Orlando Attractions

Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine was built in the 1980s. This large church can seat 2,000 people and is adorned with impressive stained glass windows. The church contains an 8ft marble statue of Mary, created by sculptor Jill Burkee. In the outdoor chapel is another sculpture of the Mother and child by Jerzy Kenar.

On site is a museum with religious sculptures, paintings, and a relic of Saint Desiderius. Also of interest is the Pilgrimage Center, offering information on the history of the Christian Pilgrimage.

This Catholic Church serves the many visitors to the Orlando area as a place of worship.

Church Street Station is a turn of the century complex with restored and renovated buildings to create an entertainment, shopping, and dining complex. The brick-paved walkways, Victorian interiors and old railroad tracks are a reminder of Florida's past.

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The Dixie Stampede combines a high energy, live show with Southern foods. Highlights of the Dixie Stampede include animals, action and audience participation accompanied by music.

Fun Spot Action Park offers four go-kart tracks, bumper cars, bumper boats, and several other rides. Kid Spot is geared to children under the age of 7.

Indoors, visitors will enjoy the Arcade with video and pinball games as well as riding simulators.

The Harry P Leu Gardens are located on the former estate of Orlando businessman and amateur botanist, Harry P Leu. He donated the property to the city in 1961. The highlights of this 50 acre estate are the lovely gardens, some of which contain rare plants and flowers. The Butterfly Garden features plants specifically planted to attract butterflies year round. The main gardens display a variety of plants known to thrive in the local climate, and include azaleas, bromeliads, and tropical philodendrons.

The Leu House, built in 1888 and expanded in the early 1900s, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Guided tours of the house are available. It is a fine example of early 20th C living in this area of Florida. On display is a permanent art collection, as well as changing exhibits. A number of metal sculptures are also located on the grounds.

The Holy Land Experience is a re-creation of Bethlehem as a living biblical museum. It takes visitors back 2,000 years. Some of the exhibits include the Garden Tomb, Qumran Dead Sea Caves, Great Temple and Plaza, Jerusalem Model, and Wilderness Tabernacle.

Biblical and family oriented movies are shown on site behind the Great Temple. The center also offers musical and theatrical performances, some of which are seasonal.

A few miles south-west of the city centre is International Drive, a 3-3/4 mile/6km long avenue which gives rapid access to the huge theme parks round Orlando. Along the road are numerous hotels and restaurants (some offering "dinner theatre") and a modern office complex, with a congress and trade fair centre.

Lake Eola Park in Orlando is ideal for afternoon or evening strolls, renting a paddleboat, feeding the birds or watching a concert. Swans are among the favorite inhabitants of the lake. Stately trees, flowering plants and shrubs are found throughout park, along with the Clinton Allen Fountain. This iconic fountain is the centerpiece of the lake, and is lit up in a spectacle of colors at night.

Circling the lake is a .9 mile footpath frequented by walkers and joggers.

The Mall of Millenia is Orlando's answer to world class shopping. It features a wide selection of high end international stores including Cartier, Gucci, Chanel, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Zara, Lacoste, Oilily and L'Occitane as well as U.S. retailers such as Tommy Bahamas and Tiffany's.

It offers valet parking for added convenience and a full service concierge.

The Mennello Museum of American Art, located in Loch Haven Park, is home to a permanent collection of paintings and sculptures. The core of the collection focuses on folk art by Earl Cunningham, a prominent 20th century folk artist. Marilyn and Michael Mennello donated the collection of his work, which opened in 1998.Other traditional and contemporary American artists are featured in special exhibits.

The museum grounds showcase a variety of unique sculptures, as well as biking and hiking trails.

Orange County Regional History Center explores the history of Orlando and region. There are pre-Colombian and Seminole artifacts and exhibits on the city's development including a country store, pioneer settlements, the Orlando Sentinel hot type pressroom and the history of the Orange County sheriff's office.

Orlando's oldest firehouse (1926) stands behind the museum with its original fire trucks and 19th and early 20th century firefighting equipment.

If you haven't had quite enough thrill or amusement during your stay in Orlando, there is the Orlando Kart Center. This facility offers a world class track for karting enthusiasts at all levels. Racing outside, the course is .7 miles in length and karts can reach 45 miles / hour.

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The Orlando Opera Company presents international and national singers on the stages of the 2,400 seat Bob Carr Performing Arts Center. The company was founded in 1958 as the "Opera Gala" and has grown today into an established organization that also hosts a variety of cultural, educational, and public service programs.

The Outta Control Magic Comedy Dinner Show is a mix of high-energy comedy improvisation and magic. There is audience participation and the show entertains all ages.

This is one of the highlights of WonderWorks.

Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf allows visitors to experience the world of 18th century buccaneers. This pirate theme miniature golf course features sunken ships, dungeons, tropical vegetation, and a cannon that goes off unexpectedly.

The Pirates Dinner Adventure is a family oriented dinner theater with, of course, a pirate theme. The show takes place on board a replicated 18th-century Spanish galleon located in a man-made indoor lagoon. Stunts, special effects, and aerial acts entertain the audience while they enjoy a meal. There is a dance party, the Buccaneer Bash, for guests after the show to join the crew.

This is an incredibly popular family event.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not in Orlando has interactive exhibits, audio-visual presentations and thematic galleries showcasing odd, unusual and bizarre people, artifacts, and objects from around the world. The Orlando branch of the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museums was designed to look like it's sliding into one of the many sinkholes in Florida.

Royal Pacific Resort recreates a tropical island and the era of the 1930's with wood carvings, Southeast Asian statues and totems, an orchid court and sparkling waterfalls. Travelers are transported to the South Pacific through the palm trees, lush landscape, lagoon style pool and Asian cuisine. The hotel is located within walking distance of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme parks as well as the Universal CityWalk entertainment complex.

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Skull Kingdom is a haunted castle that features, special effects, ghouls and demons, and gruesome scenes - all within two floors of mazes and caverns.

Sleuths Mystery Dinner Theatre offers a number of different comedy / mystery dinner shows, with audience participation to solve the mystery. The audience can get acquainted with the characters of the show and learn more about their situation before dinner. One of the characters is murdered and theories on the crime can be discussed over dinner, with the final outcome discovered during dessert.

The shows are 2 1/2 hours long.

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A high-tech haunted house with 23 different themed rooms. Visitors walk through to get scared by the combination of special effects and costumed actors who roam around looking for victims.

The Titanic - Ship of Dreams exhibit, the only one of its kind, is composed of original artifacts, audio-visual presentations, and full-scale reproductions of parts of the famous luxury liner. The Grand Staircase is included in the full-scale Titanic room re-creations. Movie memorabilia from Titanic based movies, including "A Night to Remember," "The Search for Titanic," and the motion picture "Titanic," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, are on display. As well, historical pieces from and related to the ship are on show. Adding to the experience are costumed interpreters who live out the historical event.

This theme park allows visitors to get up close and person with their favorite movies and TV shows. This is the working film studio portion of Universal Studios, with movie sets, rides, and shows, along with shopping and dining.

Among the rides and attractions at the 444-acre site are classics such as the "ET Adventure" and a revamped "The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man", to some of the latest movies. Some are designed for youngsters and some are intended for all audiences.

WonderWorks is an interactive entertainment center with over 100 virtual reality experiences, games and exhibits. Some of the types of interesting things one can find here include an inversion tunnel, disaster zone, space zone, and other unique experienced based attractions for kids. There is also a 4D theater, physically challenging adventures, like the Orlando Ropes Challenge Course, and laser tag.

One of the highlights at WonderWorks is the Outta Control Magic Comedy Dinner Show, with magic, improvisational comedy, and other fun entertainment while you enjoy a meal.

Rock Springs and Kelly Park is built around one of the Apopka area's crystal clear springs. Visitors can ride down the swiftly running stream on an inner tube or float.

Horseshoe Creek Wildlife Foundation is a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation and propagation facility. Injured, orphaned and abused animals are given a home and cared for, and if possible released back into the wild. It also operates a successful Indian leopard captive-breeding program.

The Royellou Museum, housed in the Old City Jail, presents Mount Dora's history through exhibits of household objects, vintage clothing, artifacts, military and sport memorabilia. The museum is named after the town's original name, Royellou.

Reptile World Serpentarium houses hundreds of snakes from around the world, ranging from the exotic to the deadly. Venomous snakes are regularly milked for their venom as a public display. Other creatures to see include a 14 foot alligator, turtles and iguanas.

Narrated cruises of Lake Eustis, Lake Dora and the Dora Canal are offered with a chance to view local wildlife.