For homier accommodations, consider the Veranda Bed & Breakfast (115 North Summerlin Avenue, 800-420-6822; www.theverandabandb.com). It is in the Thornton Park residential neighborhood and has 12 nicely appointed rooms starting at $99. Located in Thornton Park, this inn near scenic Lake Eola is another option if you want to stay near downtown. Its four buildings date

The 290-room Orlando Marriott Downtown (400 West Livingston Street, 800-574-3160; www.marriott.com) appeals to both tourists and business travelers. Standard doubles start at $119. An upscale resort that caters to both business and leisure travelers alike. Golf, tennis, and spa lovers will find plenty to do at this 230-acre resort, as will families. The lobby's centerpiece is

The 250-room Grand Bohemian Hotel (325 South Orange Avenue, 407-313-9000; www.grandbohemianhotel.com) may be downtown Orlando's swankiest hotel. On the main business strip, it has an outdoor pool, a lobby-level Starbucks and a lively piano bar. Rooms are $199 to $499.

Sure, you can set sail at Lake Eola. But instead of renting one of the swan-shaped paddleboats, you might be better off walking the lake's nearly milelong perimeter, taking in the serene beauty of the urban greenspace, which includes an amphitheater and a children's playground. On Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., check out

Residents are still buzzing about Doc's Restaurant (1315 South Orange Avenue, 407-839-3627; www.docsrestaurant.com), a sophisticated addition to the city's otherwise ho-hum dining scene. A soaring space with wood tones and polished concrete floors, it is partly owned by a physician (hence the name), but the real attraction is Neil Connolly, a former chef for the

In Thornton Park — an old pedestrian-friendly neighborhood in downtown Orlando — Urban Think! (625 East Central Boulevard, 407-650-8004; www.urbanthinkorlando.com) is the kind of independent bookstore that, sadly, is a vanishing species. It has a smart selection of children's books, hard-to-find magazines and gay fiction, and the comfy chairs make for a welcome midday break.

The city's budding art scene has a new home at the CityArts Factory (29 South Orange Avenue, 407-648-7060; www.dadorlando.com). Housed in a 1917 theater, the cultural center, which opened last year, has five light-filled galleries, a performance space and an artist's studio, all under one roof. As the galleries are still finding their groove, a

For those who think the history of Orlando begins and ends with Mickey Mouse, a visit to the Orange County Regional History Center (65 East Central Boulevard, 407-836-8500; www.thehistorycenter.org) is in order. The main exhibit traces 12,000 years of life in Central Florida, from the days when American Indians roamed the land to the advent

For a classic Southern breakfast served with a side of local history, start your day at Johnson's Diner (595 West Church Street, 407-841-0717; www.johnsonsdiner.com), a fixture in Orlando's sizable African-American community for more than two decades. Soul food doesn't get much better than the fish and grits, fried whiting with perfectly buttery grits ($5.25). Although

The spirit of improv lives at the Sak Comedy Lab (380 West Amelia Street, 407-648-0001; www.sak.com), a 200-seat theater in, of all places, the base of a parking garage. Anyone who has seen the television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” knows the drill: a troupe of comedians spontaneously create skits based on audience suggestions.