Discovery Villas
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Holidays in Florida
Places to Visit - Florida
Even if you've never been to Florida you will probably of heard of the most popular tourist attractions. There's all the usual suspects - Disney's Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Sea World, MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Wet & Wild, Universal Studios Florida Cypress Gardens, and last, but by no means least.... the Kennedy Space Centre.
However, there's much more to Central Florida than just theme parks. If you're a golfer then Florida has some fantastic golf courses making for an ideal golfing holiday. If you prefer a little culture then why not visit one of the many museums and festivals.
Central Florida really does have something for everyone!
Theme Parks & Main Attractions
(Select an option below for more information)
- Disney's Magic Kingdom
- Universal's Island of Adventure
- Disney's MGM Studios
- Universal Studios Florida
- Sea World Orlando
- Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Epcot
- Wet 'n' Wild
- Discovery Cove
- Cypress Gardens
- Kennedy Space Centre
At the center of Walt Disney World Resort is Disney's Magic Kingdom. Receiving approximately 15 million visitors every year this is arguably the most popular and well known of Orlando's attractions.
As the name suggests most of the rides and attractions within the park revolve around the many Disney characters providing a very family friendly environment.
Website: www.disneyworld.com
Open Hours: 09:00 - 19:00 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $48, Children $38
* Wear comfortable walking shoes!
* Several types of passes are available online from www.disneyworld.com which can save you money and time queuing.
* Some of our holiday home owners offer reduced rates for visitors.... another great reason to book your holiday home with Discovery Villas!
* Don't miss the nightly "Fantasy in the sky" fireworks display!
Anything Disney can do, Universal can do too (although we leave it to you to say if they've done it better or not)
The Island of Adventure is a thrill seekers paradise with some of Orlando's most technologically advanced, adrenalin pumping rides.
Website: www.universalorlando.com
Open Hours: 09:00 - 19:00 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $48.00, Children $39.00
Top Tips:
*During thunder storms the parks outside rides may close.
*Many rides are intended for thrill seekers and may be unsuitable for younger visitors.
* Universal express tickets are available online from www.universalorlando.com which can save you money and time queuing.
* Some of our holiday home owners offer reduced rates for visitors.... another great reason to book your holiday home with Discovery Villas!
As with Universal Studio's, attractions at Disney's MGM Studio's take an up close, personal, behind the scenes and sometimes interactive look at television the movie's.
Of course, no Disney theme park would be complete without it's fair share of rides and roller coasters and Disney's MGM Studio's is no exception.
Website: www.disneyworld.com
Open Hours: 10:00 - 19:00 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $48, Children $38
Top Tips:
* Visit this park early in the week when visitors tent to visit the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
* Fastpasses are available online from www.disneyworld.com which can save you money and time queuing.
If you need a break from Mickey and his friend's then Universal Studios Florida may be the answer. Attractions here follow the movies with rides based on films such as Jaws, Men in Black, Terminator 2 and Back to the Future.
However, just as at Disney World Resort, attractions are provided for all of the family. If Terminator 2 is a bit too scary for you then why not visit the Woody Woodpecker Kidzone. There's also more laid back rides from other Hanna Barbera characters including Yogi Bear and Dick Dastardly.
Website: www.universalorlando.com
Open Hours: 09:00 - 19:00 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $48, Children $39
Top Tips:
* Most parks have water fountains where you can fill up drink bottles for free.
* As with may of Orlando's attractions, passes are available online from www.universalorlando.com which can save you money and time queuing.
* Some of our holiday home owners offer reduced rates for visitors.... another great reason to book your holiday home with Discovery Villas!
Combining spectacular displays, interaction, thrill rides, education & conservation, Sea World provides a well balanced mixture of attractions.
Without doubt one of the most well know and popular of Sea World's residents is Shamu, a killer whale. (Congratulations by the way to Kalina who recently gave birth to a calf in February 2004) The antic's of Shamu and her friend often leave visitors, young & old, speechless... and somewhat wet!
For the more adventurous there's "Kraken" - the tallest, longest and fastest roller coaster in Orlando reaching speeds of up to 65mph.
Website: www.seaworld.com
Open Hours: 09:00 - 17:00 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $47.95, Children $38.95
Top Tips:
* If you sit in the Shamu splash zone you will get wet. You have been warned!
* Visit popular rides such as Kraken and Journey to Atlantis when live shows are taking place as queues can be shorter.
* SeaWorld express tickets are available online from www.seaworld.com which can save you money and time queuing.
* Some of our holiday home owners offer reduced rates for visitors.... another great reason to book your holiday home with Discovery Villas!
As with Sea World, Disney's Animal Kingdom combines conservation & education with tourism in this, the latest addition, to the Disney empire.
The park tends towards animals from Africa and Asia with one of the parks most popular rides being the "Kilimanjaro Safari". You almost forget that whilst the lions, zebra's and black rhino's are real... the surroundings are not.
If you fancy traveling a little further East then visit the Maharajah Jungle Trek. With giant fruit bats, tapirs and even Bengal tigers you really can see the world in a day!
Website: www.disneyworld.com
Open Hours: 08:00 - 18:00 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $48, Children $38
Top Tips:
* As with Zoo's in the UK, best times to see the animals are first thing and an hour or so before closing when it is cooler and they are looking to be fed.
* Visit early in the week when other visitors tend to head for Disney's Magic Kingdom, Sea World and Universal Studio's.
* Fastpass express tickets are available online from www.disneyworld.com which can save you money and time queuing.
* Some of our holiday home owners offer reduced rates for visitors.... another great reason to book your holiday home with Discovery Villas!
Walt Disney imagined Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) as a vision for future where people would live together happily in a technologically advanced era.
Although the main elements of his original vision remain they have been split to form two parts to the park. The first, "Future World" focus' on science, technology and the environment and contains the famous geosphere.
The second part of this park is the "World Showcase" that highlights the cultures of several major countries including Canada, America, France, China, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Morocco, Norway and the UK.
Website: www.disneyworld.com
Open Hours: 10:00 - 19:00 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $48, Children $38
Top Tips:
* Epcot is huge and is best covered over a leisurely 2 days. In fact many people joke that Epcot actually stands for "Every person comes out tired!"
*If you visit Epcot don't miss the "Illuminations" display of lasers, lights and fireworks..... truly spectacular!
* Fastpass express tickets are available online from www.disneyworld.com which can save you money and time queuing.
* Some of our holiday home owners offer reduced rates for visitors.... another great reason to book your holiday home with Discovery Villas!
Owned by Universal, Wet 'n' Wild is essentially... Island of Adventure..... with water. Although Disney has offered strong competition with "Blizzard Beach" and "Typhoon Lagoon", Wet 'n' Wild remains the best water theme park in Orlando, Florida.
Ideal on a hot day, Wet 'n' Wild provides a wide range of attractions that can be enjoyed by all ages. From the rather adventurous (or you might say... terrifying) "Der Stuka" (a six story free fall) to the more leisurely "Lazy River" - a 1.6km waterway the gently drifts visitors past swaying palms and relaxing waterfalls, on a large rubber ring.
Website: www.wetnwild.com
Open Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $29.95, Children $23.95
Top Tips:
* On really hot days take a pair of flip flops to protect you feet on hot surfaces.
*Hi speed rides may prove embarrassing if your swimwear is loose fitting... You have been warned!
* Some of our holiday home owners offer reduced rates for visitors.... another great reason to book your holiday home with Discovery Villas!
Ever fancied swimming with Dolphins or just looking for a relaxing retreat from the mayhem of Orlando's main theme parks? If so then you can't afford to miss a visit to Discovery Cove. The setting is a lush, tropical (albeit, man made) island with crystal clear waters and coral reefs.
However, luxury comes at a price. The park only admits up to 1,000 visitors per day which does mean prices can be quite expensive. That said, you do get everything included - sun cream, wet suits, snorkel equipment; you even get lunch and a seven day pass to Sea World and Busch Gardens ( Tampa Bay ) so if you haven't been already you save even more money!
Website: www.discoverycove.com
Open Hours: 09:00 - 17:30 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: With Dolphin swim $229, without dolphin swim $129
Top Tips:
*Book well in advance (allow about 2 months) as Discovery Cove is extremely popular and only allows 1,000 visitors each day.
*Make sure you take at least one underwater camera, especially if you plan on swimming with the dolphins!
*Prescription diving masks are available but we would recommend checking and booking these in advance.
*If you visit Discovery Cove you get a free seven day pass to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay.
In contrast to many of Orlando's attractions Cypress Gardens has little in the way of white knuckle rides. Instead it is much more laid back offering relaxing botanical gardens, a large butterfly house with over 50 varieties, and a large aviary where you can walk amongst pheasants, small deer and even feed Lorikeets nectar.
After lunch why not take a trip on the "Southern Breeze" - an authentic paddle wheel boat. If you don't mind heights then you may fancy a trip on the "Islands in the Sky" ride - a leisurely trip up to 153ft where you have a great panoramic view of the park and surrounding areas.
Website: www.cypressgardens.com
Open Hours: 09:30 - 17:00 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $34.95, Children $19.95
No trip to Orlando would be complete without a visit to the world famous Kennedy Space Centre. If at all possible try to plan your trip to co-inside with a space shuttle launch for a truly breathtaking, once in a lifetime experience.
However, even if you miss the chance to see a launch, the space centre has some great exhibitions and tours which are well worth the visit. There's a good balance of education (including talks from "real" astronauts working on current space programs), hands on exhibits (touch a piece of genuine Mars rock) to a more somber, but necessary, reminder of those who unfortunately lost their lives in the name of science and space exploration at the astronaut memorial.
Website: www.kennedyspacecenter.com
Open Hours: 09:00 - 17:30 (Seasonal variations may apply)
Price Guide: Adults $25, Children $15
Top Tips:
*Try to plan your visit to co-inside with a shuttle launch. Visit the Kennedy Space Centre for more information: www.kennedyspacecenter.com
*The Kennedy Space Centre is often a good place to visit when the other attractions are really busy and is rarely over crowded.
Golf Courses
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- Disney's Golf Courses
- Champions Gate Golf Club
- Orange County National Golf Course.
Disney World Resort Florida offers some of the regions finest golf courses including Eagle Pines, Osprey Ridge, Grand Cypress Golf Club, Lake Buena Vista, and Disney's Magnolia, Oak Tree, and Palm courses.
For more information on any of these golf courses click here
Champions Gate Golf Club offers 36 challenging holes designed by International golf champion Greg Norman and is the World Headquarters of David Leadbetter Golf Academy.
Website: www.championsgategolf.com
Offering two of Florida's finest championship golf courses ( the Panther and the Cat) Orange County National is a must for any golfer and is a great way to start (or indeed end) a golfing holiday in Orlando, Florida.
Website: www.ocngolf.com
Museums
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- Orlando Museum of Art (OMA)
- Orlando Science Centre
If you consider yourself as a bit of an art officionardo then you will thoroughly enjoy the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). With a fine collection from artists including Georgia O'Keefe and George Inness, the OMA has a reputation for being Florida's best art museum.
Website: www.omart.org
Open Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (Tuesday - Saturday) 12:00 - 17:00 (Sunday)
Probably the best way to describe the Orlando Science Centre is as Orlando's answer to the London Science Museum and Planetarium.
With four floors of interactive displays and exhibits the Orlando Science Centre provides a fun, educational, alternative to Disney.
Website: www.osc.org
Open Hours: 09:00 - 17:00 (Tuesday - Thursday) 09:00 - 21:00 (Fri - Sat) 12:00 - 17:00 (Sunday)
Price Guide: Adults $14.95, Children $9.95
Florida holiday accommodation
If you haven't already arranged your holiday accommodation then we have a wide selection of rental holiday homes with pools, ideally situated for exploring Central Florida.