About Orlando Florida
ABOUT ORLANDO, FLORIDA
Orlando, the undisputed “Vacation Capital of the World,” boasts beautiful weather year round, world-class theme parks, thrilling water parks, unique attractions, lively dinner theaters, outdoor recreation, luxurious health spas, fine dining, trendy nightclubs, great shopping opportunities, championship golf courses and much more. The seat of Orange County, Florida, Orlando boasts a population of approximately 228,000 – making it the sixth largest city in Florida. Easily accessible via Interstate 4 and the Florida Turnpike, Orlando is also home to the Orlando International Airport – the 10th busiest airport in the United States and the 20th busiest in the world.
Experience the magic of Walt Disney World® Resort – Discover the enchanted lands ofDisney’s Magic Kingdom Park, blast off into the future at Epcot®, journey through the fascinating history of Hollywood movies at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ and take a fun-filled safari expedition at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. Don’t miss the thrilling rides at the two amazing theme parks of Universal Orlando® Resort – Universal Studios® Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure®, as well as the up-close animal encounters of SeaWorld® Orlando. Cool off at one of Orlando’s state-of-the-art water parks such asAquatica, Wet ‘n Wild Water Park, Disney’s Blizzard Beach or Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon.
In addition to it world-class theme parks, Orlando is home to a variety of other popular attractions such as fun parks, sightseeing tours, science center, historical museums, zoos, gardens and much more. Unique attractions in the Orlando area include Gatorland, “The Alligator Capital of the World;” Holy Land Experience, “a living, biblical history museum;”WonderWorks, “Orlando’s only upside-down attraction”; and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, an Orlando “Odditorium.”
Orlando, Florida, also offers plenty of shopping, dining and nightlife opportunities. Enjoy dining, shopping or partying the night away at Universal CityWalk®, a lively entertainment complex that features a wide variety of nightlife such as CityWalk’s Rising Star, Red Coconut Club,Pat O’ Brien’s, Bob Marley – A Tribute to Freedom, Latin Quarter, the groove andJimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. Stroll through 120-acre Downtown Disney, which boasts dozens of specialty shops, as well as attractions, themed restaurants and nightlife. Downtown Disney highlights include the new Characters in Flight balloon experience, Cirque du Soleil La Nouba, DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park and the AMC Pleasure Island 24 Theatres Complex. For family-friendly dining at Downtown Disney, choose from a variety of options such as Wolfgang Puck Café, Portobello, Planet Hollywood, Fulton’s Crab House, T-Rex Café, Bongos Cuban Café, Cap’n Jack’s Restaurant, House of Blues,Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant and Rainforest Café, among others. Shoppers will have a field day at World of Disney, “The Largest Disney Character Shop on Earth!”
ORLANDO ATTRACTIONS
Walt Disney World® Resort
Experience the magic of Walt Disney World Resort with its four major theme parks: Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park boasts seven enchanted lands – Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Mickey’s Toontown Fair – where storybook fantasies come to life! Magic Kingdom highlights include Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Splash Mountain, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, It’s A Small World, Hall of Presidents and much more. Blast off into the future and expand your imagination at Epcot, which features fascinating World Showcase Pavilions, as well as amazing attractions such as Mission: SPACE, Test Track, Soarin’, Spaceship Earth and The Sea with Nemo and Friends. Journey through the fascinating history of Hollywood movies at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which offers thrilling rides and shows such as The American Idol Experience, Toy Story Mania!, Star Tours, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! and Lights, Motors, Action: Extreme Stunt Show. Take a fun-filled safari expedition at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where a beautiful landscape, exotic animals, thrilling attractions such as Expedition Everest and amazing live shows like Festival of the Lion King await you and your family. Animal Kingdom highlights include Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Kali River Rapids and DINOSAUR. Cool off at one of Disney World’s two thrilling water parks: Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, both of which feature thrilling waterslides, wave pools, lazy rivers, children’s water play areas and much more.
Universal Orlando® Resort
Visit the two amazing theme parks of Universal Orlando Resort: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Go beyond the screen and Ride the Moviesâ at Universal Studios Florida, the No. 1 movie-based theme park in the world, which features such popular attractions as the new Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster, Revenge of the Mummy, The Simpsons Ride, JAWS, Shrek 4D and Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast. Universal’s Islands of Adventure offers five uniquely themed islands full of unbelievable thrills such as the Incredible Hulk Coaster, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Dueling Dragons roller coasters and Jurassic Park River Adventure. In addition, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is scheduled to open at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in 2010. After a fun-filled day exploring Universal Orlando theme parks, dine at one of the themed restaurants at Universal CityWalk such as NBA City, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, NASCAR Sports Grille or Hard Rock Café. Don’t miss the world-renowned Blue Man Group at the 1,000-seat, state-of-the-art Sharp AQUOS Theatre, which lies adjacent to Hard Rock Cafe.
SeaWorld® Orlando
Take a fascinating glimpse into the beauty and mystery of life beneath the sea through the unforgettable live shows, up-close animal encounters and exhilarating rides at SeaWorld Orlando, the world’s most popular marine adventure park. From the water-soaked spectacle of Believe – featuring Shamu the Killer Whale – to state-of-the-art thrill rides such as the new Manta roller coaster (“Ride the Flying Ray!”), Kraken roller coaster and Journey to Atlantis water flume ride, a trip to SeaWorld Orlando provides an amazing vacation adventure for the whole family. Other highlights of SeaWorld Orlando include Wild Arctic, Shark Encounter, Dolphin Cove, Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island, Blue Horizon and Pets Ahoy. Spend a day at SeaWorld Orlando’s sister theme park, Discovery Cove, a tropical paradise that gives you the once-in-a-lifetime experience that allows you to swim with bottlenose dolphins and other exotic marine animals. And definitely check out SeaWorld’s Aquatica, which combines the best of both SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove with thrilling water rides, fascinating animal habitats (including beautiful Commerson’s dolphins), wave pools and 80,000 square feet of white-sand beaches. Both Discovery Cove and Aquatica lie adjacent to SeaWorld Orlando on Central Florida Parkway and International Drive, respectively.