Entrance to House of Blues, Orlando

Entrance to House of Blues, Orlando; (c) Soul Of America

Orlando General Attractions

Disney Springs
DESCRIPTION: With all the kid-oriented activities in Walt Disney World, adults, and older teenagers appreciate this retreat for shopping, dining, and nightlife. AMC 24 Cineplex ensures that you will see the latest movies. DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park presents many rousing and adventurous interactive exhibits such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Virtual Jungle Cruise, CyberSpace Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Astroblasters, and Animation Academy. House of Blues Orlando lets its presence be known with a large water tower visible from miles away. La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil and midnight fireworks rounds out the nightlife. Signature shopping experiences include World Of Disney, Virgin Megastore, Once Upon A Toy, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, LEGO Imagination Center, and Goofy’s Candy Company. Dining options include Bongos Cuban Café, Wolfgang Puck Café, Planet Hollywood, Fulton’s Crab House, Portobello Yacht Club, and the inventive T-Rex Café. Unfortunately, NBA City closed.
ADMISSION: free to enter the park, but separate venues charge fees
DAYS & HOURS: 9a-Midnight
ADDRESS: 1486 East Buena Vista Drive, Walt Disney World, FL MAP
PARKING: Disney’s Magical Express Service is a complimentary shuttle from Orlando International Airport to/from your Disney Resort hotel; note that you can enter a different part of the park from I-4 Freeway Exits 64. 65, or 67; parking fees apply
PHONE: 407-828-3800
WEBSITE: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/disney-springs/

Universal CityWalk
DESCRIPTION: CityWalk is a 30-acre dining and entertainment complex featuring a wide range of venues: The Groove – lets you hottest dance to the best in the 1970s, and 1980s, hits and has three themed VIP lounges, A Rising Star – Karaoke club lets you belt out your favorite songs in front of a live audience, Blue Man Group, Red Coconut Club – an ultra-lounge where you can take in the stars on the balcony, Pat O’Brien – a New Orleans favorite with its the original home of dueling pianos and the 20-screen Universal Cineplex. Dining options include Bob Marley – A Tribute to Freedom, Bubba Gump Shrimp, Emeril’s Restaurant, Latin Quarter, Pastamoré, NASCAR Sports Grille and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. The world’s largest Hard Rock Café features over 1,000 pieces of rock memorabilia.
ADMISSION: free to enter the park, but you can purchase CityWalk Party Pass
DAYS & HOURS: daily 11a-2a
ADDRESS: 6800 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE: 407-363-8000
WEBSITE: http://themeparks.universalstudios.com/orlando/citywalk

Orange County Regional History Center
DESCRIPTION: Orange County Courthouse, built in 1927, was upgraded to a state-of-the-art venue featuring artifacts, audio/visual presentations, and hands-on exhibits. First visit Orientation Theater, then discover the flora & fauna and famous Winter Park sinkhole and explore 12,000 years of the Paleo-Indians up to the arrival of Europeans and people of African descent to Central Florida. The beautiful Lake Eola Park is only one block away from this wheelchair-accessible center.
ADMISSION: see the website
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Sat 10a-5p, Sun 12p-5p
ADDRESS: 65 East Central Blvd, Orlando, FL MAP
PARKING: paid lots are nearby
PHONE: 407-836-8500 or 800-965-2030
WEBSITE: http://www.thehistorycenter.org

Orlando Fire Museum
DESCRIPTION: the restored 1926 Fire Station #3 located in Loch Haven Park is manned by firemen who are passionate about the museum, its history, and your enjoyment. Ask them for a tour of artifacts like the 1919 motorized ladder truck, a 1915 motorized fire truck, and a 1911 horse-driven steam engine. Other artifacts on display date back as far as 1885 and include colorful lithographs. The museum is managed by the Orange County Regional History Center.
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: Thu-Sat 9a-2p
ADDRESS: 814 East Rollins Avenue, Orlando, FL MAP
PARKING; on street
PHONE: 407-898-3138
WEBSITE: http://www.thehistorycenter.org

Leu Gardens
DESCRIPTION: On nearly 60 acres, it features the largest collection of Camillia flowers in Florida, 3 acres of idea gardens for weekend projects, the largest formal rose garden in Florida, a 2-acre Tropical Stream Garden, a Vegetable and Herb Garden, Palm, bamboo and cycad gardens, and the always popular Butterfly Garden. Pick up a free map of this park at the information booths. It features a maze of garden paths and views of a lake. Tours of the splendid old mansion belonging to Harry P. Leu, are conducted every half-hour.
ADMISSION: $see the website
DAYS & HOURS: daily 9a-5p
ADDRESS: 1920 North Forest Avenue, Orlando, FL MAP
PHONE: 407-246-2620
WEBSITE: http://www.leugardens.org

Holy Land Experience
DESCRIPTION: combines together the sights and sounds of the world of the Bible in a unique and interactive way that takes you 7000 miles away and 2000 years back in time to the land of the Bible. The owners deserve kudos for recreating many Holyland sites and customs with a great deal of accuracy. ONE MAJOR DOWNSIDE, it lacks historically accurate people of color to play the roles of ancient Jews.
ADMISSION: see the website
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Thu 10a-5p, Fri-Sat 10a-6p, Sun 12p-6p
ADDRESS: 4655 Vineland Road, Orlando, FL MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE: 407-872-2272
WEBSITE: http://www.theholylandexperience.com

Orlando Premium Outlets
DESCRIPTION: Get impressive savings at Ann Taylor, Barneys New York Outlet, Burberry, Coach, Diesel, Fendi, Gap Outlet, Giorgio Armani, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tommy Hilfiger and more.
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Sat 10a-11p, Sun 10a-9p
ADDRESS: 8200 Vineland Avenue, Orlando, FL MAP
PHONE: 407-477-0100
PARKING: free on premises
WEBSITE: http://www.premiumoutlets.com

International Drive
DESCRIPTION: “I-Drive”, as locals call it, is home or near Universal Studios Orlando, Islands of Adventure, Discovery Cove, SeaWorld, and Aquatica by SeaWorld theme parks, 100 hotels & resorts, 485 designer & outlet stores, 150 restaurants, 3 entertainment complexes, 3 cineplexes, the 2nd largest convention center in the region and a fun I-RIDE Trolley.
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily, dawn to early morning for some nightclubs
ADDRESS: West Oak ridge Road to Word Center Drive, Orlando, FL MAP
PARKING: free at most establishments
TRANSIT: I-RIDE Trolley has convenient stops along the length of the drive
PHONE: 407-248-9590
WEBSITE: http://www.internationaldriveorlando.com

Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba
DESCRIPTION: An attraction within an attraction, La Nouba is a mesmerizing live theatrical experience from the deviously creative gang at Cirque du Soleil. “La Nouba” means to “Live it Up” and this family-oriented show does so to the fullest with physically demanding and creative acrobatics. Equally attractive is the mystifying scenery, lighting, and live music typical of Cirque du Soleil. Expensive, but generally worth the price.
ADMISSION: Adults $67-$117, Ages 3-9 $54-$94
DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Sat shows at 6p & 9p
ADDRESS: Downtown Springs, Walt Disney World, FL MAP
PARKING: Disney’s Magical Express Service is a complimentary shuttle from Orlando International Airport to/from your Disney Resort hotel; note that you can enter a different part of the park from I-4 Freeway Exits 64. 65, or 67; parking fees apply
PHONE: 407-828-3800
WEBSITE: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/disney-springs/

Cocoa Village
DESCRIPTION: Historic buildings along the Indian River have been restored into fine restaurants, parlors, clothing boutiques, a playhouse, and antique shops. There’s even an old-time carousel — fully restored of course. The area is a natural fit for many art & crafts fairs year-round. It’s a good place to visit or from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily dawn-until
ADDRESS: Brevard Avenue, Cocoa, FL MAP
PARKING: on street
PHONE: n.a.
WEBSITE: http://www.cocoavillage.com

Orlando Golf Courses
Picking only 2 or 3 courses from a sea of great choices would be a sin. to complete Orlando General Attractions we link to a resource that does a great job identifying what you’ll love about dozens of golf courses in the region.
WEBSITE: http://www.orlandogolf.com/courses/

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