Entire guidebooks are devoted to covering the mind-boggling array of tourist attractions in and around Orlando, but three words would probably suffice: Walt Disney World. Over 100,000 people come here every day to experience the magic of the Magic Kingdom, which is divided into four main areas—the Magic Kingdom amusement park, a new “Animal Kingdom” animal park, the futuristic EPCOT Center, and the Disney-MGM studio tours. Entrance to any of these will set you back around $60; to see all of them, get a “park-hopper” pass, which is valid from four days (about $225) or longer. For further information on admissions and lodging packages call 407/824-4321.
At the time of writing, there’s still no law that says you have to go to Disney World just because you’ve come to Florida, but it is a cultural phenomenon and more than a little fun. While you’re here, you may want to visit the other big-time attractions like Sea World and Universal Studios, but Orlando also has some funky, pre–Disney era tourist traps, with ad budgets small enough that you won’t have to fight the crowds. Best of this bunch is probably GatorLand (daily; $19; 407/855-5496), 14501 S. Orange Blossom Trail, where thousands of alligators, crocodiles, snakes, and other reptiles are gathered together in a cypress swamp. You enter through a gator’s gaping jaws, and inside can see such sights as live chickens being dangled over a pond, taunting the hungry carnivorous gators just of out reach below. Continuing south along US-441, past the world headquarters of Tupperware, another sight of offbeat interest is the 100-year-old historic district at the heart of Kissimmee (pop. 38,200), where a 50-foot stone and concrete pyramid, constructed in 1943 with rocks from most states, as well as 21 countries, stands in Lake Front Park.
It doesn’t take a Boy Genius to figure out the customer base of the Jimmy Neutron–themed Nickelodeon Family Suites ($180 and up; 866/462-6485), a kid-friendly Holiday Inn with multiple bedrooms near Disney World. Another movie spinoff: Disney’s extraordinary Animal Kingdom Lodge ($199 and up; 407/939-7429), where a 30-acre savannah landscape offers families and Lion King fans the chance to take an African safari—without the jet lag.
