These are just some of the many attractions in the Orlando area. Further details on each attraction can be obtained by clicking on the logos.
By far the most well-known attraction in Florida, Walt Disney World is a group of individual parks covering an area the size of a city.
Magic Kingdom Park, with it's famous Cinderella Castle centrepiece, has seven themed 'lands' including Adventureland, Frontierland and Tomorrowland. The park caters for all ages with rides including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain and Space Mountain. Ride through the storybook pages of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or defend the universe from evil in Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.
In the World Showcase at Epcot, experience the music, menus, lifestyles or legends of 11 different nations including the history of your host nation in the American Adventure. Enjoy the amazing special effects of 'Honey, I Shrunk The Audience' and take a journey on the time machine Spaceship Earth.
At Disney-MGM Studios experience the thrills of movie-making and the glamour of the silver screen. Plunge 13 storeys in an out-of-order elevator at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, or take a ride on the new Rock 'n' Roll Coaster - a high-speed roller coaster with accompanying synchronized rock soundtrack. Other attractions include The Great Movie Ride and the Mulan Parade along Sunset Boulevard.
The newest addition to Walt Disney World, Disney's Animal Kingdom combines live animals in their natural habitat with make-believe creatures from stories and legends. Ride the Kali River Rapids and lookout for lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants and other magnificent animals on a journey through the savannahs in Kilamanjaro Safaris.
Take time out from the main parks with a visit to one of Disney's three water parks. At Disney's River Country Water Park there's a rustic pool with white water rapids, a lazy lake and sugar-white sand beach. Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park is a tropical landscape with the 51-foot screaming plunge of Humanga Kowabunga. Or try Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, home to Summit Plummet - one of the fastest free-fall speed slides in the world. For a more relaxing alternative, take an inner tube ride through Cross Country Creek.
To make the most of Walt Disney World, as well as individual daily admission tickets, there are a number of different passes which include unlimited admission to a number of the parks over various numbers of days.
For further information about the parks, visit the unofficial Disney World - The Online Guide.
Universal Studios is the original Universal theme park in Orlando, and is a working film and TV studio with attractions based on hit movies and TV series. Ride the movies on a range of rides including Twister...Ride It Out, Jaws, Terminator 2: 3D Battle Across Time and Back To The Future The Ride. One of the newer additions is Men In Black: Alien Attack - an interactive ride giving you the opportunity to try and save the world from an invasion of unfriendly extra-terrestrials.
Islands of Adventure is a theme park with five separately themed islands. Marvel Super Hero Island has rides such as the Incredible Hulk Coaster and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. The kids can meet Popeye or Betty Boop at Toon Lagoon, or get soaked on Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls. Jurassic Park ride is a river adventure with a monster drop at the end. Dueling Dragons on The Lost Continent brings two rollercoasters within feet of each other.
In addition to the theme parks, there is CityWalk, a family entertainment complex with a wide range of restaurants and live entertainment venues, including the world's largest Hard Rock Cafe. There is also a large multi-screen cinema.
Universal offers passes for 2 or 3 days offering unlimited admission to both of the theme parks on any two or three days. They also include 7 consecutive days admission into the clubs at CityWalk.
Combining thrilling rides and attractions with close encounters with a multitude of marine life, SeaWorld is another of Orlando's major attractions. Ride Kraken, the highest, fastest, longest, tallest and wildest coaster in Orlando. There is also the Journey to Atlantis water-coaster ride and the daring jetcopter ride to the Wild Arctic. As well as a theme park, SeaWorld is a centre for marine conservation projects, and is home to killer whales, dolphins, stingray, sealions, seals, and many others. There is a daily schedule of displays by many of these creatures including the famous Shamu Adventure.
Next door to SeaWorld is Discovery Cove, an exclusive reservations-only tropical oasis. With a limited number of guests admitted each day, Discovery Cove offers the opportunity to swim with dolphins, snorkel with exotic fish and come eye-to-eye with sharks and barracuda.
Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay is a 335-acre African themed family entertainment park that is about an hour's drive from the Orlando area. It features a combination of thrilling rides, world-class animal habitats and live entertainment. Recently added attractions are Rhino Rally, the world's boldest off-road safari and wild river adventure, and Gwazi, the largest double wooden roller coaster in the Southeast USA. Other rides include Kumba, the largest and fastest roller coaster in the Southeast, and Montu, the tallest and longest inverted roller coaster in the Southeast. For those like their rides a bit damp, there's the Stanley Falls Log Flume, the Tanganyika Tidal Wave and the Congo River Rapids. For a more relaxing experience, meet some of the animals during a walk through the Edge of Africa, or take a ride on the Serengeti Express Railway.
Gatorland is a 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve. Known internationally as the "Alligator Capital of the World", Gatorland has thousands of alligators and crocodiles, breeding marsh with boardwalk, miniature water park, aviary, petting zoo, and much more. There are many exciting shows including Gator Jumparoo, Alligator Wrestlin' and Jungle Crocs of the World.
Take a tour of Kennedy Space Center including the Apollo/Saturn V Center, Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry and the International Space Station Center. The Apollo/Saturn V Center features an actual 363-foot Saturn V rocket and a dramatic recreation of the first manned Apollo launch. The LC 39 Observation Gantry is a 60-foot observation tower giving an unobstructed view of the space shuttle launch pads. The International Space Station Center offers full-scale mockups of space station modules and a viewing gallery giving the opportunity to see actual space station components being readied for flight.
If you're fortunate enough to be in Florida at the time of a Shuttle launch, it is an event that you should definitely witness. Details of forthcoming mission launches can be found here.
Wet 'n Wild is the nation's best-attended water park. It offers the best variety of multi-person water thrill rides in the Orlando area. New for 2001, The Storm whirls its way into the water park scene. Mini-versions of the park's most popular rides are dedicated to kids in a scaled-to-size children's playground.
If you plan on visiting several of the theme parks, then the Orlando FlexTicket could be the most cost-effective way of doing so. The FlexTicket is great value offering 14 days of unlimited access to several of the parks featured above. The 4-Park Orlando FlexTicket provides unlimited admission to Universal Studios, SeaWorld, Wet 'n Wild and Universal's Islands of Adventure. The 5-Park Orlando FlexTicket adds Busch Gardens and also includes free transportation from the Orlando area to Busch Gardens.
The Orlando FlexTicket can be purchased from any of the five parks or other Guest Services locations. They can also be pre-purchased in the UK through some tour operators, and often on charter flights into Orlando.
