Rediscover the simple pleasures of a day trip with Day Trips from Orlando. For local travelers seeking new adventures in their own backyards, as well as vacationers, it offers hundreds of exciting things to do, see, and discover within a two-hour drive. Complete with full trip-planning information, including

itineraries with their own route maps, as well as information on where to eat, where to shop, and where to stop along the way, this guide helps make the most of a brief getaway.

* Eat lunch with an astronaut, attend mission briefings, and tour a space shuttle replica at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

* Round up the family and board Captain Memo's Pirate Cruise for a swashbuckling adventure in Clearwater Beach on the southwest coast.

* Visit the 20,000-acre Paynes Prairie State Preserve near Gainesville and spot horses, bison, and migratory birds while you hike, boat, fish, or just plain relax.