Old-fashion Fun
AJ Robinson

Normally, when someone talks about having fun on U.S. 192, it means going to Disney World. After all, the place pretty much put central Florida on the map. There are some places you can go for fun, and not have to take out a personal loan to do it! Right along U.S. 192, east of I-4, and away from Disney World, is Old Town; an old-fashion place for fun.

You know you are getting close to Old Town when you see the Ferris wheel come into view. Yeah, they got one of those! As I said, it is a place for old-fashion fun. That means they have a Ferris wheel, go-carts etc, all the fun that many of us remember from our childhoods. The best thing about the place is the reasonable prices. After all, Orlando is a place where you can easily drop a couple hundred dollars on the family, and that is only for tickets to one theme park! A place for fun that doesn't break you is great. A kid's wristband, good for unlimited admission to the rides, is only $15! Next, there is the shopping, and then food. Old Town features shops and restaurants; so mom and dad can have a bit of fun themselves. The place also plays host to nightly entertainment, and they hold car shows on the weekend.

If you do not find something to your liking on site, there are more restaurants up and down U.S. 192 than you can imagine. The great thing about many of them is their prices; they are very reasonable. What with all the competition, many have all you can eat buffets. If you have a big gang of kids, and they have worn themselves out playing all day, take them to one of the buffets; they'll chow-down for hours.

Several years back, there was one cool autumn evening that we went to Old Town, and had a great time. My wife and I took our daughter Alexa, and a couple of her friends: Robby and David; and got them all wristbands. The way it works is that you can either buy tickets for each ride, or get your kids bracelets that let them ride as much as they want. Given that the kids wanted to have free run of the place, the bracelets made the most sense. While they chased each other around the go-cart track, my wife and I got some "quality time" up in the Ferris wheel.

Afterward, we strolled by the shops, got hot dogs and ice cream, and headed home, once the kids got tired. For a time, I felt a bit like I was back at the old county fair's I went to as a kid. I like to think my daughter will look back on those memories as warmly as I do mine.