Orlando Tourist-Attractions

Orlando Tourist-Attractions information

Disney Attractions

The Disney World Theme Park complex is a vast area packed with entertainment. Comprising several distinct sections, park attractions feature as the first four items below. Open: daily 09h00-19h00/00h00 depending on season. Entrance is with Disney's Magic Your Way Pass, which is available in various permutations. It allows access to the park's four main theme parks (The Magic Kingdom, MGM Studios, Epcot and Disney's Animal Kingdom) for 4-10 days in a 14-day period. Prices are calculated depending on how many parks you want to visit - with admission to optional extra attractions including Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island, DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park, and Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. The base price allows admission to one park a day. For complete flexibility to come and go as you please you should purchase a "premium" pass for a USD80 surcharge on top of your base ticket rate - meaning that the more days you stay the better value it is. Typical price of a premium pass bought at the gate is 7-days adult: USD211.94 (including tax). You can get discounts for advance booking from licensed operators.

The Magic Kingdom

This 98-acre park contains seven different "lands" each with more than 50 major attractions, plus shops, restaurants, parades and mingling Disney characters. Main Street, USA is full of pastel-shaded Victorian buildings, Adventureland boasts its three river Jungle Cruise while Frontierland recreates the feel of the Wild West. Alongside these are Liberty Square, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, as well as Mickey's Toontown Fair - perfect for younger kids. Big ride attractions include Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, or Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride. To round the day off the Fantasy in the Sky light and firework extravanganza over Cinderella's Castle is breathtaking. Exit 25, I-4.

Epcot

Opened in 1982 and originally conceived as a permanent community, Epcot (or Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) has become a showcase educational theme park. Its two main sections, Future World and World Showcase, are separated by the 40-acre World Showcase Lagoon. Future World's outer ring of seven pavilions includes Innoventions, highlighting new technologies that enhance daily living, and the Living Seas, with a six-million gallon aquarium. The inner ring includes Wonders of Life, an entertaining look at modern lifestyles, and Spaceship Earth, a ride that explores human progress from the darkest days to the future. World Showcase is a series of 11 pavilions highlighting the culture of countries including China, France, Italy, Japan, the UK and, of course, the good ol' US of A. Exit 26, I-4.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Disney's latest attraction explores the relationship between humans and animals in a series of spectacular landscapes, peppered with rides, restaurants, shops and shows. It's Tough to be a Bug offers an inect's eye view of the world, while prehistoric creatures inhabit DinoLand USA. In the Africa section there's a Swahili village, featuring local food, architecture and shopping and the Pengani Forest Exploration Trail is a streamside walk where visitors can encounter gorillas, hippos and other exotic beasties. And this is just a selection of the animal attractions on offer. The Kilimanjiro Safari is an undoubted highlight, with a ride in an open-sided vehicle across 100 acres of savannah, with herds of lions, tigers and giraffes. Camp Minnie-Mickey offers the little ones a chance to meet characters from Disney favourites such as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. Exit 25, I-4.

MGM Studios

These working studios - nine years older than their Universal counterparts - are a wonderful combination of astounding rides, educational tours and attractions from the golden age of cinema, including a recreation of 1930s Tinseltown and Hollywood Boulevard. The tour offers the opportunity to visit a real animation studio, or take the Studios Backlot Tour which reveals what goes on backstage during the making of a movie. In the state-of-the-art playground based on Honey I Shrunk the Kids, kids can slide down a giant blade of grass and climb a giant mushroom. Right in the centre of the park is Echo Lake, a beautiful oasis surrounded by palms and restaurants. Near here the Indiana Jones's Epic Stunt Spectacular is a spectacular live-action show that recreates some of the most exciting moments from the popular series of films - including the famous stunt that started the boulder rolling on the whole franchise. Exit 26, I-4.

The Universal Studios

the 450-acre Universal complex is a working studio full of state-of-the-art movie and TV production technology. A tour takes in the main production area with its 3-D tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, a mock-up of New York, where a tram ride brings you face-to-face with King Kong. Over in Amity, a boat trip out of a New England village takes you for a close encounter with the legendary Jaws while the San Francisco tram ride through an earthquake is a real white knuckler. Other attractions are based on Men in Black and ET, and teens will love Terminator 2 - 3D. This amazingly advanced adventure recreates convincing robotics. There's even something for grandma: a walk-though collection of Lucille Ball's wardrobe. Intersection of I-4 and the Florida Turnpike. Admission (single day): USD59.75, adults; USD48, children. A four-park Flexipass allows admission to the Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World and Wet and Wild for 14 consecutive days: USD184.95, adults; USD150.95, children.

Sea World

Opened in 1999, Universal's second Orlando theme park is the home of favourites such as Popeye, the Incredible Hulk and Spiderman, as well as the Jurassic Park dinosaurs. Five themed islands comprise the attractions. Seuss Landing, where the books of the famous Dr Seuss come to life, is for smaller kids while the Lost Continent, with Duelling Dragon (a heart-pounding ride through a medieval forest), offers more robust thrills. Jurassic Park, with its jungle-like vegetation, contains fantastically realistic animatronic animals; but best of all is the River Adventure Ride, where you discover how it feels to be the prey of a huge T Rex! To escape from the deadly dinosaur you plunge down an 85ft water descent - the steepest ever built. If thrills are your thing you won't want to miss Dr Doom's Fearfall - climb to the top of a 200ft tower, then plummet to the ground at unbelievable speed. To get to the Islands of Adventure, park at the main Universal Studios car park (see above).

Museum of Art

The museum's rather limited collection of 19th - 21st century American art is not the main attraction here; rather it's the wealth of exhibitions and hands-on activities that engage children and help them (and their parents) understand the works in the galleries. Not surprisingly, Walt Disney World had a hand in putting it together. Most recently characters and locations from the Harry Potter series of books have helped introduce kids to the collection. 2416 Mills Ave, Downtown Orlando. Open: Tue-Fri 10h00-16h00; Sat-Sun 12h00-16h00. Admission: USD8, adults; USD5, children. Tel: +1 (1)407-896-4231.

Orange County Regional History Center

Orlando's newly refurbished Historical Museum contains a veritable pot-pourri of local historical memorabilia, including photographs and antiques. The exhibition takes you through over 10,000 years of Florida's history. You begin with a cinema overview of the museum sitting on the front porch of a Floridan house before catching the elevator to the top floor. Starting there you progress down through the ages, tracing the development of the region right to the present day on the ground floor. It's a fantastic hands-on experience, built with prying kids in mind. 1 Heritage Square, 65 E Central Blvd. Open: Mon-Sat 10h00-17h00; Sun 12h00-17h00. Admission: USD7, adults; USD3.50, children. Tel: +1 (1)407-836-8500.

Discovery Cove

This reservations-only attraction across the road from Sea World, recreates a tropical oasis, where you will meet sea creatures from the Bahamas, Tahiti and Micronesia. It's a fantastic place, offering the opportunity to actually swim and play with dolphins, rays and thousands of exotic sea animals in a safe contained environment. There's also an aviary with more than 300 exotic birds. Only 1,000 people are allowed to enter Discovery Cove each day, so you'll need to make an advance reservation. Exit 27A, I-4. Admission: USD259 (includes a meal at the cove, a dolphin swim and seven days' admission to Sea World); USD159 (excluding dolphin swim).