Orlando Florida attractions,hotels and motels

The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/all/20031203012708/http://www.orlando-hotels-motels-and-resorts.com:80/attractions.html

Attractions in the Orlando Area

No other destination in the world offers the vast array of attractions found in the Orlando, Florida area. From major theme parks to museums to pristine state parks to beaches-all contained within a radius of 90 square miles of Orlando. Our goal is to make planning your stay in Orlando easy. From Walt Disney World to Sea World to Universal Studios, Orlando's attractions bring in millions of vacationers each year.

The first park opened at Walt Disney World, many still feel The Magic Kingdom is the best of the four theme parks. Children will remember their visit here for years to come, and adults can revisit the simple joys of childhood. Divided into six lands,each section of the park has its own unique flavor. Main Street USA, an idealized reproduction of an 1880's town, begins your visit. In Frontierland, the days of Davy Crockett and Tom Sawyer are recalled. If you have young children dying to see Mickey, you should visit Mickey's Toontown Fair. Adventureland, with its themes ranging from the jungles of Africa to the tropical forests of the Caribbean, features several great rides. The Haunted Mansion, with its 999 happy ghosts, is the major attraction in Liberty Square, and Fantasyland showcases rides for the younger set. Tomorrowland features ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter.

A working movie and television studio, Disney-MGM Studios is devoted to the art of film. Replicas of Grauman's Chinese Theater and The Brown Derby give the park Hollywood appeal, and the tours and attractions aim to educate as well as entertain. Complete with special effects and sets, the Studio Backlot tour gives real insight into film development. Attractions showcasing stunts,animation and film history are presented in spectacular fashion, and several thrill rides round out a day at this park.

The newest theme park, Animal Kingdom features more than 1,000 animals inhabitats replicating those found in the wild. Asia and Africa are both represented with native animals and plants, and an archeological dig complete with dinosaur bones is recreated in Dinoland USA. Showcasing architecture from Africa, Latin America, and the South Pacific, Safari Village is a collage of vibrant colors and native art. The centerpiece of the park, the Tree of Life, is a 14 story man-made tree with over 325 animals carved into its trunk, roots and branches.

Three water parks are located in Walt Disney World, each with its own unique style and rides. Blizzard Beach, fashioned after a snow ski resort, features the tallest water slide in the world. With thrill rides, white-water rafting and toboggan racing rides, this park is a favorite among teenagers. Typhoon Lagoon, created to look like a tropical village, features the world's largest inland surfing lagoon. Mount Mayday, an 85-foot high man-made mountain complete with a shrimp boat teetering on top, is the parks centerpiece. River Country, Disney's first water park, was conceived as a modern day version of Tom Sawyers swimming hole. While lacking the huge slides of Disney's other water parks, this attraction has plenty of fun to offer and is usually less crowded.

The place to "ride the movies"; Universal Studios has an edge of authenticity as it is the largest active film studio outside of Hollywood. More than 30 rides, shows and attractions are featured here, as well as nine sound sets and 40 street sets. Nickelodeon Studios, a favorite among children visiting the park, gives the younger set a chance to audition for a show, test games or be part of a live studio audience. Stunning visual effects and audio-animatronics are showcased at most of the attractions in the park, and make experiences like a confrontation with King Kong and a walk through a tornado seem real.

The newest theme park in Orlando, Islands of Adventure offers some of the most technologically advanced rides and attractions ever made. Designed especially for children, Seuss Landing and Toon Lagoon are whimsical lands filled with rides and characters. Thrill seekers will flock to the other three "lands": Marvel Super Hero Island, The Lost Continent, and Jurassic Park. The rides here feature stomach wrenching drops, twists, and turns, as well as face-to-face encounters with dinosaurs and dragons.

A marine animal adventure park, SeaWorld Orlando offers guests the chance to touch live stingrays and dolphins, take a journey to the Artic (complete with Polar Bears), laugh at the antics of seals, and marvel at the beauty of a tropical coral reef. The undisputed star of the park is Shamu, the Killer Whale. His audience-drenching splashes and silly antics have been favorites since the parks opening. Shows here feature marine animals such as Sea Lions, Otters, Beluga Whales and a Walrus. The park has recently added its first thrill ride, Journey to Atlantis, an elaborate water ride Discovery Cove Operated by Sea World, Discovery Cove is more an experience than a theme park. Limited to 800 guests per day, admission to the park is by reservation only. Guests spend the day swimming with Dolphins, snorkeling among thousands of tropical fish, exploring man-made underwater grottos and shipwrecks, and playing with more than 300 tropical birds.

Formerly a city block of office buildings and stores, Church Street Station is now one of Orlando's premier dining, shopping, and entertainment districts. Three full-service restaurants offer nightly shows featuring Dixieland bands, can-can dancers, and live rock-n-roll music. You can dance the night away at Phineas Phogg's, or play games of all varieties at Commander Ragtime's. Terror on Church Street, a high-tech haunted house, will scare the daylights out of adults and children alike. The real hits at Church Street Station are the numerous antiques and old architectural elements, which were imported by the owner from around the world.

One of Florida's original tourist attractions, Gatorland celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1999. Best known for the 20-foot high set of jaws that serve as its entrance and the huge number of alligators and other reptiles it houses, the park is also an active research center and alligator farm. Visitors can watch alligator wrestling shows, climb an observation tower to view hundreds of alligators, walk through a jungle filled with crocodiles, touch a poisonous snake, and ride the Gatorland Express train tour. The best-known show at the park is the Gator Jumparoo, where the huge beasts jump from the water to devour raw chickens suspended from a cable.

The first of the Orlando area's themed dinner shows, Medieval Times is fashioned after an 11th century European castle. During the four-course dinner (eaten with your fingers just like the Middle Ages), guest watch jousting knights, tournaments and a falconry show. Before and after dinner guests can tour a museum featuring a recreated medieval village, complete with villagers, craftsman, wine cellar and a dungeon.

A four-block shopping, dining and entertainment complex, Olde Town's centerpiece is its huge lighted Ferris wheel. Seventy-five stores offer a myriad of merchandise, and more than a dozen rides provide the entertainment. The complex draws huge crowds on Saturday nights, when

a free rock-n-roll concert and a parade of 300 vintage cars are offered.

Housed in one of the most unique buildings in the Orlando area, WonderWorks is an interactive entertainment center located in what appears to be an upside down Georgian home that has landed on top of a 1930's warehouse. At this attraction, guests can be blown away by a hurricane, experience an earthquake, and participate in a wide scope of other virtual reality experiences.

One of 27 museums located throughout the world, Ripley's "Odditorium" in the Orlando area features oddities such as a shrunken head, a Rolls Royce made of matchsticks, and fertility statues. The building that serves as the museum's home looks as though it's slowing sinking into the ground.

Twenty-five acres of thrilling water slides, toboggan rides, and water play areas await the guest at Wet n' Wild. The park is home to Bomb Bay, considered the scariest water slide in the world with its stomach-dropping plunge down a 76-foot high nearly vertical slide. Seven other water slides feature twists, turns, drops, and lighting and sound effects. A children's water playground contains miniature versions of some of the big rides, as well as a wading pool for toddlers.

This restoration facility turned museum houses as many as a dozen planes at a time in current production. Guided tours are offered, and the museum is full of decals, models, and World War II memorabilia. Several restored aircraft are on hand year round, and planes take off from the landing strip regularly.

A themed dinner theater experience, Arabian Nights features a four -course meal accompanied by an extravagant show. Guests are treated to performances by dancers, magicians, and the Royal Lipizzaners, a troop of more than 60 trained horses. The climax of the show is an authentic chariot race.

Covering 76 acres, Splendid China showcases 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture. The park is a walk through 10,000 miles of the Chinese countryside captured in miniatures. Some of the most impressive replicas include the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Xian warrior statues. The buildings and landmarks are complete with miniature people, all with individually hand painted faces. Chinatown, at the entrance to Splendid China, immerses you in Chinese culture through craft exhibitions, shops, restaurants, and entertainment.

A swashbuckling musical show accompanied by an appetizer buffet and four-course dinner, Pirates Dinner Adventure stars a beautiful princess and a host of plundering pirates. Performed on an enormous, fully rigged pirate's galleon, the show is following by a cast-hosted party.

A live-action haunted castle, Skull Kingdom has frights aplenty and spooks galore. Special effects and robotics complete the scary experience.

Jun	DEC	Apr
	03
2002	2003	2006