Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Orlando is a diverse town. The Downtown area, though small, is dynamic, thanks to an ever-changing skyline of high-rises, sports venues, museums, restaurants, nightspots, a history museum, and several annual cultural events—including film festivals and a world-renowned theater fest. Downtown also has a central green, Lake Eola Park, which offers a respite from otherwise frantic touring.
Neighborhoods such as Thornton Park (great for dining) and College Park (an outpost of quirky shopping) are fun to wander. Not too far to the north, you can come in contact with natural Florida—its manatees, gators, and crystal-clear waters in spring-fed lakes.
Closer to the theme-park action, International Drive, the hub of resort and conference hotels, offers big restaurants and even bigger outlet-mall bargains. Sand Lake Road, between the two, is Orlando's Restaurant Row, with plenty of exciting dining prospects.
You can travel at 45 mph on this 450-foot-tall swing, said to be the tallest in the world, which also rotates 360 degrees. It's as terrifying as it sounds, so this ride is not for either the faint of heart or small children. Ticket packages for ICON Park attractions are available.
Based on the popular and long-running British kids' show and built with accessibility and the little ones in mind, this park is also a Certified Autism Center. Explore playscapes such as Rebecca Rabbit’s playground, Grandpa Pig's Greenhouse, and the Muddy Puddles Splash Pad, which has slides and water fountains. At the Fairgrounds, play games and ride on Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride and Mr. Bull’s High Striker.
Other attractions include Grampy Pig’s Dinosaur Adventure, Grandad Dog’s Pirate Boat Ride, and the popular Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster—a great introduction to coasters for little ones. At The Cinema, relax indoors and watch episodes of Peppa Pig cartoons. Peppa tells interactive stories in live shows at Mr. Potato’s Showtime Arena, Miss Rabbit’s Diner offers kid-friendly meals, and Mr. Fox’s Shop sells exclusive park merchandise. The park is just steps from LEGOLAND Florida but requires a separate ticket; combo tickets are available, though.
A 10-foot-square section of the Berlin Wall, a pain-and-torture chamber, two African fertility statues that women swear have helped them conceive—these and almost 200 other oddities (shrunken heads included) speak for themselves in this museum-cum-attraction in the heart of tourist territory on International Drive. The building itself is designed to appear as if it's sliding into one of Florida's notorious sinkholes. Give yourself an hour or two to soak up the weirdness, but remember: this is a looking, not touching, experience; it might drive antsy youngsters—and their parents—crazy. Buy tickets online ahead of time for discounts.
The oldest operating, biggest, and perhaps most controversial marine-mammal park in the country has been anchoring the Orlando Disney–alternative theme-park business since 1964. Much has been made of the company's handling of animals, and they've been in "rebuild and repair" mode for several years after attendance and stock prices plummeted.
SeaWorld still features dolphins and orcas, but thrill rides and literal spills are now the order of the day, with more swirling, looping, and splashing than just about anywhere. The Kraken Unleashed coaster soars to 150 feet while riders dangle their feet from the floorless track. The Manta and the Mako skim tantalizingly close to the water, with Mako reaching speeds of up to 73 mph. Other offerings include Infinity Falls River Rapids, with the world's tallest river-raft drop, and the 400-foot Sky Tower, with bird’s-eye views of the park. Ice Breaker, a launch coaster, features a 93-foot-tall spike with a 100-degree angle. Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is the first of its kind—you ride standing up going 110 feet in the air at speeds of up to 60 mph!
The Sesame Street area of the park includes meet and greets with neighborhood favorites and kid-friendly rides like Big Bird's Twirl N' Whirl and interactive play areas. Little ones will love dancing along to the Sesame Street Party Parade offered most days and during peak seasons held numerous times each day.
Animal attractions here now focus more on education than performance. Shark Encounter leads you through one of the world’s largest underwater viewing tunnels, and Stingray Lagoon offers encounters with both stingrays and mantas. You can visit the ice-filled home of Puck the penguin in Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin and observe sea lions, walruses, and otters at Pacific Point Preserve, which doubles as a sea-lion rehabilitation facility. Helping injured marine animals is also the focus of the Manatee Rehabilitation Area and the Pelican Preserve, which offer up-close views of rescue operations.
Founded by international photographer Patrick Kahn, SNAP! is the leading repository of contemporary images in Orlando. The gallery in Colonialtown has shown cutting-edge photos from artists such as Shawn Theodore, Roger Ballen, and musician Moby, along with world premiere exhibitions, emerging graffiti artists, and even jewelry makers.
The building seems to be sinking into the ground—at a precarious angle and upside down. Many people stop to take pictures in front of the topsy-turvy facade, complete with upended palm trees and broken sidewalks. Inside, the upside-down theme continues only as far as the lobby. After that it's a playground of 100 interactive experiences—some incorporating virtual reality, others educational (similar to those at a science museum), and still others pure entertainment. You can experience an earthquake or a hurricane, land a space shuttle using simulator controls, make giant bubbles in the Bubble Lab, play laser tag in the enormous arena and arcade, design and ride your own roller coaster, lie on a bed of real nails, and play baseball with a virtual Major League batter.
This museum, just a few minutes west of Maitland, is in Eatonville, the first African-American town to be incorporated after the Civil War. It showcases works by artists of African descent during five six-week-long exhibitions each year, with one reserved for up-and-comers. The museum is named after former resident Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), a writer, folklorist, and anthropologist best known for her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. This is the home of ZORA!—a three-day cultural, arts, and music festival that's held in late January to celebrate Hurston's life. The museum also has a roster of other events throughout the year.
