Old Town in Florida is located just off highway 192 in Kissimmee, Florida just 3 miles away from the main entrance to Disney and just a few miles away from Universal Studios and Sea World, Old Town is also very close to hotels. In Old Town you will find dinning, shopping and entertainment for all ages there is also a fair which caters for all ages.

Dinning available at Old Town

KFC – offers you your chicken burgers and mini fillets, chicken strips, popcorn chicken along with side orders like mash potato, potato wedges, corn on the cob, coleslaw, Mac and cheese, home style biscuits.

A & W American food- offers you the well-known food that the whole family love with food like burgers and fries with root beers also served. They offer something the whole family will enjoy.

Blue Max Tavern- the Blue Max Tavern serves lunch and dinner on a daily basis. A full menu is available on arrival. They also have karaoke every night of the week. There is also a pool table and a full bar. Open until early hours of the morning most nights.

Old Town chip shop- is a British style fish and chip shop that offers English style fish and chips and home baked pies and mushy peas. They also offer a range of alcoholic drinks along with soft drinks.

Old Town fun fair- fun spot

Old town fun fair has rides and enjoyment for the entire family. Some of the rides that are on offer are the happy days family go-karts, tea cups, frog hopper, wave swinger, Ferris wheel, merry-go- round, Bumper cars, laser tag, a kid’s roller coaster. All rides require tickets to ride most rides are more than one tickets value ticket packs are available which makes the rides work out cheaper than buying tickets separately.

Though if you plan to ride the fair all day then buying a wristband works out a lot cheaper. 

Live music at Old Town

Old Town also offers live music throughout the year they have about four or five live bands in a month. The bands play on a Saturday night during the Saturday night cruise (with the old cars)

Weekly events at Old Towns

Thursday night is bike night- on a Thursday night is biker night where all bikers are able to come and show off their bikes whether you have a Harley Davison or a chopper come along to Old Town on a Thursday night for a night of fun.

Kissimmee Old Town, on the shores of Lake Tohopekaliga (Lake Toho, to you and me) is well worth a visit. And if you want to impress the locals, do pronounce their city’s name correctly, with the stress on the second syllable - “Kissimmee”.

Kissimmee (previously known as Allendale) was incorporated as a city in 1883. It was the heart of cow country and the sound of the men “cracking” cow whips led to them being called “Florida Crackers”. Ranching and citrus packing remained an important part of the local economy until the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971. After that, tourism took over, although cattle ranches still operate nearby.

The Kissimmee downtown area is a bit of real genuine Americana, and is pedestrian friendly. Yes - you can park your car and actually walk around streets full of brick buildings, boardwalks, shops and restaurants. Currently the Kissimmee downtown area has several restaurants, an art gallery, photographers, and a number of retailers selling clothing, music, art, antiques, video games, and furniture; plus lawyers, doctors, accountants, architects, printers, beauty & barber shops.

We came across the Farmers’ Market which operates at Toho Square on Thursdays from 7 am to 1 pm. It is modest in size but has lovely fresh produce for sale.

And if you are looking for some good ol’ “down home” cookin’ and a bit of old time service, do what we do, and eat at Joanie’s Diner at 120 Broadway, Kissimmee. You will not be disappointed with the food or the friendly service. It’s where the locals go.

Should you be in Kissimmee in the evening you can also go on ghost walks, and hear tales of the “headless horseman”, the “hanging tree” and the “ghost of the lake”.

A lot of money has been poured into the area for improvements, and a lot of the historic houses in the roads leading down to the lakefront have been renovated or rebuilt and are well worth a look. Also on the road down to the lake is the very quirky “Monument of States”.

Down at the Lakeside, you can walk along a long promenade by the lake which has piers, bait shops, boat slips and marinas. Chill out, watch the fishermen, or take an airboat ride, daytime or night time. There’s also a lot of green space for relaxation down by the lake, with playgrounds, picnic areas and bike paths, all well used by the locals at the weekend.

Do have a look at Kissimmee. It’s well worth it.

Andy Brownlie