bum or do whatever Dad and my brother want to do. My brother is very proud of where he lives and likes Florida a lot. He talks about this alligator alley thing like it's really great. I don't know what's wrong with me. I have NO interest in alligators or seeing them at all. 

 

Oh, and I've heard of that Dixie restaurant. My brother raves about it. I just don't happen to eat shrimp, lol. Like seriously, not at all. 

 

Actually, my dad really liked hanging at Shades of Green. He'd probably enjoy just being there for a day, if we went to Universal. Like he wouldn't even need to go if he didn't want to. But I need to figure out that express pass thing and how essential it is for shortening lines and whether it's better to stay at one of the Universal premier level hotels to get it.

[PeterPan]

Do the beaches get better as you drive sound from Cocoa (say not more than an hour) or are they all about the same in that stretch? Daytona beach is sand, but Cocoa and the rest are some kind of ground up grey shell stuff, yes? (Yes, apparently I have a very bad attitude about this, lol.)

Edited August 15, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[PeterPan]

Orlando Beaches: A Florida Beach Guide to Melbourne Beach on the Atlantic Coast - Orlando Sentinel

 

Found this lovely article. It says there's a Treasure museum!!! That would go over big. And it looks like Melbourne has real sand.

[mumto2]

We like New Smyrna Beach. It's sand, part is drive on like Daytona part not. Lots of timeshares. Very quiet, it's in between Cocoa and Daytona.

[Pink and Green Mom]

If your son is into rides you may want to try Busch Gardens in Tampa.  It is on the west coast but it takes me about 1.5 hours to get to Orlando from there.  It will be less crowded than the Orlando parks (when I take my homeschooled kid to Busch Gardens in October on a school day we never wait more than 5 minutes for a ride).  It has some great roller coasters.  There are also animals to see (as you walk through the park or take a train ride through the fields). 

[displace]

I haven't been to all the beaches in Florida. In general, the east coast sand is larger, but definitely still sand. West coast is more powdery. But not enough a difference to me to drive hours for it. In France we went to the beach and they were actual rocks and boulders. Maybe you can find an east coast beach with lots of shark teeth and fossils. The best place I know of is Venice Beach, but that's a far drive from Cocoa, west and south probably almost 3 hours.

 

Universal, I don't know. Most of the theme parks have a separate line for disabilities. If they do, they're probably short lines.

[bettyandbob]

With regard to Universal's disability pass system:

 

You are correct there really isn't anything. Many years ago WDW had a fantastic program, but people who didn't need it scanned it and WDW scaled it way back. I'm sure other places watched what happened and decided it was not worth the hassle to implement.

 

I took my child who has intellectual disabilities 2 years ago, at the end of August. According to schedules a time which is more crowded than October. I was worried, but had no choice on the time.

 

We really didn't wait in that many lines. I think minions was the longest.

 

We stayed at resort to get early entry. I understand you can get early entry as an add on to a ticket. Perhaps you want to do that. That way you can arrive before lines start. We did Harry Potter rides until things were built up. Then we did other parts of the park. Some places never had a line. I remember Men in Black being close to HP and absolutely no line. There's an app you can use to monitor rides by wait time.

 

I don't recommend purchasing the fast pass add on to tickets. You can't use it on several rides, so I don't think it's that useful.

 

We would do morning through mid day at the park, take a break at out hotel for a few hours and then return to the parks in the evening when people were leaving. I think that arrangement kept us from horrible crowds. I met a couple other moms navigating the park with kids who had special needs so I don't think my experience was an anomaly. But I don't know you ds or how the experience would fit him.

[PeterPan]

I like that suggestion on Busch Gardens. I've got s few itineraries now and I'll let Dad decide.

 

Apparently the mullet migrate in October making great fishing and poor beach swimming on parts of the east coast hmmm.

 

Diana thanks for the info on Universal. Yes that's how we'd need to roll. Ds doesn't do well with a whole day places. Six hours of Disney was max for him. It's how we blew through 5 days before because we were doing partials.

 

How many days would be good at universal with him? I was thinking 2 or 3.

[PeterPan]

I'm actually going to run these paths by the behaviorist first and THEN present them to Dad. She knows more where he is and what will happen.

[bettyandbob]

 

Diana thanks for the info on Universal. Yes that's how we'd need to roll. Ds doesn't do well with a whole day places.

 

How many days would be good at universal with him? I was thinking 2 or 3.

We did 3 days with park to park tickets. With 3 days we took a very leisurely pace. Park to park allowed us to take the train between the parks go to anything we wanted. We stopped at all the little shows as well as did rides. The only meet and greet we did was SpongeBob. DS was almost 14 at the time. He loves SpongeBob. SpongeBob spent 30 minutes playing with my ds one day before another person showed up for a picture. So there were parts of the parks that were almost empty even though it was a high crowd time. If you like Harry Potter definitely do that area very early then explore other stuff.

 

There's a water park now too. I think I'd still keep it at 3 days even if I was adding the water park.

 

Also if you decide to do 2-3 days look for deals. When we went there was a fantastic AmEx deal. I'm sure there are other places that offer good deals.

 

I was starting to wonder if someone would mention Busch Gardens. I haven't been to the one in Tampa. We did Williamsburg years ago and it was ok. I think part of the problem you may have is Tampa is a drive from Orlando.

[Lady Florida.]

Things might have changed but years ago I had a friend (moved out of state) who used a scooter due to her disability. She was able to get in a special line for most rides at Universal and could take one person with her. Like I said, that might have changed. There was a big thing a few years ago about people abusing the disability system (some were even selling their disability passes to people) at all the theme parks and they all reworked how they handle things.

 

Another thing to keep in mind about Universal in October is Halloween Horror Nights. Most nights the park will close early and only those with HHN passes will be able to stay after that closing time. I think it's somewhere between 4pm and 6pm. It's been a few years so I don't remember. You can check the calendar on their website to be sure.

 

We did kayaking at the zoo years ago and enjoyed it. 

 

I'm in Titusville. If you decide to come up here to go to Dixie Crossroads, try to come on a weekday. They don't take reservations and there's a line nearly every night. Weeknights are lighter though there's still usually a line. Or, you could come for lunch when it's not quite as crowded. As a local I have to say I think it's overrated. It's good, but overrated. If you truly want good, fresh seafood you'll pay for it. But if you can splurge, Florida's Fresh Grill is fantastic. And it's in Cocoa Beach.

 

ETA: You can feed the catfish and turtles (or just watch them) while you wait at Dixie Crossroads, so it's not a boring wait. 

Edited August 15, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[PeterPan]

Ok, now you're speaking my language! That FFG looks really good! I could eat there a bunch of times and not run out of choices.  :drool5:   

 

Feeding fish and turtles would be fun! Ds likes low key stuff like that and it's good for my dad too. 

 

Yeah, so now I'm just trying to get a hold of my dad. The behaviorist is here, so I'll get her take on it. And you're right, I had forgotten about the HHN stuff. That would be way overkill with ds. I don't even think he could handle the Mickey's Not So Scary, even though he says spooky sounds fun. He wouldn't even go meet Olaf and nice characters. *I* enjoyed seeing the characters, but he didn't. Maybe it will come.

 

Well my dad would love that FFG. I think I had seen that a year ago when I researched and then forgot about it. He would really enjoy that. I could take him in a few days early and relax on the beach and do that, then ds and I could go either on a cruise or to do Universal while dad has his time with brother.

[Lady Florida.]

Oh, I meant to point out that Halloween Horror Nights is at Universal Studios. Islands of Adventure stays open, and I believe if you have the 2 park pass you can go to Harry Potter World on both sides. You just can't leave HP World on the Studios side without a HHN wrist band.

[SebastianCat]

I live in Tampa, and if you're considering this part of the state, there's a lot to do here.

 

Legoland is about halfway between Disney and Tampa.   If your DS likes rides, Legoland might be just right.   The rides there are fun, but not nearly as intense as the full-blown roller coasters of Busch Gardens.

 

Busch Gardens has a LOT to do - really intense roller coasters, some milder roller coasters, a train, a preschool/little kid area, some rides and things for middle age kids to do, plus animals.

 

The Florida Aquarium and Lowry Park Zoo are also a lot of fun.

 

As for beaches, keep in mind that some of the east coast beaches allow driving on the beach (like Daytona and New Smyrna).   When my kids needed near-constant supervision at the beach, I wasn't very comfortable letting them run around with cars actually on the beach.   I'm pretty sure Melbourne and Cocoa Beach don't allow cars on the beach.   The downside to not parking on the beach is that you must haul all of your gear over a boardwalk or dune to get to the beach itself.   None of the beaches on the west coast allow driving.    If you do come over to Tampa, I'd recommend Honeymoon Island State Park - it's one of the closest to Tampa and typically isn't as crowded as Clearwater.    The sand on the west coast beaches will be nicer than the east coast, but the east coast beaches have bigger waves and stronger undertow.

 

The weather in October should be great.   Still hot enough to go to the beach, but not so hot that you melt standing in lines at a theme park.   You should be fine weather-wise whatever you choose to do.   October is still within hurricane season, but the peak time for hurricanes will be over by then.