Universal Orlando is increasingly popular with locals.
PARALLEL PARKING Orlando residents are lucky enough to live practically next door to the world’s favorite theme parks
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wo years after the pandemic hit pause on the parks, things are pretty much back to business as usual, with demand for long-awaited new rides rebounding Central Florida’s summer visitation back to 2019 levels and beyond. The bad news is that annual passes at the major parks are now more expensive than ever, although Florida resident discounts can still be found. The good news is that an ever-increasing amount of live entertainment is returning to the resorts and ambitious expansion projects are back in progress, making the next few years an especially exciting time for Orlando’s attractions.
Walt Disney World Lake Buena Vista, disneyworld.disney.go.com Mickey radically revamped the park-going experience with mandatory reservations and the new paid Genie+ line-skipping options that replaced free FastPasses. You’ll also need to smack your smartphone at 7 a.m. if you want to experience EPCOT’s spinning Guardians of the Galaxy coaster, which recently joined the new 3-D Ratatouille ride at the park best known for “drinking around the world.” Star Wars and Avatar E-tickets still attract long lines in Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom (respectively), but the next big things are coming to the Magic Kingdom, where a Tron lightcycle coaster will debut around the time Splash Mountain shuts down to transform into Princess Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Universal Orlando Resort 6000 Universal Blvd., universalorlando.com Orlando’s No. 2 theme park destination debuted the blockbuster Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure last year, and Universal Studios Florida is opening an interactive Minions attraction next year. Look for a movie-themed escape room in CityWalk soon, while an entire new Epic Universe park — featuring Nintendo and DreamWorks characters — is rising rapidly for 2025. Unlike Disney, Universal still sells new annual passes and doesn’t require reservations, making it increasingly popular with locals.
Gatorland 14501 S. Orange Blossom Trail, gatorland.com Known as the “Alligator Capital of the World,” this ecopreserve is home to thousands of flesh-eating reptiles and the trainers brave enough to wrestle them. Get close enough (but not too close) to see them eat and sleep, or zip-line safely above their marsh. Check out the hatchlings in Baby Gator Marsh, and visit White Gator Swamp to see two of only 12 known leucistic alligators in the world. (That means they’re white all over with blue eyes.)
Legoland 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, legoland.com/florida What’s not to love about this 150-acre attraction whose theme is tiny blocks and miniature humans? The iconic Miniland display of scale-model cities recently reopened with a much-needed shade structure, and the old Cypress Gardens canals reawaken this November with a new Pirate River Quest attraction. Right outside the gates is the separately ticketed Peppa Pig Theme Park, which is perfectly pint-sized for preshoolers.
Jungle Adventures Nature Park 26205 E. Colonial Drive, Christmas, jungleadventures. com A natural habitat filled with rare Florida panthers, black bears, wolves, white-tailed deer, tropical birds and, yeah, a whole lot of gators. The iconic mouth of “Swampy,” a 200-foot-long man-made gator, serves as the entrance and is a picture-perfect photo op.
SeaWorld Orlando 7007 Sea World Drive, 407-545-5550, seaworldparks. com After nearly being bankrupted by the Blackfish backlash, SeaWorld has rebounded in recent years by emphasizing thrill rides over live animals. Ice Breaker, a back-and-forth launched coaster featuring Florida’s steepest drop, will be joined next year by a stand-up “surfing” coaster. Don’t miss the hyper-detailed Sesame Street Land, which tugs the heartstrings of baby boomer and millennial alike. Fun
Card annual passes can be had for the price of a one-day ticket, with food festivals and free beer offers encouraging repeat visits. If you’ve got the dough, don’t overlook the all-inclusive Discovery Cove, where you can swim with dolphins and fish, or just drink like one.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex State Road 405, east of Titusville, kennedyspacecenter. com This monument to America’s space program recently opened Gateway, a deep-space launch complex offering simulated rides to Mars or the Horsehead Nebula. You can also take a tour of the 363-foot Saturn V that took Americans to the moon and catch the lunar particles that still dust astronaut Alan Shepard’s space suit. Make it worth your while and visit when there’s a live rocket launch scheduled.
Icon Park 8375 International Drive, iconparkorlando.com Right in the middle of Orlando’s tourist district, Icon Park features a 400-foot-high observation wheel, marine animals at the Sea Life Aquarium, the Instagram-friendly Museum of Illusions, your favorite celebrities at Madame Tussauds wax museum, a 7D interactive simulator, and celebrity restaurants and bars aplenty. Parking in the garage is free, and you can walk to nearby favorites like Sleuths Mystery Dinner Shows.
Fun Spot 5700 Fun Spot Way and 2850 Florida Plaza Blvd., fun-spot.com With two locations (one near Universal, the other by Disney) Fun Spot’s carnival rides and go-kart tracks are an affordable alternative to the big theme parks. Coaster junkies won’t want to miss White Lightning and Mine Blower, the only woodies in town. Parking and admission is always free, refillable soda cups are cheap, and you can choose to pay per-ride or buy an all-day wristband.
orlandoweekly.com
——— by Seth Kubersky
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JULY 13-19, 2022 ● ORLANDO WEEKLY
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