I was really conflicted on doing a diary on this both stupid and non-politically related topic, but I'm pretty desperate for help as well as low on time, so here you have my cry for help diary. I'll happily delete if posting this diary is too inappropriate. I'm also committed to doing penance: now I've tasked myself with writing a scintillating political diary. :) Follow me below the fold for details on my mundane problem and how you can help.
I'm having a houseguest emergency. I have a family member in-law showing up from Europe today, and we're madly scrambling for ideas of things to do with him while he's here in my small podunk town in north central Florida. (The Super-Walmart loses the Wow factor after a few visits). In seriousness, we've come up with some good ideas, but Orlando is so close, that I think we need to include one of the themeparks there.
The problem is, aside from going to Disneyworld when I was a kid, I've never been to any of them, and there are so many. So, I was wondering, has anyone here been to any of the Universal, Disney, Busch (in Tampa), SeaWorld parks in this area as teenagers or adults? Can you recommend one?
A little background. We're all in our mid-late 20s, no kids, don't drink or party (a big adult attraction at these parks, seemingly), and aren't are very campy (we would not be up for the Pirates of the Caribbean light and puppet show / parade). We're looking for rollercoasters, waterslides, cool exhibits -- you know, decently fun stuff to do that isn't necessary targetted at a 12 year old. I used to go to Astroworld (6 Flags) in Houston when I was in high school, and it would definitely still be fun today. I just don't know what the equivalent of that park is around here, and the websites for the local parks are not helpful and make the parks look stupid and campy. Epcot, for example, looks incredibly lame on the website, but I'm hearing from people that it's great, even for adults.
Also, I know Disney is evil, so I don't want them getting my money, but I also want to show my in-law a good time, and at some point, he's going to be beached and nature-trailed out. Further, I don't know if Universal is a better company in terms of their politics; that might weigh on my decision. By the way, this theme park visit would be about one day of a month-long visit, most of which will be spent in the beautiful natural scenery -- springs, rivers and beaches -- which surround us, as well as in the cultural life of the University. So, don't worry too much about my progressive soul; we're just planning to go for only one out of many days.
Finally, my in-law has never been to the US, so whatever path we choose will be part of his psychic view of our country for many years. So, help me start to rebuild positive world opinion, one visitor at a time! I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.