47 Best Sights in SeaWorld Orlando, Florida

If you've always wanted to experience the underwater world but don't have time for scuba lessons, SeaVenture is the solution. You don a dive helmet tethered to an air supply, which allows you to walk on the reef floor (about 15 feet deep), surrounded by schools of fish, sleek rays, and sharks. Even though the sharks are contained on the opposite side of lengthy panoramic panels of glass, you can't tell there's a partition, so the effect is chilling (so chilling, it makes a great souvenir photo). If you feel anxious, don't fret: guides float above you and beside you as you take your underwater stroll. The whole experience, including orientation, lasts about an hour, with about half the time spent on the underwater walk. At the end, you'll be handed a shaker filled with food. When you shake it and release its contents, you'll be instantly surrounded by a cluster of hungry fish. An unforgettable finish. The SeaVenture costs an extra $59. Some health restrictions apply.

A key to Discovery Cove's popularity is that it gives you time to do absolutely nothing. So if doing nothing means something to you, Serenity Bay is your place. This large pool of refreshingly clear, 80-degree water is ready when you are—or not—because maybe you'd prefer to just find a spot on the beach and soak up the sun. Take your pick. It's your vacation, and this is your bay.

Sprawling, towering, and (for kids) beyond incredible, this 3-acre playground has places to crawl, climb, explore, bounce, and get wet. There's an adjacent arcade with midway games; there are pipes to crawl through; a tent with an air-mattress floor; and "ball rooms"—one for toddlers and one for grade-schoolers—with thousands of plastic balls to wade through. Keep on looking and you'll discover miniaturized thrill rides— roller coasters and spinning rides and an assortment of other rides that inject a pint-size dose of adrenaline. Then there are big sailing ships to explore and webbed ropes to climb and water to play in and around. For kids, this part of the park is worth the price of admission—they could be here for hours. For people with disabilities: Various areas offer different levels of clearance. Check with attendants about accessibility. Don't come first thing, or you'll never drag your child away; that said, it's busy here mid-afternoon or near dusk. Bring a towel to dry them off.

Within a large, innocuous white structure are some thoroughly creepy critters: eels, barracuda, sharks, and poisonous fish. You may even spy a few creatures you've never seen (or even imagined) before, like the weedy sea dragon and his cousin, the leafy sea dragon, which look like branches of a tree. But the stars of the show are the sharks, and this attraction doesn't scrimp. The real fun comes when you enter large transparent corridors and see fish, eels, and a half-dozen species of sharks slice gracefully through the water all around you—even overhead—which is a sensational new experience. Consider visiting the attraction in conjunction with a meal at the extraordinarily well-designed Sharks Underwater Grill, where you can order fresh fish and Floribbean cuisine while watching your entrée's cousins. For people with disabilities: Open spaces allow access to guests using wheelchairs. Spend at least 20 minutes here. Crowds are biggest when the adjacent sea lion and otter show gets out; time your visit accordingly.

The focal point of the park is this 400-foot-tall tower, the main mast for a revolving scenic double-decker observation platform. During the six-minute rotating up and down round-trip, you'll get the inside scoop on the park's history, its attractions, and surrounding sights. All in all, it's peaceful, relaxing, and gives you a new aerial perspective on SeaWorld and Orlando. Adjacent to it is Pearl Dive, a small area where you can sit and watch pearl divers snag oysters. For people with disabilities: The tower can accommodate two wheelchairs per cycle. Come whenever there's not a line, or use Quick Queue if necessary (extra fee required).

These overnight events are arranged primarily for kids, with special programs designed specifically for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and students from grades 2 to 12. During the summer, sleepovers are mainly geared to families with kids between kindergarten and fifth grade. Where will you bunk down for the night? The sleepovers are held at various locations, but always indoors beside a habitat for sharks, manatees, dolphins, Beluga whales, polar bears, penguins, or manta rays. The evening begins at 6 and includes a pizza dinner, a walk around the exhibit with a trainer, and ends with a continental breakfast. Expect to pay $95 for the experience, and park admission is included in the rate. Call ahead for reservations.

In this interactive hands-on exhibit (aka a shallow pool), dozens of circling stingrays are close enough to touch, as evidenced by the many outstretched hands surrounding the rim. Buy stingray delicacies (smelts, silversides, shrimp, and squid) available for $5 a tray, two for $9, three for $13 from the attendant. The best part is when the rays flap up for lunch, you can stroke their velvety skin. Even though they have stingers, they won't hurt you—they just want food (and they're obligingly hungry all day). Check out the nursery pool with its baby rays. For people with disabilities: This attraction is easily accessible to guests using wheelchairs. Walk by if it's crowded, but return before dusk before the smelt concession stand closes.

This is one of the weirdest attractions at Aquatica. Reaching it from Loggerhead Lane's lazy river, you go ashore, climb a tower, settle into an inner tube, and launch yourself into currents that carry you away at an impressive speed. But that's not the weird part. After that, the enclosed pipe you've been in delivers you to a massive basin, where you and your inner tube circle around and around and around and around like a soap bubble circling a bathtub drain. Eventually gravity takes over, and you slip through an opening in the side of the basin, straight into a short but thrilling slide into the splashdown pool. Strange and exciting. Keep on eye on the line, and head upstairs when it's short.

In the aquatic equivalent of a bobsled run, you set yourself up on a blue mat at the opening of a large tube, and at the end of a countdown, you and the seven other racers beside you fling yourselves into the chutes. You then slide through 300 feet of enclosed twisting and turning tubes—but that's not the best part. Things really get going when you enter a stretch that's nearly pitch-black except for a small band of light beside you. After what seems like both an eternity and an instant, you reach the final drop and slide the last few yards into the splashdown pool. If you can't see the end of the line, it's probably short—and it's time to head up. Eight lanes keep things moving along.

You can follow thousands of butterfly fish, angelfish, parrot fish, and a few dozen other species as you snorkel through this authentic-looking coral reef. Stingrays sail slowly and gracefully past and curious fish often come within touching distance—though when you reach out they scatter in nanoseconds. There's even an artificial shipwreck that, through a hole in its hull, reveals a separate pool filled with barracudas and sharks (they're out of reach, thanks to panels of Plexiglas). Even though you're hundreds of miles from the Caribbean, this is a wonderful, accessible substitute. If the sun is shining bright, good for you. The brighter the day, the more brilliant the underwater colors. For people with disabilities: Guests with mobility issues who can readily maneuver themselves with limited assistance can experience the reef. It's easy to monitor crowds; come when they're light. It's suitable for all ages, but teens and adults enjoy it most.

This walk-through attraction is a three-part experience that begins underground where wide windows reveal a pool inhabited by surprisingly graceful manatees. (SeaWorld, by the way, has rescued more manatees than anyone else in the world and has rescued an estimated 20,000 birds, fish, and animals since 1964.) Part two takes you to a room where rescued sea turtles can be seen swimming past as a host discusses the life cycle of these docile creatures. This bit of background leads to the final room, a domed 360-degree 3-D theater where you are introduced to Nyah, a sea turtle who defies the odds and scurries into the ocean after being hatched. From here, you follow Nyah through a series of near disasters until she returns to the beach to lay her own eggs. Note that the predators attempting to get at Nyah and her siblings may be too intense for kids, and the volume may be cranked up to rock-concert levels. If you have a tinge of motion sickness, hang on to the support rails, because the film makes it seem as if the world's gone topsy-turvy. If you can't handle the virtual motion of the movie, skip the film and take a peek at the manatees and turtles from an outdoor observation area. If there's a long line, the fee-additional Quick Queue pass works here.

Two levels of special tours are offered with Expedition SeaWorld (formerly the VIP Tour) ranging from $59 for children and $79 for adults. With that, you receive instant access to Manta, Kraken, Journey to Atlantis, Turtle Trek, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, and Wild Arctic plus reserved seating at the One Ocean, Blue Horizons, and Clyde and Seamore shows; a chance to feed sea lions, dolphins, and rays; and enjoy a meal at an All Day Dining Deal restaurant. Note that you'll be traveling with a group of up to 12. If you invest in the substantially more expensive Private VIP Tour (from $299 or, with park admission, from $349), it will be limited to you and your guests and included preferred parking, reserved seating at shows, and replace the buffet lunch with an upscale meal at Sharks Underwater Grill. Another plus is that the Private VIP Tour can be completely customized (i.e., if there are only adults, you can skip Happy Harbor and other kids' activities; if there are kids, then the tour will add stops just for them).

A colorful 60-foot "rain fortress" anchors 15,000 square feet of family slides, pools, climb- and crawl-through trails, and two humongous buckets that are filling up constantly and, just as constantly, dumping their contents on frolickers far below. This is a fantastically creative play space comparable to Shamu's Happy Harbor at SeaWorld. Kids that are too big for Kata's Kookaburra Cove are at home here—they treat it as the most amazing aquatic playground they've ever experienced. The slides attached to the play structure flow slowly enough for beginners (note that kids aren't permitted to ride on grown-ups' laps on this one), and supercharged water cannons add another level of fun. Save this area for later, when you're worn out but the kids want to play.

Because water park guests can never get enough slipping and sliding, Aquatica offers this quadruple slide with an assortment of twists and turns. Depending on which tube you select, you'll enjoy a completely different experience. Like its partner slides, much of the attraction here is sliding straight into a darkened stretch; you know for sure that you're heading somewhere, but you're never exactly sure where. In the end, the answer reveals itself: you're heading down the final stretch on a long slide into the splashdown pool. Rinse and repeat. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall and able to retain an upright position unassisted; under 48 inches must wear a life vest. Try it at lunchtime or near day's end.

At this pseudo ice station, you embark on a soaring and swooping virtual helicopter ride that takes you over the Arctic and through some dangerously close calls (if you're sensitive to the very real rolls and pitches, you can opt out for a stationary virtual helicopter). Then you exit onto a long walk through interactive, educational displays which lead to above- and below-water stations where you can watch Beluga whales, polar bears, and groaning tusked walruses (some weighing as much as 3,000 pounds) hoisting themselves onto a thick shelf of ice. This is a diverse and cute collection of animals you certainly don't see everyday, which makes this sneak peak at their lifestyle vastly entertaining. Those who are pregnant or who suffer from neck, back, or heart conditions or motion sickness should opt out of the virtual-helicopter part of the attraction. For people with disabilities: You must transfer from your wheelchair to the ride vehicle. Come early, late, or during a Shamu show. You can skip the simulated helicopter ride if you just want to see the mammals.

On this hour-long program, you'll be able to interact with seals, walruses, and beluga whales. Trainers are there to take your questions—and you'll be delighted when you come face to snout with a whiskered walrus. Too cute! From $59 adults and children.

As this river meanders through most of Discovery Cove, swimmers float lazily through different environments—a sunny beach; a dense, tropical rain forest; an Amazon-like river; a tropical fishing village; an underwater cave; and the aviary. The only drawbacks? The rough bottom of the river can annoy bare feet, and the too-often repeated scenery along the way can make it a little tedious. Still, this is a great option when you'd like a respite from the heat and a unique way to get around the park. For people with disabilities: Guests with mobility issues who can maneuver themselves with limited assistance can enjoy a tour of the river. Slip in when it gets hot. All are welcome, but it appeals most to teens and adults.