Eyewitness Travel Family Guide Florida Read online

  7. International Drive

  Watch out for falling buildings

  Bizarre-looking building housing Wonderworks, International Drive

  With Universal Studios Florida® at one end and SeaWorld® at the other, I-Drive features more great attractions for kids. It is hard to miss the upside-down building of Wonderworks and its science-oriented exhibits, or the giant wheel of the Orlando Eye towering over the whole area. Monkey Joe’s has wall-to-wall bouncing fun for ages 4 to 12, and an adult lounge for parents. The dramatically tilted building of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium contains the world’s largest collection of weird stuff, and Madame Tussauds keeps its life-like wax statues in air-conditioned surroundings.

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  < Orlando and the Parks

  8. Gatorland

  Toothy critters

  Alligators in a swamp at Gatorland

  Opened in 1949, Gatorland offers old Florida-style entertainment. Walk through a giant alligator’s mouth to see snakes, lizards, Florida deer, and spiders before heading for Alligator Island, which is home to hundreds of Florida gators, along with several Nile crocodiles. Kids will like the Swamp Walk, at the southern end of the park, which offers a chance to walk through an unspoiled Cypress Swamp on the lookout for real alligators, and the Screamin’ Gator Zip Line (subject to height and other restrictions). The Gatorland Express train rolls through the park and ends at the Gator Wrestlin’ Arena. Don’t miss the Gator Jumparoo Show, where the largest alligators in the world jump 4–5 ft (1–1.5-m) out of a wading pool to snap food away from their trainer’s hand.

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  < Orlando and the Parks

  9. Orlando Science Center

  Explore the past and the future

  Exterior of Orlando Science Center

  Walking across the glass bridge from the parking garage into the Science Center’s spaceship-like rotunda is like stepping into another world. Science-hungry kids and curious adults alike will enjoy the interactive exhibits, live programs, and films on giant screens. Hands-on learning and tricks teach kids about the small wonders of science, while astronomy exhibits and an observatory let them consider the enormity of the universe.

  Key Features

  1. NatureWorks Exhibits of animal habitats and diverse ecosystems start with an exhibit on Florida’s natural fish and alligator habitats.

  2. DinoDigs Find fossils buried in the Dig Pit, look into a triceratop’s eye, and see life-size replicas of a T-Rex and a 40-ft- (12-m-) long plesiosaur skeleton.

  3. Kinetic Zone Kids can learn about gravity and electricity, and build their own creations, such as rockets and air cars.

  4. KidsTown Young visitors float boats on a multilevel waterfall, work in an orange grove, and interact with creative exhibits that accelerate cognitive development.

  5. Our Planet Explore the stars, and learn how planets were formed, what happens when galaxies collide, and why the sky is blue.

  6. Engineer It! Create prototypes of anything imagined, from bridges and LEGO® boats to much more, and develop the model, so that you can test it here.

  7. Dr. Phillips CineDome Watch films about the bottom of the sea and the Grand Canyon on this spectacularly huge screen.

  • Science Live! Mad scientists in training will enjoy conducting experiments at Dr. Dare’s Lab, and observing images of Earth, the Moon, and Mars projected on the hovering Science on a Sphere globe that hangs high above the audience.

  • The Crosby Observatory This silver dome on top of the Orlando Science Center hides a custom telescope powerful enough to see Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s moons, and distant stars.

  Left Dinosaur skeletons at DinoDigs Middle The Crosby Observatory Right Conducting experiments at Science Live!

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  Kids’ Corner

  Spot the animal

  All these animals live at the Florida’s Habitats exhibit. Can you guess what they are? This animal grows from just 10 inches (25 cm) to 13 ft (4 m) in length.

  This aquatic animal has “tree” in its name.

  These reptiles have different kinds of marks on their hard shells.

  >> Answers

  Fossil files

  Fossils are the remains of living organisms from a long time ago that have been preserved in rock formations. Paleontologists study fossils to link up extinct species with the ones around us today. Fossils can vary in size from a small bacterial cell, to dinosaurs and trees.

  Set a personal record at the Science Center

  Keep standing during a 5.6 Richter scale earthquake simulation.

  Fly a simulated jet fighter plane without crashing.

  Talk in the middle of a 70 mph (112 km/h) hurricane.

  Design a gravity-driven wooden car and race it against the others on the 70-ft (21-m) pinewood derby track.

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  < Orlando and the Parks

  10. Loch Haven Park

  Art in the green

  This extensive park is a cultural mecca, home to the Orlando Science Center, and several theaters and museums. The Orlando Shakespeare Theater performs plays by the Bard and modern playwrights, as well as children’s theater and productions from the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival. Across the parking lot, the multiple galleries of the Orlando Museum of Art hold American contemporary art, glass works by Dale Chihuly, and large collections of African handicrafts. Behind the Shakespeare Theater is the small Orlando Fire Museum, with rebuilt engines, and pumpers dating from 1911.

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  < Orlando and the Parks

  11. Downtown Orlando

  Basketball, great food, and pretty gardens

  Strolling along a lush lawn in Harry P. Leu Gardens, Downtown Orlando

  The heart of Orlando is the corner of Church Street and Orange Avenue – a section filled with nightclubs, restaurants, and bars. Visit the Amway Center for its concerts and circuses, and to watch the NBA team Orlando Magic. But there’s more to downtown Orlando than basketball. Church Street’s restaurants serve some of the best food in town, and Lake Eola has an iconic fountain and an easy, mile-long walking path. The Orlando History Center houses exhibits representing Orlando’s past, present, and future. Nearby are the vast Harry P. Leu Gardens, with roses, azaleas, a giant bamboo collection, and more.

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  Kids’ Corner

  It’s all in a name

  “Orlando” means “famous country,” but nobody is quite sure why the city is named so. Some say it is for a character in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, or because of a soldier in the Seminole Wars, Orlando Reeves, who is buried on the south side of Lake Eola Park. Find his memorial to learn the whole story.

  Swan counting

  You’ll see many black swans as well as white ones at Lake Eola. If you’re here in spring or early summer, you can also see little balls of gray feathers swimming around – those are baby swans, or cygnets. And the giant swans at the Amphitheater are paddle boats you can rent.

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  < Orlando and the Parks

  12. Winter Park

  Art and culture in the suburbs

  Elegant Tiffany lamps in the Morse Museum, Winter Park

  Suburban Winter Park became a warm-weather escape for wealthy Northerners in the early 1900s, and today its museums, high-end stores, and great restaurants retain an air of sophistication.

  At the north end of the beautiful one-mile stretch of green called Park Avenue stands the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which holds the world’s largest colle
ction of art, stained glass, jewelry, and furnishings made by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933). At the south end of Park Avenue is Rollins College, the oldest university in the southeast, which is home to the Cornell Fine Arts Museum. The museum has a stellar collection of American and European art.

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  Kids’ Corner

  Here comes the train

  Listen for the train whistle while walking down Park Avenue in Winter Park – freight and passenger trains travel right through the middle of the park!

  Tiffany treasures

  When you visit the Morse Museum, you will notice that many of the Tiffany lamps feature designs inspired by nature. Can you spot lamps with designs depicting: A wisteria

  A dragonfly and water

  A lily

  A cobweb

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  < Orlando and the Parks

  13. Winter Park Scenic Boat Tours

  Behind the scenes and houses of Winter Park

  Boat cruising along a picturesque canal in Winter Park

  The Scenic Boat Tour glides along a chain of magnificent lakes, past some of the finest homes in Florida. The lush canals that connect Lake Osceola, Lake Virginia, and Lake Maitland were renovated in the 1930s especially for tourism, and the flat-bottom pontoon boats have been plying them ever since. Mansions built by Goodyear and Walgreen, the Rollins College campus, and the home of noted American architect James Gamble Rogers II can be seen on the tour. Decades-old palm trees, bamboo, papyrus, and flowering vines overhang the canals, providing a cool break from the bright sun, but be sure to carry sunscreen and hats. Kids can spot gray herons, sunning anhingas, turtles, and even the rare alligator on the cruise.

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  < Orlando and the Parks

  14. LEGOLAND® Florida Resort

  Not just another brick in the wall

  LEGO® model of Windra, one of the characters found in the World of Chima™

  Built on part of the former site of Cypress Gardens, Florida’s oldest theme park, this LEGOLAND® has captured everyone’s imagination. With 50 acres (20 ha) of attractions, including a section of the original Cypress Gardens park, LEGOLAND® Florida Resort is the biggest of the seven parks of its kind across the world. A tribute to the popular little Danish building blocks, this spectacular park is full of roller coasters, rides, and shows that challenge as well as entertain. The inventive and often humor-filled constructions make adults giggle, while children gaze in awe as they discover an entire city made of LEGO® bricks.

  Key Features

  1. The Beginning This colorful area right at the entrance features the Island in the Sky, a 150-ft (46-m) rotating platform that offers a panoramic view of the park.

  2. Fun Town Stroll past the Island in the Sky to enter this area, which is home to the 700-seat Wells Fargo Fun Town Theater. See how LEGO® bricks are transformed from raw plastic into building blocks in the Factory Tour. Younger kids will enjoy riding the two-tier Grand Carousel.

  3. DUPLO® Valley Playgrounds, planes, and trucks designed for little kids with big imaginations can be found in this play area. Don’t miss the DUPLO® Farm, full of plastic animals, fire engines, and drivable cars.

  4. LEGO® Kingdoms Little princesses and knights joust and battle wizards in this medieval castle. Climb aboard the coaster for a ride through the LEGOLAND® castle, before heading to Royal Joust for a quiet time on the cantering LEGO® horses.

  5. Heartlake City The LEGO® Friends line of toys comes to life with a live stage show, an interactive musical fountain, and the Mia's Riding Adventure disc coaster ride.

  6. Land of Adventure Steer around brick jungle beasts on the Safari Trek, or brave the rollicking wooden tracks of Coastersaurus that rumble past giant LEGO® dinosaurs. Shoot back at glowing skeletons and spiders to score points in the Lost Kingdom Adventure.

  7. Miniland USA Marvel at miniature LEGO® replicas of American cities spread over seven themed areas. Look for movie stars in Los Angeles in California and street musicians in Times Square in New York, and see the space shuttle smoke and rumble at the Kennedy Space Center. Then check out the battle of miniature galleons at Pirate’s Shores.

  8. LEGO® City Children can learn to drive at one of the two Ford Driving Schools, steer a boat in hopefully the right direction at the Boating School, and soar in the air on Flying School, a thrilling roller coaster. Rescue Academy gets the whole family to pump, drive, and fight fire in a muscle-powered fire engine.

  9. LEGO® TECHNIC™ Filled with hair-raising rides on the ground, in the water, and in the air, this area is the most extreme of all the zones in the park. Hop onto the wind-powered speedsters at AQUAZONE Wave Racers to dodge water blasters or cycle the way into the sky on Technicycle.

  10. Imagination Zone Budding engineers can build and program real MINDSTORM® robots in LEGO® MINDSTORMS® or build and race brick cars in Wheels Zone. There are other areas as well, for kids to design, build, and test their LEGO® creations.

  11. World of Chima™ Get soaking wet on a fun interactive boat ride in The Quest for CHI™, battling with water cannons to help Laval the Lion Prince defeat Cragger the Crocodile King. Meet characters from the LEGO® Legends of Chima in a 4D movie experience. Little ones will enjoy playing with water in the Cragger's Swamp splash area.

  12. LEGOLAND® Water Park Toddlers will love the DUPLO® Splash Safari with short slides and interactive DUPLO® creatures. Older kids can choose between racing their own boats at Build-A-Boat, the 375-ft (114-m) waterslides at Twin Chasers, or the playground with a 300-gallon (1,135-liter) bucket drop in Joker Soaker.

  Left Boating School, LEGO City Middle Imagination Zone Right World of Chima™

  Top 10 Rides

  Lost Kingdom Adventure Pick up a laser pistol and get points for firing at ancient Egyptian targets in this dark and slightly scary ride in the Land of Adventure.

  Coastersaurus Ride this old-fashioned and noisy wooden roller coaster, in the Land of Adventure, as it zooms through a land filled with brick dinosaurs.

  Battle for Brickbeard’s Bounty Watch this exciting live-action water battle featuring water-skiing pirates on Lake Eloise in Pirates' Cove. Those wanting to get soaked can sit in one of the first five rows.

  AQUAZONE Wave Racers Daring riders get to control the speed of their jet skis by starting out slowly and then spinning out to dizzying and soaking heights in this LEGO® TECHNIC™ ride.

  Merlin’s Challenge Battle a LEGO® Merlin as the wooden train spins around a roller coaster track in wild and possibly magical circles in LEGO® Kingdoms.

  Splash Out Climb to the highest point in the park, then plummet down one of the three 60-ft (18-m) slides to drop into the pool below in LEGOLAND® Water Park.

  Flying School Board a suspended coaster and zoom above LEGO® City on this winding, twisting, and diving ride.

  Build-A-Raft River Design and build a one-of-a-kind boat and launch it on a 1,000-ft- (305-m-) long lazy river in LEGOLAND® Water Park.

  Wells Fargo Fun Town Theater Immerse yourself in the 4D movie experience with The LEGO® Movie™ 4D: A New Adventure and LEGO® NEXO KNIGHTS™: The Book of Creativity.

  Project X Race a full-size TECHNIC™ car along a twisting roller coaster track full of sharp twists and turns on this ride in LEGO® TECHNIC™.

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  >>Kids' Corner

  Kids’ Corner

  Sharp spotting

  It could take hours to find everything tucked in Miniland USA, but here are a few fun things to keep an eye out for: Cats. Find the cats jumping through flaming hoops in Key West, and a lady with kittens on the roof in California.