Theme Park Area Information

It all began when Walt Disney flew over the area in the early 1960's and decided that he wanted to build his visionary theme park here in the middle of what was then soggy cattle ranches.  After that this sleepy corner of the state woke up and began to grow exponentially.  Shortly after Disney World opened its doors SeaWorld came to town with a totally new and fresh idea for a theme park that has been extremely successful since its inception. During the 1970's the Orlando Airport moved from the downtown area south to the new theme park area and helped usher in thousands and eventually millions of visitors each year to Orlando and the theme park area.  Universal Studios opened in 1990, which was a few years after Epcot had opened, and the theme park area began to look more and more like it does today.  Over the next several years Disney opened a few more parks and Universal added Islands of Adventure and their City Walk nightlife area to compliment their parks.  Outside of the major parks many smaller attractions, restaurant, and hotels where springing up all over the area and transforming it into the 50 million annual visitor mecca it is today.

The things to do in this part of town are almost endless.  From the large theme parks to small attractions, from the world class restaurants to the five star resorts.  The major attractions are of course the main draw, and below we'll highlight some features of each area.

Walt Disney World Resort Area  - The most famous of the four Orlando Disney parks is of course Disney's Magic Kingdom, but there are also three more parks in the Disney complex including Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and DIsney's Animal Kingdom.  You can purchase tickets for each park individually or in a pack that includes all four.  There are also two Disney water parks close by, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, that offer a great way to beat the heat in the hot summer months.  For accomodation Walt Disney World Resort has everything from campsites at their Fort Wilderness Resort, all the way up to deluxe resort villas and hotels such as their Animal Kingdom Villas and the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.  The Walt Disney World Resort area offers great nightlife for all of its' visitors at Downtown Disney where you can find upscale dining for families and couples alike, as well as plenty of places to grab a drink a long day at the parks.  It would be easy to spend you entire vacation within the Disney complex but then you might miss what the rest of Orlando has to offer.

SeaWorld Resort Area - SeaWorld is an marine animal themed park that revolves around it's roller coasters and its' main attraction, the Shamu show. The show features marine trainers in the huge saltwater tanks with the whales performing stunts for the crowd.  The show always ends with the front rows getting splashed by the whale.  SeaWorld also offers shows featuring dolphins, sea lions, and other marine animals, and has exhibits where you can touch rays and see other animals like the West Indian Manatee.  Next door to SeaWorld is Aquatica, their new water park that features slides, two wave pools, and two lazy rivers.  Discovery Cove is another area adjacent to SeaWorld, where you can interact with marine animals, most notably bottlenose dolphins. For accomodations SeaWorld offers several onsite Resorts including Double Tree Resort and Renaissance Orlando Resort where you can stay just a couple minutes walk from all three SeaWorld attractions.

Universal Orlando Resort Area - This area is highlighted by Universal Studios, a movie themed park featuring rides that are developed around popular movies like Men In Black, The Simpsons, Jaws, and The Mummy.  These rides transport you inside the movie itself and take you on an adventure similar to the movie.  Right next to Universal Studios is their newer park, Islands of Adventure, which features several roller coasters and the brand new Wizarding World of Harry Potter that draws in fans from across the globe.  Outside of these parks you can get dinner and drinks in City Walk, a nightlife area developed by Universal Studios.  Within walking distance are several resorts that are affilliated with Universal and across I-4 is Wet N' Wild, which is a water park that was opened by Universal.

There are many other things to see and do in the theme park area outside of the major parks.  International Drive (sometimes called I-Drive) features countless smaller attractions, dinner theatres, restaurants, and shopping where you will find something for everyone.  Near Universal Studios is Orlando's newest mall the Mall at Millenia, which features many high end designer stores.  Down the road from SeaWorld is the Florida Mall, which is another must for all visiting shopaholics.  The theme park area also boasts two large outlet malls, one near Disney and the other off of I-drive. It is obvious you can spend your entire trip to Orlando in this theme park area and many people do and have a wondeful time, but we suggest you explore the entire city and surrounding areas such as Downtown Orlando, Winter Park, Kissimmee, or National and State Parks, and of course, our famous beaches.