Florida Resorts
- Orlando
- Gulf Coast
- Florida Keys
- Miami
- Fort Lauderdale
- St Augustine & Ponte Vedra
- Daytona
- Cocoa Beach
- Palm Beach
Florida Information
Florida Highlights
Central Florida is home to America's favorite theme parks with so many things to do, you could go for days without doing the same thing twice. There are restaurants that will please everybody and shopping for every budget. Orlando is known as a family vacation destination but it's also a great place for singles, girlfriend getaways and romantic couple weekends. Orlando has nightclubs and dinner shows featuring world class entertainers.
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort is a magical destination where dreams come true everyday. Walt Disney World Resort comprises: 4 Disney Theme Parks, 2 Disney Water Parks, over 20 themed Resort Hotels, Downtown Disney, Disney’s BoardWalk and Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
Disney Theme Parks
Magic Kingdom Park
Wonder, fantasy and plenty of pixie dust are everywhere at the Magic kingdom Park. There are 7 enchanted lands with over 40 magical attractions each with restaurants and shops based on the theme of fantasy, yesterday and tomorrow. From the many attractions available you’ll find something for everyone.
Epcot
At Epcot, high tech fun and Disney imagination are combined with the wonder of diverse cultures in two distinct worlds, Future World and World Showcase. Future World focuses on discovery and scientific achievements incorporating 9 themed areas each with their own thrilling attractions. World Showcase has 11 pavillions celebrating the cultural heritage of countries all over the world. Quite literally, you will have the world at your feet. Once again, from the many attractions available you really will find something for everyone.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
It’s showtime all the time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where show business takes centre stage, from thrilling attractions to on-stage live spectaculars and exciting backstage action. An amazing line-up of attractions presents the glamour and excitement of showbiz from every angle and offers something for everyone.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Wild adventures come true in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park which offers a mix of encounters with real animals and those of the fictional kind. There are spectacular shows with over 20 attractions throughout 5 unforgettable lands: Africa, Camp Minnie-Mickey, Dinoland , Discovery Island and Asia. You’ll have a roaring time exploring a Park which has something for everyone.
Disney Water Parks
Whether diving into the waves or soaking up the sunshine, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach offer a uniquely themed experience. Disney’s Blizzard Beach is a snowy ski resort themed water park featuring one of the world’s tallest, fastest free fall speed slides and the world’s longest family white-water raft ride. The theme of Typhoon Lagoon is the ‘Disney legend’ of a typhoon that wreaked havoc upon a formerly pristine tropical paradise. Ships, fishing gear and surfboards are strewn about where the storm flung them. The Park features nine exhilarating waterslides and streams and is home to the world’s largest outdoor wave pool generating one of the world’s largest artificially created waves. Both Water Parks have a toddler area with lifeguard supervision where parents can let their little ones play.
Downtown Disney
Beyond the Parks the Downtown Disney Area offers exciting recreation options for every member of the family. Downtown Disney comprises 3 districts: Downtown Disney Marketplace offering the biggest Disney shopping extravaganza, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island offering waterfront dining, nightclubs and bars to suit every taste and Downtown Disney West Side where you will find Disney Quest- an indoor interactive theme park which boasts cutting-edge technology as the basis for it’s entertainment and Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, a live show which will captivate every member of the family by it’s feats of physical daring and acrobatics.
Disney’s BoardWalk
Disney’s BoardWalk is styled as a 1940’s themed waterfront combining the charm of a coastal village with great contemporary entertainment. Savour award-winning food, sample brewed ales, sing along at Jellyrolls Duelling Pianos, swing along at the Atlantic Dance Hall, or watch American sports at the ESPN Sports Bar. You can explore Disney’s Boardwalk on foot or hire a four seater bike.
Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex
Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex is a 220 acre facility that plays host to over 170 events each year (some events incur local charges).
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is a spectacular destination encompassing the world’s two most amazing theme parks- Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, an exciting entertainment complex- Universal CityWalk and magnificently themed on-site hotels.
Universal Studios
Universal Studios is the number one movie and TV based theme park in the world. Plunge yourself into darkness on the psychological thrill ride Revenge of the Mummy, see, hear and feel the action through the miracle of Ogre Vision in Shrek 4-D. Save the earth from aliens on the interactive ride MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack, crash your way through Krustyland in the wild and hilarious The Simpsons Ride new for 2008.
Universal Islands of Adventure
Universal’s Islands of adventure is made up of five themed areas; Seuss Landing, The Lost Continent, Jurassic Park, Toon Lagoon and Marvel Super Hero Island. The emphasis here is on cutting-edge rides and attractions to challenge all the senses. Timeless myths, legends, children’s stories, cartoons and comic books come to life alongside thrilling rides such as Duelling Dragons, the world’s first inverted head-to-head roller coaster and The Incredible Hulk Coaster.
Universal CityWalk
Universal CityWalk is an entertainment complex that offers a wide variety of music, dancing and dining options, including the world’s largest Hard Rock Café and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.
Worlds Of Discovery
Individually known as SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Aquatica and Busch Gardens (Tampa).
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is the world’s premier marine adventure park with 200 acres of world-class shows, thrilling rides and unforgettable animal encounters. Among the many and varied attractions on offer you may choose to get splashed by Shamu, the killer whale, challenge Kracken, Orlando’s tallest and only floorless coaster, risk being drenched on Journey to Atlantis the mysterious water coaster, or get up close to fascinating sealife, including dolphins, sealions, stingrays and more. There really is something for everyone, including Shamu’s Happy Harbor area just for children incorporating the Shamu Express- the parks first family themed roller coaster.
Aquatica Water Park
Designed in a way that could only be done by SeaWorld, Aquatica Water Park features the most thrilling water slides in the world- 36 in all, including the incredible signature ride, Dolphin Plunge- two awesome tube slides that send you speeding through a lively lagoon filled with playful dolphins. The distinct attractions on offer throughout the park will zoom, float and splash you through amazing animal habitats and undersea adventures. Aquatica has six rivers and lagoons, and more than 80,000 square feet of beach area where you can soak up the sun or relax in the shade. The little ones have their own huge play area full of mini slides and rides where they can splash around until their heart’s content. Aquatica is where the fun is as endless as the sea itself.
Discovery Cove
Discovery Cove is an exclusive, reservations only experience and the only place in Orlando where you can swim with a beautiful bottlenose dolphin. In addition, you can swim with tropical fish and rays, see sharks and barracuda and get up close to stingrays in the Ray Pool. Take a walk through the Free-Flight Aviary, where you’ll see hundreds of species of tropical birds and feed them out of your hand, then relax on white sand beaches before taking a dip in the Tropical River. Entrance to Discovery Cove is limited and pre-booking is essential.
While the theme parks tend to grab much of the attention there are plenty of other delights to keep Orlando’s visitors occupied, exercised, entertained and amused.
Golf
There are 176 courses to choose from in the Orlando area as well as several top-name golf academies. Walt Disney World Resort offers tour-calibre golf on four championship courses and one nine-hole course.
Spas
You may choose to relax at one of Orlando’s full-service day spas. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa are just two venues where you can enjoy luxurious skin therapies and relaxing body treatments.Shopping
There are nine amazing malls, three sprawling outlet centres and dozens of boutiques, speciality stores and antique shops in the Orlando area. Mall at Millenia, an upscale premium shopping mall, was opened in 2002 and is fast becoming one of Orlando’s favourite shopping malls. It has over 150 stores including the infamous Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus alongside some of the worlds most exclusive outlets such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo and Gucci to name but a few. The architecture is stunning, there are art galleries to peruse and there are plenty of places to relax. There’s a large food court offering the usual fast food choices but there are also several full-service restaurants. If the man in your life is not overly enamoured with the whole shopping experience, he may be interested to know that Florida’s Exotic Car Gallery has just opened near the entrance to Mall at Millenia. The Exotic Car Gallery is home to some of the worlds most exclusive super cars including the $1.7 million Bugatti Veyron. Here you have the opportunity to see your dream cars up close as well as test yourself against some of the worlds best known race tracks playing the interactive driving games. Mall at Millenia is just off Interstate 4 (Exit 78) at Conroy Road near the northern end of International Drive.
Eating Out
Eating out is high on the list of favourite pastimes for travellers and there is a plethora of dining experiences to choose from. Orlando boasts in excess of 5000 restaurants offering a range of cuisine to suit every palate and budget. Indeed even the most restrictive dietary requirements can be catered for. Dining with Mickey at Chef Mickey’s, The Shark’s Underwater Grill at SeaWorld, and Rainforest Café remain firm family favourites.
Shows
Eating out is a popular activity and you may like to combine dinner with evening entertainment at one of the area’s themed dinner attractions. Disney’s Pirate’s Dinner Adventure and ‘’Makahiki Luau’’ at SeaWorld are colourful, funfilled interactive shows, whereas horsemanship takes centre stage at Medieval Times Tournament, Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede and Arabian Nights. Solve a mystery at Sleuths Mystery Dinner Shows, travel back in time to the 1930’s in Capones Dinner and Show or expect something out of the ordinary at the Outta Control Magic Show. If you choose musical entertainment to accompany your food ‘’House of Blues’’ and ‘’Bongo’s Cuban Café’’ (owned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan) at Downtown Disney are popular choices as are Hard Rock Café and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville at Universal CityWalk. The above are just a small selection of the entertainment on offer in the Orlando area.
Nightlife
If you’re looking for quiet relaxing entertainment or more of a party atmosphere Orlando has something to offer everyone. The main nightlife areas are International Drive, Downtown Orlando, Downtown Disney and Universal Orlando Resort. On International Drive, ‘’Pointe Orlando’’ is a large shopping and entertainment complex offering plenty of night-time fun. Other options include Dottie’s Comedy Theatre featuring comedians, magicians, impressionists, singers and jugglers, The Cricketer’s Arms, Seasons 52, a trendy piano bar featuring live entertainment and an extensive wine list and the ‘’original’’ dance club at the Rosen Plaza Hotel featuring live bands DJ’s playing music from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and today. In Downtown Orlando, Wall Street Plaza, with eight colourful bars and restaurants, is a good starting point for an evening of club hopping. Other areas to seek out include Orange Avenue, Church Street, Magnolia Street, Central Boulevard and Pine Street.
Cypress Gardens Adventure Park
Cypress Gardens offers rides, all-star concerts and spectacular shows. It has its own water park, Splash Island and a quaint shopping and dining village. Other highlights include recreated historic gardens, southern belles parading and water ski shows.
Gatorland
Gatorland features thousands of alligators and crocodiles, some of which have appeared in films, television shows and commercials. There is also a petting zoo, bird sanctuary and action-packed outdoor entertainment, including daily alligator wrestling shows.
Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is on the east coast and is just 45 minutes from Orlando. Here you can board a full size replica of the space shuttle Explorer, experience a walk on the moon with Tom Hanks and ride the Shuttle Launch. Other options include guided tours, dining with a real life astronaut and the chance to participate in astronaut orientation in conditions of zero and 1/6 gravity (participants must be 14 years or older).
Skyventure
If you fancy indoor skydiving, Skyventure is a high-energy vertical wind tunnel in which visitors float on a column of air. No parachute, no jumping and no experience are necessary.
Daytona International Speedway
To be found at Daytona Beach on Florida’s east coast Daytona International Speedway is home to the Daytona 500 and other top motor races. Also on offer are guided tours of the circuit and its facilities including interactive exhibits, motion simulator rides, live pit stop competitions, The Daytona 500 ThunderRound-Sound Movie and much more.
