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O rlando's
raison d'etre it would seem... although Orlando did exist
before the theme parks established here, but the Orlando you see
today would not have existed if it wasn't for the parks.
Although
most visitors know of all the parks that we have, I'd like to
help you make the most of your visit whether a short one or long.
There
are three major players in the arena - Walt Disney World, Universal
Studios and Sea World.
Walt Disney World is literally a city in itself, spread over
approx. 27000 acres with parks, hotels, shops, restaurants, resorts
and other recreational facilities. The Disney property is bounded
by by I-4 and Highway 535 to the East, World Drive to the West,
and Highway 192 to the south. On the eastern end of the Disney
property is Lake Buena Vista, a village and market place owned
and operated by Walt Disney World. It is a very quaint area of
beautiful lawns and thoroughfares shaded by beautiful oak trees.
Universal
Studios Escape originally had only the Universal Studios.
The addition of Islands of Adventure with it's thrill rides, City
Walk with it's restaurants, night clubs, shopping, movie theatres
etc. and the acquisition of Wet-'n-Wild has moved this conglomerate
neck to neck with Disney.
Anheuser-Busch's Sea World has always had a different kind
of attraction for the visitors to Orlando as well as the local
folks. The addition of Discovery Cove, grand opening on
July 1, 2000, has simply proved that the "sea" and "salt
water" is Anheuser-Busch's domain and their specialty and,
mind you, they do a wonderful job with it. Their park Busch
Gardens located in Tampa has been around for many years and is
a very popular with visitors to the Orlando area.
I've
included attractions that may not be considered theme parks or
are not in Orlando but I thought you ought to know about them
as they're only a hop, skip and jump away from Orlando and very
much worth the trip.
Cypress
Gardens the most beautiful botanical
gardens in florida with lots of other activities to create lasting
memories. Enjoy World Class Ski shows, see 200 acres of fun from
the Island In The Sky, ride the E-Boats, dress your girls as Junior
Belles, see the "Wings in Wonder" butterfly conservatory,
see the new "Fairy Tales on Ice" show, dine amid the
beauty of the Gardens on the Crossroads Restaurant patio, let
the kids play in the Carousel Cove play area. Special events held
throughout the year including flower festivals, watercraft tournaments,
waterski tournaments etc.
Located off US Hwy 27 near Winter Haven. $34.95 plus tax for adults,
$22.95 for ages 10-17, $12.95 plus tax for children 6-12, children
5 and under free. Call 863-324-2111. or 1-800-282-2123 for further
information.
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