Orlando attraksjoner

In this amazing place you're in a living storybook on a breathtaking adventure, filled with creatures real and fantastic. Animal Kingdom blends theme park and zoo, carnival and African safari, while mixing in a healthy dose of Disney characters, storytelling, and magic. Board a rickety jeep and ride through the Sahara, past zebras and lions, in Africa, or take a raging river ride in Asia, with Mt. Everest looming on the horizon. Here you can see Bengal tigers, huge fruit bats, Komodo dragons, and other exotic critters.

DinoLand U.S.A. evokes a fun-filled small-town fair, with its carnival-style rides, games and a herky-jerky thrill ride that transports you back in time. Let your heart sing along in a moving musical celebration of the circle of life at Festival of the Lion King. Here, every path and trail invites you to explore the awesome surprises of nature, with all the enchantment of Disney.

Fun Spot America is a theme park with locations in Orlando and nearby Kissimmee. It is the only family-owned theme park in the area and admission is free to the park - you just pay to ride and play!

The parks are fully equipped with activities to keep the fun going all day. Each location boasts unique, patented multilevel go-kart tracks, an arcade where visitors can play a variety of games and collect points to redeem for prizes, and several roller coasters. The Kissimmee park is home to the tallest SkyCoaster in the world, which stands at 300 ft (91 m), while the Orlando park is home to Orlando's only wooden roller coaster, White Lightening. There are also thrill rides, bumper cars, bumper boats, and load of other rides that are appropriate for kids and fun for the whole family.

Orlando may be known as the land of magic thanks to a mighty kingdom that offers up fun for the whole family. But just down the street there’s a massive Mecca for shoppers known as the Orlando International Premium Outlets. Home to more than 180 retail stores with designer names and high fashion items, this retail destination offers up some of the best deals in town with up to 65 percent off suggested retail prices. Travelers can comb through the stores in search of epic deals on designer duds. And more than a dozen snack shops and restaurants mean visitors can regroup and recharge between hitting the sales racks in the morning and returning to the shops in mid-afternoon.

Also known as the Orlando Odditorium, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando is on normal attraction, a fact you’ll discover as soon as you walk up. Designed to look off kilter, the appearance of Ripley’s is the first of many interesting oddities you’ll find here.

This wild and wacky world is filled with wonder, and families can experience it all without leaving the city of Orlando. Filled with bizarre exhibits and mesmerizing optical illusions, Ripley’s includes life-size Terracotta warriors, a real shrunken human head, a two-headed dog skeleton, a shooting range and much more. Perfect for a step outside of the ordinary, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando has got the market cornered on quirky Florida attractions.

With no roller coasters screeching overhead, no parades, no water rides and plenty of greenery, Epcot Center moves at a slower pace. Here you can smell the incense in Morocco, listen to the Beatles in the United Kingdom, eat sushi in Japan, and get a pastry in France.

An acronym for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,” The Epcot Center is divided into two halves. The modern Future World, with its hard-to-miss iconic geosphere known as Spaceship Earth, explores modern technologies through myriad rides and displays.

The other half is the World Showcase, where you can tour the world in a day by taking an intoxicating toe-dip into the cultures of 11 different countries, featuring Mexico, Norway, China, France, Germany, and Italy.

Epcot also offers plenty of activities that appeal to inquisitive tots. The new Soarin' ride is a winner, and Mission: SPACE is good for getting the adrenaline pumping after one too many educational exhibits.

Orlando has a new immersive celebrity hotspot where one can walk down the red carpet and step into the world of fame for an afternoon. At Madame Tussauds, guests are able to find out exactly how tall those sports icons really are, strike a pose with a pop princess, shake hands with a smiling Barack Obama and take a selfie with Einstein. The museum poses TV and film celebrities next to pop icons, the most well-known faces from the arts and science and throws plenty of history and pop culture personalities into the mix as well.

The details of the wax replicas are on the usual Madame Tussauds level of incredible. Creating a wax statue requires taking hundreds of body and face measurements with calipers and measuring tapes, after which artists sculpt the perfect mold for the wax out of clay. Gluing on each hair individually, painstakingly painting facial features and recreating every last wrinkle ensures that the wax figures end up achieving a astonishing realism.

Disney's Hollywood Studios puts you center stage in the only place where big-screen thrills, TV fun and the best of Broadway come together. Tires scream, flames burst, motorcycles fly, and moving cars split in half. It's intense, behind-the-scenes movie-making magic at its best - and it’s also a working studio!

Hands-down the most exciting rides are the spooky and unpredictable hotel elevator in the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, where your stretch limo races through the streets of LA after dark. A must-see attraction is Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, a 35-minute show that looks a lot like the movie. Scream as you zoom through 13 floors of fear on a radically random elevator ride, or blast 0 to 60mph (96 kph) in 2.8 seconds as the music of Aerosmith rocks you through a wild, twisting rollercoaster road trip. Then, sit back and let the magic and music of Disney's Beauty and the Beast take your breath away.

One of the most relaxing places in Orlando, this lovely oasis feels worlds away from the razzle-dazzle of the other nearby theme parks. Private beaches and an exotic bird aviary are just a few of the diversions. Walk into the Discovery Cove lobby - with its stone floor, turquoise dolphins suspended above, printed rattan furnishing - you will instantly feel you’re somewhere special.

Inside Discovery Cove, wander amid a tropical sanctuary of boldly colored flowers, white-sand beaches, and warm pools surrounded by boulders; swim with dolphins; or wade in the water to pet stingrays. Guests don't have to worry about a thing. Everything from wetsuits to unlimited drinks and snacks, from a family portrait to a buffet lunch, is available on site.

With its goofy, gaping alligator jaws as the main entrance, Gatorland is a reptilian wonderland filled with thousands of toothy alligators and crocodiles as far as the eye can see, as well as a few slithery snakes, slimy toads, and leathery turtles.

A splintery wooden boardwalk, inches above the water, winds through the hundreds of alligators and crocodiles in the breeding marsh, and a three-story observation tower provides a soaring lookout for the birds of the wildlife habitat. Get up close on a leisurely walk through the park, or hop aboard the Gatorland Express Train, a treat for younger kids.

The Jumparoo Show has 10 ft (3 m) long alligators leaping almost entirely out of the water to grab a hunk of meat from the trainer's hand. The Jungle Crocs Show highlights four rare species and gives an entertaining history lesson on the creatures. Indulge your Crocodile Hunter fantasy with the Trainer for a Day package.

Aquatica Orlando is a sister park of SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove. It follows a South Pacific theme with Australian and New Zealand mascots such as Roa (kiwi), Wae Wae (a takahē), Wai (dolphin) and more. Aquatica Orlando features thrill rides, family fun adventures and several themed animal areas.

Dolphin Plunge is Aquatica Orlando’s signature thrill ride, in which side-by-side tube slides pass through a pool with a pod of Commerson’s dolphins. Hoo Hoo Run is another popular attraction that features a triple-dip multi-person raft slide, and Ihu’s Breakaway Falls is the tallest, steepest and only multi-drop tower of its kind in Orlando.

If you want to check out some animal exhibits, you don’t have to be on Dolphin Plunge or Loggerhead Lane to see the Commerson’s Dolphin exhibit. Another animal exhibit at Aquatica Orlando is the African Spurred Tortoises that are often found along the Sahara Desert’s southern edge.

Come for the barbecue and stay for the live entertainment at House of Blues Orlando. Just far enough away from the main Disney World Resort restaurants and entertainment venues to make a dent in the crowds, House of Blues has long been a favorite of both locals and park visitors. The venue hosts all kinds of performers, from local favorites to world-famous stars. Even when there isn’t a concert, music will be playing and TVs will be on for sports fans.

The dual restaurant and concert venue set-up provides something for everyone. Families love House of Blues for its many kid-friendly meal options, while couples enjoy the sprawling patio, where live music can be heard. Diners rave about the shrimp, grits and barbecue ribs, and night owls particularly like the concerts and the late-night bar menu that goes along with them.

Of all the Disney fireworks shows, Wishes is one of the best. Having debuted back in 2003 at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park, the show now includes several variations, like Happy HalloWishes and Holiday Wishes during Halloween and Christmas events.

The show is hosted by Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy as they share in the magic of believing. A medley of notable Disney songs are featured, and character voices include those of Pinocchio, Cinderella, Ariel, Peter Pan and Genie. Lights dance on Cinderella’s Castle in various colors, from magenta to periwinkle, and align with the Wishes storyline. Nearly 700 fireworks are launched throughout, including special “wishing stars” that crest nearly 100 feet above the castle spires.

Clearwater Beach is a silky white-sand oasis along the warm, calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. More low key than its southern neighbor, the bustling St. Pete’s Beach, Clearwater Beach hosts plenty of spots for kayaking, shelling, and biking. Families especially like its gentle surf, which is perfect for swimming and water sports.

Restaurants, shops, and hotels line Mandalay Ave., which runs parallel to the beach. At about 1 mi (1.5 km) long, the strip is easy to stroll. Day visitors should head to Sand Key Beach & Park, a wide beach for swimming and watching dolphins leap out of the sea. For non-beach activities, watch sea otters at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium or watch jugglers and magicians perform at Pier 60.

You can also get out on the water on dolphin-watching cruises or even take a pirate cruise. To get an overview of the area, jump on the Jolley Trolley, which travels around Clearwater Beach and up to Sand Key.