Orlando Attractions Guide

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The Magic Kingdom

The first park opened at Walt Disney World, many still feel The Magic Kingdom is one of the best orlando attractions of the four theme parks. Children will remember their visit here for years to come, and adults can revisit the simple joys of childhood. Divided into six lands,each section of the park has its own unique flavor. Main Street USA, an idealized reproduction of an 1880's town, begins your visit to The Magic Kingdom. In Frontierland, the days of Davy Crockett and Tom Sawyer are recalled with Disney's usual pizzazz. If you have young children dying to see Mickey, you should definitely not miss Mickey's Toontown Fair. Adventureland, with its themes ranging from the jungles of Africa to the tropical forests of the Caribbean, features several great rides. The Haunted Mansion, with its 999 happy ghosts, is one of many Orlando attractions in Libery Square, and Fantasyland showcases rides for the younger set. Tomorrowland features ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, a sensory thriller from George Lucas.

EPCOT Center

Another one of Orlando's attractions is EPCOT, a celebration of human progress, imagination, and culture. The park is divided into two sections:
Future World, which showcases the latest in technology and human innovation, and World Showcase, which highlights the culture, cuisine and architecture of eleven countries. Focusing on the scientific aspect of our lives, Future World's eleven pavilions each represent a different theme. Energy, biology, telecommunications and imagination are among the topics covered, each presented in dazzling style. The cuisine at World Showcase is well worth sampling, and each country's restaurant offers authentic dishes prepared by native chefs. This section of the park is also a shopping mecca, with an astounding variety of goods imported from the countries represented.

Disney-MGM Studios

A working movie and television studio, Disney-MGM Studiosis devoted to the art of film. Replicas ofGrauman's Chinese Theater and The Brown Derby give the park Hollywood appeal, and the tours and attractions aim to educate as well as entertain. Complete with special effects and sets, the Studio Backlot tour gives real insight into film development. Attractions showcasing stunts,animation and film history are presented in spectacular fashion, and several thrill rides round out a day at this park.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

The newest theme park at Walt Disney World, Animal Kingdom features more than 1,000 animals inhabitats replicating those found in the wild. Asia and Africa are both represented with native animals and plants, and an archeological dig complete with dinosaur bones is recreated in Dinoland USA. Showcasing architecture from Africa, Latin America, and the South Pacific, Safari Village is a collage of vibrant colors and native art. The centerpiece of the park, the Tree of Life, is a 14 story man-made tree with over 325 animals carved into its trunk, roots and branches.

Water Parks at Walt Disney World

Three water parks are located in Walt Disney World, each with its own unique style and rides. Blizzard Beach, fashioned after a snow ski resort, features the tallest water slide in the world. With thrill rides, white-water rafting and toboggan racing rides, this park is a favorite among teenagers. Typhoon Lagoon, created to look like a tropical village, features the world's largest inland surfing lagoon. Mount Mayday, an 85-foot high man-made mountain complete with a shrimp boat teetering on top, is the parks centerpiece. River Country, Disney's first water park, was conceived as a modern day version of Tom Sawyers swimming hole. While lacking the huge slides of Disney's other water parks, this attraction has plenty of fun to offer and is usually less crowded.

Downtown Disney

Encompassing Downtown Disney Marketplace and Pleasure Island, Downtown Disney is Walt DisneyWorld's shopping and entertainment district. Downtown Disney Marketplace showcases over 20 shops and eateries,
as well as artists, dancers, storytellers and comedians. Pleasure Island, featuring

eight nightclubs as well as shops and restaurants, is the only adult oriented attractions in the Disney universe. This attraction comes alive after dark, and a New Year's Eve celebration is held nightly, complete with booming cannons and confetti.

Universal Studios Florida

The place to "ride the movies"; Universal Studios has an edge of authenticity as it is the largest active film studio outside of Hollywood. More than 30 rides, shows and attractions are featured here, as well as nine sound sets and 40 street sets. Nickelodeon Studios, a favorite among children visiting the park, gives the younger set a chance to audition for a show, test games or be part of a live studio audience. Stunning visual effects and audio-animatronics are showcased at most of the attractions in the park, and make experiences like a confrontation with King Kong and a walk through a tornado seem real.

Islands of Adventure

The newest theme park in Orlando, Islands of Adventure offers some of the most technologically advanced rides and attractions ever made. Designed especially for children, Seuss Landing and Toon Lagoon are whimsical lands filled with rides and characters. Thrill seekers will flock to the other three "lands": Marvel Super Hero Island, The Lost Continent, and Jurassic Park. The rides here feature stomach wrenching drops, twists, and turns, as well as face-to-face encounters with dinosaurs and dragons.

Seaworld Orlando

A marine animal adventure park, SeaWorld Orlando offers guests the chance to touch live stingraysand dolphins, take a journey to the Artic (complete with Polar Bears), laugh at the antics of seals, and marvel at the beauty of a tropical coral reef. The undisputed star of the park is Shamu, the Killer Whale. His audience-drenching splashes and silly antics have been favorites since the parks opening. Shows here feature marine animals such as Sea Lions, Otters, Beluga Whales and a Walrus. The park has recently added its first thrill ride, Journey to Atlantis, an elaborate water ride

Discovery Cove

Operated by Sea World, Discovery Cove is more an experience than a theme park. Limited to 800 guests per day, admission to the park is by reservation only. Guests spend the day swimming with Dolphins, snorkeling among thousands of tropical fish, exploring man-made underwater grottos and shipwrecks, and playing with more than 300 tropical birds.

Church Street Station

Formerly a city block of office buildings and stores, Church Street Station is now one of Orlando's premier dining, shopping, and entertainment districts. Three full-service restaurants offer nightly shows featuring Dixieland bands, can-can dancers, and live rock-n-roll music. You can dance the night away at Phineas Phogg's, or play games of all varieties at Commander Ragtime's. Terror on Church Street, a high-tech haunted house, will scare the daylights out of adults and children alike. The real hits at Church Street Station are the numerous antiques and old architectural elements, which were imported by the owner from around the world.

Gatorland

One of Florida's original tourist attractions, Gatorland celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1999. Best known for the 20-foot high set of jaws that serve as its entrance and the huge number of alligators and other reptiles it houses, the park is also an active research center and alligator farm. Visitors can watch alligator wrestling shows, climb an observation tower to view hundreds of alligators, walk through a jungle filled with crocodiles, touch a poisonous snake, and ride the Gatorland Express train tour. The best-known show at the park is the Gator Jumparoo, where the huge beasts jump from the water to devour raw chickens suspended from a cable.

Medieval Times

The first of the Orlando area's themed dinner shows, Medieval Times is fashioned after an 11th century European castle. During the four-course dinner (eaten with your fingers just like the Middle Ages), guest watch jousting knights, tournaments and a falconry show. Before and after dinner guests can tour a museum featuring a recreated medieval village, complete with villagers, craftsman, wine cellar and a dungeon.

Malibu Grand Prix

The high-powered Indy style Formula racecars are the major draw at Malibu Grand Prix. These miniature versions travel at speeds up to 60 miles per hour, and visitors race around a ¾-mile track. Guests must be 18 or older with a valid drivers license, or 16 or older with a valid drivers license and parent or guardian present. For the younger kids, a Mini-Grand prix is available for children 8 years or older. The attraction also offers batting cages, a miniature golf course, and a gameroom.

Olde Town

A four-block shopping, dining and entertainment complex, Olde Town's centerpiece is its huge lighted Ferris wheel. Seventy-five stores offer a myriad of merchandise, and more than a dozen rides provide the entertainment. The complex draws huge crowds on Saturday nights, when a free rock-n-roll concert and a parade of 300 vintage cars are offered.

Orlando Science Center

A hands-on learning center featuring over 207,000 square feet of exhibits and activities, the Orlando Science Center gives visitors the opportunity to learn as they have fun. The center has exhibits centering on physics, energy, computers, lasers, math and biology. The center also houses an IMAX theater and a planetarium, as well as traveling exhibitions from around the world.

WonderWorks

Housed in one of the most unique buildings in the Orlando area, WonderWorks is an interactive entertainment center located in what appears to be an upside down Georgian home that has landed on top of a 1930's warehouse. At this attraction, guests can be blown away by a hurricane, experience an earthquake, and participate in a wide scope of other virtual reality experiences.

Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum

One of 27 museums located throughout the world, Ripley's "Odditorium" in the Orlando area features oddities such as a shrunken head, a Rolls Royce made of matchsticks, and fertility statues. The building that serves as the museum's home looks as though it's slowing sinking into the ground.

Wet n' Wild

Twenty-five acres of thrilling water slides, toboggan rides, and water play areas await the guest at Wet n' Wild. The park is home to Bomb Bay, considered the scariest water slide in the world with its stomach-dropping plunge down a 76-foot high nearly vertical slide. Seven other water slides feature twists, turns, drops, and lighting and sound effects. A children's water playground contains miniature versions of some of the big rides, as well as a wading pool for toddlers.

Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum

This restoration facility turned museum houses as many as a dozen planes at a time in current production. Guided tours are offered, and the museum is full of decals, models, and World War II memorabilia. Several restored aircraft are on hand year round, and planes take off from the landing strip regularly.

Water Mania

Another of the Orlando area's premier water parks, Water Mania showcases a variety of water slides, white-water rides, and a 720,000-gallon wave pool. The park also features the only surfing simulator in the United States. A stage in front of the wave pool offers periodic free concerts. Dry land activities include a miniature golf course and a picnic area.

Arabian Nights

A themed dinner theater experience, Arabian Nights features a four -course meal accompanied by an extravagant show. Guests are treated to performances by dancers, magicians, and the Royal Lipizzaners, a troop of more than 60 trained horses. The climax of the show is an authentic chariot race.

A World of Orchids

The world's largest permanent display of flowering orchids in a tropical rainforest setting awaits the visitor to A World of Orchids. This attraction also features exotic birds, chameleons, frogs, and thousands of fish. A fishing hole stocked with catfish hosts a daily fishing tournament, and visitors can purchase a variety of plants at the gift shop.

Splendid China

Covering 76 acres, Splendid China showcases 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture. The park is a walk through 10,000 miles of the Chinese countryside captured in miniatures. Some of the most impressive replicas include the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Xian warrior statues. The buildings and landmarks are complete with miniature people, all with individually hand painted faces. Chinatown, at the entrance to Splendid China, immerses you in Chinese culture through craft exhibitions, shops, restaurants, and entertainment.

Pirates Dinner Adventure

A swashbuckling musical show accompanied by an appetizer buffet and four-course dinner, Pirates Dinner Adventure stars a beautiful princess and a host of plundering pirates. Performed on an enormous, fully rigged pirate's galleon, the show is following by a cast-hosted party.

Skull Kingdom

A live-action haunted castle, Skull Kingdom has frights aplenty and spooks galore. Special effects and robotics complete the scary experience.

Green Meadows Petting Farm

Kids can milk a cow, ride a pony or cuddle a duck at this off the beaten path attraction. More than 200 farms animals in a wonderful outdoor setting are showcased along a two-hour guided tour. The tour ends with an old-fashioned hayride.

Jungleland Zoo

Opened as a refuge for abused and injured animals, Jungleland Zoo is home to hundreds of exotic and endangered animals. Kids can feed the monkeys and touch a live alligator at one of three shows daily. The attraction also features a petting zoo and gift shop.

Fantasy of Flight

This attraction features more than 30 vintage aircraft exemplifying eras of aviation. Guests can also enjoy flight simulators and aviation souvenirs and gifts.