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It is no secret that the city of Orlando is one of the most fabulous well-known destinations for family adventures. The city sits so beautifully from the outside to the inside, just like its nickname “The city beautiful.” So whether you reside in Orlando or just visiting for the first time or the tenth time, it has to be one of the best US destinations for you and your family to make endless memories.
Thinking of Orlando, many attractions like Disney World, Universal Studios, and others are mainly targeted at families and kids. However, the city has something for everyone to love, from the theme parks, amusement parks, nightlife, sea world, zoos and animals, nature trails, museums, learning centers to beautiful shopping malls, to mention a few.
You might be wondering what Orlando has to offer besides these famous theme parks that attract millions of people every year. Orlando is a whole package to quench your vacation thirst. Let us explore some of the beautiful places in Orlando to have fun and create long-lasting memories with your family.
Top 15 attractions in Orlando, FL
There are many incredible places in Orlando to visit. We narrowed them down to the best fifteen sites (of course, not limiting you) you do not want to miss out on your next visit. Get ready to discover!
1. Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World (Photo by Jacqueline Nell/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images)
Being one of the most popular places in Orlando, it is the perfect place to visit with your family. Whether young or old, Disney world is a magical place for everybody. The site has grown over the years, and not only will you encounter the theme parks shows but also some of the latest attractions such as star wars.
The place is full of exhilarating encounters, which you might find time not sufficient to explore every part of it. Disney world houses two water parks and four theme parks, making it a ton of memories to live for.
Stepping into Disney truly feels magical. The magic kingdom with Cinderella’s castle right at the center of the Park, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot’s Spaceship earth geosphere, and Typhoon Lagoon makes this place outstanding. Walking towards the tree of life could bring about the best spot for your family photos and happiness.
Disney’s numerous resorts with shopping restaurants, theatres, and music venues make the whole Disney experience simply unforgettable.
2. Universal Orlando Resort
Being the second most visited place in Orlando, Universal is one of the best amusement parks, which includes two theme parks; the Universal studios and Universal islands of adventures.
Universal studio is both a theme park and a working studio where visitors can have an interactive experience with popular movies and filmmaking.
The Universal Islands of adventure is an entire world of entertainment that boasts several themed island parks where you experience rides, attractions and get to experience the realness of numerous universal creatures.
Another exciting attraction in the Universal is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. For the few or many times you have heard of Harry Potter, you do not want to get out of Orlando without exploring the village of Hogsmeade, marveling at the streets of Diagon Alley, and more so experiencing the journey through the skies by entering the portals of Hogwarts into a castle.
3. Icon Park
Icon Park
Icon park experience is exceptionally thrilling with all the lifelike wax figures of different famous personalities. Madame Tussauds is a captivating experience that expresses the virtual realness of your favorite celebrities such as musicians, actors, athletes, sports heroes, and many more. The fact that personalities are updated occasionally means that you and your family will find someone familiar with, and most interestingly, take photos beside them.
Well, Madame Tussauds is not the only place to make fun memories around Icon Park. The Ferris wheel, which is four hundred feet tall, gives you amazing views of the city. Aside from that, you also encounter the skeleton museum, which has over five hundred real animal skeletons. The Aquarium would be an excellent place for the kids to watch the turtles, seaweeds, and other sea creatures.
Icon Park has a lovely night scene to enjoy. You can enjoy walking around and exploring over forty beautiful restaurants and plenty of bars and shops. There are other new-level attractions to yearn for, such as the museum of illusions and drop towers that you will light up your world during your visit.
4. SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld combines marine and zoological theme parks with many attractions that will make you want to resist leaving. The aquariums and high-speed roller coasters make SeaWorld a breathtaking experience that you will desire repeatedly.
Having several aquariums inhabited by more than three thousand sea creatures poses a show of satisfaction to its visitors every year. You can walk from one room to another to experience the massive aquariums. You also have the chance to walk under the aquariums and watch the creatures swim above you. Isn’t that breathtaking?
The dolphin stadium is a spot not to miss. It feels educational and fun at the same time to watch dolphins showcase their most natural behaviors and personalities. Then, moving to the dolphin underwater viewing, you experience more with dolphins swimming from different angles.
A look at the Antarctica Empire of penguins would be worth your time to experience the penguins glide underwater. The sea lion and otter stadium, turtle trek aquarium, manatee rehabilitation, the shark encounter, and other attractions you would love to explore.
Leaving SeaWorld without an experience of one of the roller coasters would be quite saddening. So be it the Kraken, the journey to Atlantis boat ride, or the Mako, do not miss out on high-speed roller coasters deep dives thrilling encounters.
Sesame Street land is the best attraction for your kids to encounter their favorite characters and theme rides. However, SeaWorld has a lot of things that you get to experience more than just mentioned above.
5. Discovery Cove
Discovery Cove
Discovery Cove has a white sandy beach vibe with some welcoming sunny weather that is very relaxing. Visiting this place would feel like a dream come true of a paradise, if I may say. However, the most exciting and rejuvenating adventure is how much you can interact with the underwater creatures.
You will surely indulge in activities such as swimming with the dolphins, feeling their skin, and watching them play around. You can further relax on the white sandy beaches while watching thousands of exotic birds flying around, including different types of parrots. Bird lovers would have an exciting experience at the aviary hand-feeding the birds and walking around with them on their palms.
With the diving helmet provided, you sure do not want to miss the exciting, touching distance experience of colorful starfish. The feel of sharks being too near underwater can be freaking, especially to children, but there is no need to worry as they are separated by glass.
Book your visit prior and have all your activities covered in your ticket to experience discovery cove.
6. Crayola experience
Crayola experience
With thousands of crayons, you sure experience the name “Crayola experience.” It is an indoor experience located at Florida mall where you and your family, especially the kids, would be highly captivated by the hands-on activities.
If you are looking into exploring talents for your little ones, Crayola should be on your to-do list. Crayola allows you to make and name your crayon color. Other activities include drip art, creating a coloring background page, doodling in the dark, melting crayons down to shape, and more.
An exciting experience for both the young and old would be to make colorful creations of your own choice and watch on a large interactive glass wall as digital art comes to life. This would be a fun and learning experience to live for.
7. Lake Eola Park
Orlando, Florida, USA downtown city skyline from Eola Park.
Away from Orlando theme parks, Lake Eola Park is one of the best places to enjoy the warm weather and the nature it brings about. It is a sinkhole, which is barely noticed with a fountain that makes this place very beautiful.
You can enjoy the beautiful skyline views and exotic birds all over the place. Running, walking, bike rides along paths, boat rides across the lakes with the swan-shaped boats are among the activities you can indulge in with your family.
The Park also presents the Walt Disney Theater on the western side, where your experience outdoor movies, live shows, concerts, and plays. Eola Park is more than fun with the limitless photographs to take home.
8. Kelly Park
Kelly Park Photo Credit: Kelly Verdeck @Flickr
After days of theme parks, escaping into nature and the subtropical climate in Kelly Park is quite sensational. This is an attractive place for families to enjoy some of the activities the Park has to offer.
Visitors experience the crystal clear rock springs that bubble from an aperture and meander downstream. Often tubing and swimming is an activity to boast about in Kellys’ springs as you enjoy the excitement of flowing down the stream amidst the serene surroundings.
The Park features other fun activities such as hiking, camping, picnics, bird watching, and relaxing away from the waters. They say a picture is worth a thousand memories. This is why you do not want to leave the Park without making memories with friends and family.
9. Fun Spot America
Fun Spot America
Fun Spot America is yet another spot for families to have tremendous fun and make memories. Being the only family-owned theme park in central Florida makes it unique with fun activities for all ages to explore.
Your little champions enjoy the nice kiddie rides and the bumper cars around the place. With over thirty attractions features, the Orlando splash pad is a place to cool down your temperatures.
Other thrilling experiences would be of the only wooden roller coaster in Orlando, go-karts, sky diving, hang gliding, arcade, and midway games, perfect for those with acrophobia. Head rush would also be an exhilarating activity to feel the reality of turning the skies upside down. There is just so much fun in Fun Spot America to put down.
10. Gatorland
Gatorland. Photo Credit: Brent Moore @Flickr
Gatorland existed long before Disney World and Universal Studios. Named the capital of alligators, it is home to several alligators, crocodiles, and other reptiles. Visiting Gatorland gives you an up-close of the alligators, the extent of even feeding them, and sometimes an experience of the alligator wrestling shows.
With the aviary, you also encounter numerous friendly birds of different species. There is more to engage in Gatorland, such as ‘screamin’ gator zip lining, a breeding marsh, off-road swamp vehicle tour, and an observation tower.
11. Orlando Museum of Art
Orlando Museum of Art. Photo Credit: inazakira @Flickr
Orlando is not all about theme parks. Walking into the Orlando museum of art would be the best decision ever to cheer up your day. The museum encourages love towards art with its mission to inspire creativity, passion, and intellectual curiosity by bringing together persons with art and new ideas.
Its beautiful architecture dating to the mid-century is something to stare at as you get blown away with the details of the American, African, and contemporary art pieces.
From the museum, art, evening events, Florida art exhibits to art in bloom, everything about this place is great and impressive to photograph for every family member.
12. Kennedy space center
Kennedy Space Center
If you think Orlando is all about amusement and theme Parks, then you are greatly mistaken. Kennedy space center visitor complex gives you and your family a chance to learn much about space exploration.
There are many breathtaking experiences in Kennedy that will make you appreciate the power of science and creativity. It is the only place in the world you can have interactive experiences walking under the giant rocket ever built, the Saturn V rocket.
Kennedy space gives you an accurate image of the space-themed films in Imax theatre. As if not enough, you get a chance to also meet and interact with some of NASA’s pioneering astronauts who flew into space with lots of inspiring stories about space exploration. A bus tour of the restricted areas of NASA’s Kennedy space center would spice everything up about space exploration.
With all the activities in Kennedy space, you sure want to finish your tour by relaxing in the Moon garden and getting an up-close of some trees which are direct offspring of the seeds taken to the moon.
13. Wonderworks Orlando
WonderWorks Orlando
From how the Wonderworks is written on its building to everything inside poses a hilarious and ridiculous experience. Everything around seems to turn your world upside down; a palm tree growing upside down, the stairs and everything is just a total amusement.
Memorable experiences of the blinking and flashing lights, the speed of light, hurricane shark will be worth your visit. Challenge yourself with how long you can dip your hand in icy cold water and activities like bubble making.
The experience of the gravity machine is mind-blowing, which creates an illusion of water flowing upwards. Another perfect illusion of buildings moving in different angles, with Albert Einstein faces following you in any direction you move, is so much fascinating.
Wonderworks is a collection of wonders you do not want to miss on your visit to Orlando.
14. The World of Chocolate Museum
The World of Chocolate Museum
How about a taste of different chocolate flavors? The chocolate museum would be a nice place to engage with kids in Orlando. There is a lot to learn, from the history of chocolate to chocolates’ different flavors and tastes. Several rooms feature various activities, such as places to watch videos and learn about chocolate making.
A tour into the Super Secret room lets you explore all the machinery for chocolate making. More fun places include the mystical river of chocolate and bean to bar factory.
And to wrap up all the sweetness of this place, you can also customize your chocolate bar.
15. Legoland
Legoland-Florida
Legoland is another spot to have fun and engage in a ton of activities. With most activities targeted at children, the thrilling rides, interactive experiences, and roller coasters are some of the activities they get to enjoy. Moving on to the DUPLO valley will bring about unique experiences with the DUPLO Tot spot, tractor, and train.
After an intense time of everything in the heat, experience a cooling effect in the water Park with wave racing, battle of bricks burg, and beetle bounce, the private-themed waterski shows by talented skiers are also an exciting scene in the Park.
Walking into the botanical gardens defines Mother Nature’s awesomeness. Explore over thirty kinds of palms, ten varieties of banana trees, ten types of camellias, and fifteen types of azaleas, all kept in mint condition.
You do not want to walk out of Legoland without visiting the beautiful Miniland USA, which recreates famous cities and monuments around the globe with the use of Lego bricks. Other attractions include the lost kingdom adventure, the world of Lego ninjas at Ninjago world, 4D cinema experience imagination zone, kid power towers, pharaoh’s revenge land of adventure, etc.
Final thoughts
If I am honest enough, Orlando is not a place to visit in one day or two. Not even some of its top attractions like Disney World. Whether you are looking for outdoor or indoor activities for your holiday, there is much to experience and have fun memories.
Family time out of the regular life routines is something to appreciate, build strong relationships, and create long-lasting emotional bonds. So with that, I hope you have your list ready to explore what ‘The City Beautiful’ has for you and your family.