"My favourite meal in Florida was at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at
Universal Studios. Crab cakes and Margaritas to die for…
..." Julie V, Linconshire Read more
Authentic Orlando: Five days in Central Florida With its stomach-flipping rides, lovable characters and candy-coloured hotels, Orlando, the undisputed theme park champion of the world, is big, bright and bursting with fun. However, for all the man-made attractions that have sprung up among the flat swamplands and pine hammocks of Central Florida, Mother Nature can match them with wonders of her own.
Imagine the Attraction Orlando has perfected the art of recreating distant lands – and engineering imagined ones. Still, museums, performing arts and intriguing neighbourhoods – even an Everglades-like swampland – evidence the area’s authenticity. Of course, that merely amplifies the attraction.
Orlando: More than just a holiday in the sun Orlando offers holiday visitors much more than just theme parks and sunshine. Sure, the attractions and warm weather entice nearly 48 million travellers annually, but they all soon discover a family destination filled with magic and adventure of every description: Classic rides. Unique shopping. Cool nightlife. Fine dining. World-class golf. Just about everything. In fact, you might be surprised at what you’ll find.
Shamu Swims in SeaWorld Orlando Encounter dolphins, manatees, whales and even sharks our your Florida holiday. Enjoy a Florida holiday getaway with the family. SeaWorld Orlando, home of Shamu, is a favourite destination for ever holiday to Florida.
The Essential Kissimmee Live your cowboy fantasy on horseback, explore historic town centres and lakefront parks or visit world-famous theme parks nearby. Whether you’re looking for the ultimate in family fun, a step back into the past or a plunge into nature, Kissimmee can serve up your dream holiday.
Universal Orlando Resort A real, working movie and television studio, Universal Studios is also a fun theme park that brings your favourite films and superheroes to life. Here, you can check out Nickelodeon Studios, where Nickelodeon shows are produced. Or, go behind the scenes another way on thrilling rides that let you experience the movies.
Walt Disney World Resort However old you are, Mickey still has that magic. When people think of Walt Disney World, they most likely think of Magic Kingdom first the original Disney theme park, which opened in 1971. Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom soon followed and today, all four parks offer adventure, entertainment and education for children, teens and adults alike.
Where to Play and Stay in Orlando Orlando is all about one-of-a-kind experiences. Perhaps you're a family of adrenaline junkies in search of the fastest and scariest ride at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure®. Or maybe dining alongside Cinderella in her Walt Disney World® castle is more your speed. Whether you're the type to swim with the dolphins at SeaWorld's Discovery Cove® Orlando or hit the outlet stores in search of bargains, Orlando provides a nonstop source of things to do.
Orlando/Kissimmee
Mickey's Spectro-Magic Walt Disney World
Orlando needs no introduction. Its fame as a family destination for theme parks spreads wide and far and draws visitors from every corner of the world. But this larger-than-life playground has more to offer than what lies behind turnstile gates. Visitors of all ages find shopping on scale with its other attractions as well as museums, sports, performance arts, green oases and outlying towns and neighbourhoods with their own distinct personality.
Walt Disney World created the town of Lake Buena Vista, where its empire of fantasy continually grows. From Magic Kingdom in the beginning, the wonderful world has expanded to include futuristic Epcot, entertainment world’s Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM), and nature’s Animal Kingdom. Throw in a couple of water parks, some miniature golf, a high-tech video arcade, golf and a huge sports complex with a Richard Petty race car driving experience, and you have just about every entertainment base covered. Downtown Disney complexes provide the ultimate in shopping, nightlife and dining, using the same special effects and gimmicks as the parks. Resorts have kept up with the growth and many have themes spanning from Caribbean to western lodge and from sports to music.
The propensity for over-the-top entertainment has infected the environs with a love for fun, faux, goofy and imagination. Disney spawned more and more theme parks small and magnificent and contributed to the old cattle and citrus town a show-biz, grand-scale sense of proportion. Universal Orlando Resort, with its two-part theme parks, furthered the reputation for state-of-the-art showmanship and thrills. It takes movie entertainment from the big screen to first-hand experience in a way that inspires tears and screams. CityWalk, a recreated downtown club and dining scene, and a medley of theme resorts, grew up to accommodate guests and expand the appeal of the parks to adult playtime.
Meanwhile, SeaWorld Orlando brings a marine-attraction element to the scene but not without its own sense of drama and adventure. In addition to shows and exhibits starring Shamu the killer whale, dolphins, otters, seals, manatees, penguins, sharks and other denizens of the deep, SeaWorld thrills visitors with high-heart-rate rides and simulations. Its sister attraction, Discovery Cove, is the ultimate dolphin interaction experience, including a full day’s regime of snorkelling and private beaching. Another SeaWorld sister
Old Town, Kissimmee
attraction Aquatica, a colourful waterpark, opened in 2008 - the first new theme park in Orlando for eight years.
Water parks, dinner show attractions, hot-air balloon rides, an alligator farm, and an assortment of amusement parks keep up the momentum of non-stop fun. Resorts, mostly of the large and innovative variety, are destinations in themselves. For the more high-brow palate, art museums, the interactive Orlando Science Centre, a history museum, gardens, parks and theatre satisfy the appetite. Head to downtown Orlando for lively shopping, an African-American heritage museum and entertainment in the Church Street area. Recreational opportunities abound in Winter Park, home to a multitude of parks and lakes. Nearby Eatonville was one of the first communities in America to be incorporated by African-Americans. It hosts the annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities, named for the eminent Harlem Renaissance author who grew up there.
Kissimmee does things in a slightly less showy way than Orlando, given its hometown sentiment and cow-town origins. Cattle auctions and rodeos, in fact, are still a way of life in the historic downtown area. Horseback riding, a petting farm and a folksy historic park gauge the low-key temperament here, although themed family resorts, water parks and other such hyper activity centres share the turf.
Farther away from Orlando’s core attractions, parks, springs, canoeing waterways and small towns are a reminder of the area’s roots. Favourite off-the-beaten-path destinations surrounding the metropolis include the antiquing, biking town of time-stilled Mount Dora, where residents have wilfully kept out chain stores and over-development from its historic and hilly downtown lakefront shopping district. Sanford, a St. Johns River town, offers romantic river ship excursions, manatee snorkel tours and an opportunity to see endangered species from around the world at Central Florida Zoological Park. Cassadega is famous for its spiritualist community. Stop in for a palm-reading and a sense of the town’s unusual vibes. Near St. Cloud, a former cattle ranch has turned into an eco-attraction that embodies old Florida. In Polk City, you can take the wheel on a virtual reality flight, have a ride in a real biplane and tour the world’s largest private aircraft collection at Fantasy of Flight.
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