Orlando Attractions

Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine was built in the 1980s. This Catholic Church serves the many visitors to the Orlando area as a place of worship. On site is the Shrine Museum and a gift shop.

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 include a 50-acre botanical reserve with a variety of rare plants and flowers. Orlando businessman and amateur botanist Harry P Leu donated his house and property to the city in 1961. His collection is especially notable for the number of camellias and large variety of roses. The house dates back to 1888 and contains examples of early 20th century furnishings.

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.

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. Stately trees, flowering plants and shrubs are found in the park along with the colorfully lighted Clinton Allen Fountain.

Mall of Millenia features a selection of 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.

The Mennello Museum of American Art is home to a permanent collection of folk art by Earl Cunningham. He was 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.

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.

Orlando Kart Center offers a world class track for karting enthusiasts at all levels.

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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.

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

The Pirates Dinner Adventure includes stunts, special effects and aerial acts aboard a replicated 18th-century Spanish galleon. There is a dance party, the Buccaneer Bash, for guests after the show to join the crew.

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.

There are 8 comedy/mystery dinner shows to attend, 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 can be discussed over dinner, with the final outcome discovered during dessert.

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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 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 and historic treasures are on display while storytellers in period costume present the sights, sounds, and emotions of this historical event.

Universal Orlando is a complex that features rides and shows at Universal Studios; myths, legends and super heroes at Islands of Adventure; and shopping and entertainment at CityWalk.

WonderWorks is an interactive entertainment center with over 100 virtual reality experiences, games and exhibits. Some of the highlights are the simulated 5.3 quake, landing the space shuttle and lazer tag.

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.