30 Top Central Florida Attractions

Click on the following links for reviews & info on:

Aquatica - SeaWorld's Water Park NEW!

Arabian Nights Dinner Show™*

Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay*

Capone's Dinner & Show™*

Cirque du Soleil®*

Cypress Gardens Adventure Park

Daytona Beach

Daytona 500 Experience™*

Discovery Cove®*

Fantasy of Flight® *

Florida State Parks

Gatorland®*

Green Meadows Petting Farm®*

Jungle Adventures™*

Kennedy Space Center*

Medieval Times®*

Orlando Science Center*

Pirates Dinner Adventure™*

Ripley's Believe It or Not! ® Orlando Odditorium*

Sea World Orlando®*

Silver Springs® & Wild Waters® Waterpark*

Skull Kingdom®*

SkyCoaster & G-Force Top Fuel Drag Race

SkyVenture™ *

Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Theatre ™ & Merry Mystery Dinner Adventure For Kids™ *

Universal Studios Florida® & Islands of Adventure® *

Walt Disney World®*

Weeki Wachee Springs Water Park™*

Wet'n Wild® *

Wonderworks®*

More Central Florida Attractions

*Many attractions offer online discounts and coupons. Most of the attractions (but not all) also offer discounts to Florida residents, senior citizens (AARP too), military & gov't personel, reduced child prices, group discounts (usually 15 or more, but sometimes as little as 10+), AAA members, corporate and other types of discounts are typically available. Also, the major attractions periodically may offer multi-day passes and annual admission pass bargains and other types of discounts and incentives. Sometimes these other types of discounts can be somewhat greater than the online coupons/discounts, so you may want to seek out and compare them. Availability of coupons and discounts is through the respective attractions websites (and not TouristFlorida.com) and they can and will change without notice. Attractions reviews are independent from the entities reviewed, and none of the above-reviewed attractions is owned or operated by TouristFlorida.com, LLC.

IN THE NEWS:

The Simpsons Ride is now open at Universal Studios Orlando.

Aquatica - SeaWorld's Water Park is now open - They have walk around animal attractions, dolphins, an aviary, and rides like Dolphin Plunge, innertube rides, white water rapids, water slides, giant wave pool, aquariums, restaurants, stores and more!

Busch Gardens Africa (in Tampa) opened its new kid-friendly Jungala attraction with new rides and new walk around animal habitats.

Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner & Show closed its doors in Orlando, but can be visited in other states.

Titanic, The Experience closed its doors on Sept. 3 2007. According to television news outlets they encountered issues with the site owner, and according to the folks who run the exhibit they will be attempting to relocate within the Orlando region.

Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven has opened the Starliner roller-coaster which was brought in from Panama City Beach after serving there since 1963. It's a classic coaster that cost the park over 4 million dollars to install.

Busch Gardens® Tampa's SheiKra is now floorless, carrying riders up 200 feet and then hurtling them 70 mph straight down at a 90-degree angle. SheiKra is the first of its kind to incorporate an Immelmann loop (a rolling maneuver), a second, 138-foot dive into an underground tunnel and a water-feature finale. With more than half a mile of steel track, SheiKra offers a total ride time of just over three minutes.

Check out Expedition Everest in the Asia section of Disney's Animal Kingdom which features a high-speed coaster-train that takes thrills to new heights, by sending guests through icy caverns on "...the biggest mountain range in Florida..." where they bring the legend of the abominable snowman to life.

_____________

ORANGE BLOSSOM BALLOONS™ Kissimmee - (407)239-7677 lets us know that their hot-air balloon flights leave 7 days a week (weather permitting) with sunrise flights, complimentary champagne, complimentary buffet breakfasts, hotel pickup available (extra charge), first flight certificates from the Balloon Federation of America, FAA certified pilots, fully insured, and photo opportunities. Their take-off sites vary with wind direction. Adventures last 3 to 4 hours, child discounts, and family and friends can ride with the Chase Crew for a nominal charge. Visit their site or call for more details.

Some Tips from TouristFlorida.com:

The Orlando FlexTicket™ (not affiliated with TouristFlorida.com, LLC) offers a 4-Park unlimited access to Universal Studios®, Islands of Adventure, Wet 'n Wild®-Orlando and Sea World® Orlando for 14 consecutive days!. The 5-Park Orlando FlexTicket™ offers all of the 4-Parks above plus Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, also for 14 consecutive days of unlimited access (the above may change without notice.)

If you are a AAA member, some theme parks will give you a discount on purchases (for example at Universal's parks, selected gift shops and restaurants will give you a 10% discount!) so don't forget your AAA card!

You might consider bringing cheap plastic rain-ponchos (usually $.50 to $1 in the dollar stores) during the rainy season (summer) because ponchos in the theme parks are typically more than $5 each.

You may also want to bring those Family Radio Service 2-way radios with you, or you can rent them at the major theme parks; they can be handy for keeping in touch with the rest of your party when you want to split up to go on different rides or attractions. Consider purchasing them before you go if you plan to spend several days at the theme parks.