Tip: Sanaa, the resort restaurant, offers savanah views; book early to get a table by the window. It's open to the public.

At Saratoga Springs, the Treehouse Villas -- a fixture from 1975 until 2002 -- have returned. Sixty all-new three-bedroom villas sit 10 feet above the ground and are tucked into woods near the waterway; you'll think you're miles away from the hullabaloo.

INDY RACING

If speed's your thing, check out the Indy Racing Experience, a new addition to the Disney Speedway. For several years, Nascar fans have been able to drive (or just ride) the track in a stock car at the Richard Petty Driving Experience here (www.1800bepetty.com). Now speed demons can spin around the track on their own or with a pro driver in a formula series car like those used in the Indy Lights series.

I opted for the ride, secure in the hands of Jonathan Summerton, a current points leader in the Indy Lights series. Don't think you'll just hop in the car, though; even to ride you dress up in a fire-retardant suit, fireproof headsock and fire-retardant gloves -- safety steps that reminded me why I wasn't getting behind the wheel.

Summerton took the open two-seater out for a spin. Then I wedged my J-Lo-sized derriere -- the 6-foot-4 Husband would never fit -- buckled into a shoulder harness and off we went for a three-loop run around the mile track. Our speed, I was told, would average about 120 mph, hitting 150 on the straightaways and 80-plus on the curves.

No cause for alarm; I've been that fast on Italy's Autostrada. Still, it's probably just as well I wasn't driving. There are reasons my car has a few dents.

FOREVER FLORIDA

Less than an hour south of the parks lies their antithesis: a 4,700-acre cattle ranch and nature preserve near St. Cloud designed to maintain the original Florida and show it off with flair and fun.

In January, Florida EcoSafaris, located at Forever Florida, opened its zipline course, a series of seven zips and two ''skybridges.'' The ranch also offers horseback riding and nature tours in open safari vehicles.

If you've zipped over hundreds-feet-deep rainforest chasms in Costa Rica, Ecuador or Jamaica, Florida EcoSafari's setup might sound tame. The highest zip takes you to 55 feet above the ground, the fastest speed hits 25 mph (though going slower is always an option.)

Don't write the place off. The staff is both fun and super-safety conscious -- making this a good choice for would-be zippers who might be a little nervous. But what's really special about the course is its setting.

The visit starts at the cracker-style welcome center and cantina, flanked by wide porches lined with rockers. The driver offers explanations as the big-wheeled, open safari vehicle takes guests through magnolias and palms and scrub. The word ''cracker,'' she explains, came from the snapping sound of a cowboy's whip; Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon dubbed the land ''La Florida'' for its floral beauty. The ranch is home to 300 wild hogs, 400 cattled and 150 horses -- those last descendants of pasofinos brought by Ponce de Leon.

A 10-minute walk through hammock and scrub brought views of a spotted owl and a deer -- both creatures you don't expect to see at midday. And then we were geared up with harnesses and helmets, and off into the woods we went.

Group size is limited; the day I visited, we were a dozen, including a Dutch family, ages 13 and up; a 60-ish father and his grown sons; and a trio of casino workers from Tampa. And though 13-year-old Fleur Schulte was a little nervous at the beginning, by the end everyone was laughing.

Young Kim, one of the casino workers, said she and her friends had worked all night, then driven out to Forever Florida. ``It sure beats sitting around a bar.''

GRANDE LAKES

For a ropes experience closer to the parks, check out the new Adventure Course at Grande Lakes Orlando, home to both the Ritz-Carlton and the J.W. Marriott.

Run by Blue Ridge Learning Centers, this ultimate jungle gym is anchored by a 50-foot center pole that is surrounded by 24 ''traverses,'' including rope bridges, a giant swing and zipline. Finishing the whole course isn't the goal, says manager Eddie Lyons; the point is to overcome fears and stretch beyond your current comfort zone.

During the week the course is reserved for corporate groups. But individuals age 10 and up can come out on weekends for a two-hour experience limited to groups of 30.

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