What are the most popular reasons to visit Orlando? We know theme parks including Disney, Seaworld, and Universal Studios are on the list. What else?
Orlando has become a staple in our travel itinerary. Family-friendly activities and being easily accessible for travelers are just a couple of our favorite reasons to visit Orlando. Curious about the other popular reasons to visit this beautiful Florida city? Read on!
Introducing the city of Orlando.
Orlando is a medium-sized city located in the North Central portion of Florida. Its location ensures temperate weather for most of the year. Once a small town, it is now a bustling city featuring multiple theme park attractions, popular convention centers for business travelers, and a multitude of entertainment venues for visitors of all ages and all interests.
The title for this story used to be Disney, Harry Potter, and Gators
The reason for that is really simple. We have been to Orlando at least a half dozen times in the last several years. Sometimes it is the primary destination; sometimes it is a quick trip in from a coastal home base to visit Universal Studios.
Regardless of our reason for visiting Orlando, we almost always visit a theme park – either Disney or Universal and check out the gators.
Our visits to Orlando.
The first time we visited Orlando was with our son, his wife, our grandchildren, and our daughter-in-law’s parents. We spent the majority of our trip visiting the various Disney parks – our oldest granddaughter was in love with Disney princesses at the time. Disney really is “a magical place”.
As many times as I’ve seen it, nothing compares to the Disney Castle lit up at night by fireworks, Space Mountain, or hearing our grandson squeal the first time he discovered Thunder Mountain. He’s 11 now and has discovered he loves roller coasters, by the way.
That trip was much different than our next visit, which was with my adult siblings. On that trip, we visited the Harley Davidson shops, attended Daytona Bike Week, went “mudding”, and drove out to Cocoa Beach for a day. There have been several trips in between, but our last trip was again with grandchildren and extended family.
If you want to talk adventure, take a vacation with a hodgepodge of family, stick everyone in one house, and add 2 3-year-olds and a very pregnant mom in the equation.
I just described three very different trips to Orlando. Being a city that accommodates so many different types of travelers is the top reason to visit. Reason Numero Uno to visit Orlando right there.
What the next reason to visit Orlando?
Anytime a vacation destination has a wide variety of things to do, it is high on my list of destinations to visit. In Orlando, finding things to do has never been a problem. What may be more difficult is narrowing down which things to do.
Many of the “Vacationland Attractions” in the city are found on Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, which is the main thoroughfare. Irlo Bronson allows easy access to theme parks, mini-golf, theme supper shows, grocery stores, and other places to pick up necessary supplies.
Numerous gift-themed shops are also located on Irlo Bronson, as well as a wide variety of restaurants offering any type of food a visitor could possibly want.
Things to do near Orlando is another reason to visit
A cool Third Reason is all the great stuff to do near the city.
We always visit the beach – Clearwater Beach is about 1½ hours away to the west, Cocoa Beach is around an hour away to the east.
Here are just a few suggestions, with prices quoted from the venue’s website:
- Mudding at Hummer Off-Road Experience – (prices start at $175 according to their website). While a bit pricey, this was a BLAST! My brother and Papa Joe each got to drive the Hummers, and my sis and I were COVERED in mud. Not for everyone, but a must-do if this is your idea of fun.
- If you are into jet boat rides and viewing alligators and bald eagles in nature, our favorite is Airboat Rides at Midway– (less than $40 per person). We have visited Midway at least 3 times. Spring months are the best gator and bald eagle viewing
- Want more information on viewing wildlife? Check out our Top Orlando Activities story.
Looking for other activities? It’s easy, just do an internet for Attractions in Orlando, and you will find more choices than you thought possible.
Want help finding things to do in Orlando? TripAdvisor (otherwise known as Viator) is a great resource for finding tours and things to do. Save up to 50% off tours and activities on Viator.
The next big reason to visit Orlando is theme parks.
I mean come on. Obviously, we need to include theme parks as top reasons to visit Orlando. Some of the city’s top attractions are the theme parks – Legoland, Disney, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Gatorland. I have access to several discounts for you and will include links for those wherever I can.
Let’s start with the big dogs.
Disney. Need I say more?
Disney World offers multiple packages, the comparable 4-day pack starts at $87.50 per person. Disney is a destination all on its own. We have had grandbabies enjoy lunch with the princesses. Learned to love rollercoasters on Thunder Mountain. Ooh’ed over the evening Disney parade and fireworks over the castle.
All I can say is Disney is an experience. If there are any Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse fans in the audience you already know that.
The other thing that needs to be said about Disney, is it isn’t just Disney World that visitors can experience in Orlando. There is Magic Kingdom – which is what visitors traditionally think of Disney. Orlando is also home to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and the Animal Kingdom. We have explored each of these with adult children and grandchildren, and each has something really special to offer.
Universal Studios is one of my reasons to visit Orlando.
Universal Studios and Universal Orlando Resort have ticket packages that start at $82 per person per day (4-day package). I have a couple of resources that may help you manage your Universal Studios experience.
Our favorite rides at Universal Studios are the Spider-Man 3D ride, Men in Black, and Harry Potter. Don’t get me wrong though, Universal Studios also has live-themed shows and I am a major fan of City Walk.
If I had to choose between Disney and Universal Studios, I would usually choose Universal Studios, but I have been known to root for the underdog more than once in my lifetime.
Legoland may be one of your reasons to visit Orlando.
Legoland tickets start at $74.99 (children’s rate). A little about Legoland. It is one of the few theme parks designed with kids in mind. Imagine a day playing with legos – there are several places in the park where that is exactly what the kiddos can do.
But there is so much more than legos here. Do you enjoy water parks? Legoland’s Lazy River may just be the ticket for you. There are also activity centers throughout the park – I think your family will find plenty to do at Legoland.
SeaWorld is great to visit in any city.
SeaWorld doesn’t really require much explanation, but I will give it a try. Do you like watching sea animals? SeaWorld may be the answer for you.
How about the opportunity to touch and interact with some of them? SeaWorld has that too.
Maybe you want an opportunity for the kiddos to feed the seals. Papa Joe has a great SeaWorld story about the birds stealing his seal food. Ah, the memories of a family vacation at SeaWorld.
Does a live dolphin show sound interesting? Are you getting the picture that SeaWorld has a lot to offer?
If any of this speaks to you, SeaWorld may be a great destination for you. SeaWorld tickets start at $79.99.
Gatorland is a must-do Orlando destination. Really.
Now, Gatorland has been the surprise theme park of all theme parks. Not only did young and old alike get the opportunity to feed alligators, but we also had the opportunity to zipline, participate in live shows (including watching my very squeamish pregnant daughter freak out over holding a snake)… the list goes on and on.
Gatorland does a great job combining interactive fun with education. I thought this park was going to be really cheesy, but it was far from it. Gatorland is the bargain of the day, Gatorland tickets start at $19.99.
Winner-winner-chicken-dinner!
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is on the list.
Here is my disclaimer – I have not been to Busch Gardens yet, but in 7 days I will be fixing that. A quick Google search lists these reasons to visit Busch Gardens:
- The animals. Get up close and personal with animals of all kinds.
- Great learning opportunities. I was surprised how much kids were learning while they were having fun running through the park.
- The BEST roller coasters.
- Really good food.
- Lots of extras.
From Papa Joe, I know some of this to be true already, and the reason we have added Busch Gardens to our Tampa trip next week is for a Food Festival with concerts. I have no reason to see these reasons aren’t accurate and will update this if I am wrong. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay tickets start at $89.99 – and we added it to our schedule because we had discounted tickets.
Seriously – I use the discount links made available for you!
Is the idea of theme parks overwhelming?
Taking a family to theme parks in Orlando is expensive. However, when packages combine entry into several parks, or when a package is purchased that spans several days, the prices are more reasonable. The most expensive way to go is to purchase a single-day ticket for a single park.
On our last family vacation to Orlando, we found an inexpensive theme park along the road, with rides specialized for younger children and an arcade for adolescents and adults. The charge for admission was minimal, and it allowed our grandkids to get the theme park experience without a hefty price tag. I’m pretty sure the name of the park was Fun Spot America, so I have included the discount link for this park too.
Is there any other way to reduce the cost of visiting theme parks?
I would like to say yes, but not so much.
People do purchase multi-day tickets and resell days that have not been used. Remember Irlo Bronson? There are several Kiosk shops and re-sale opportunities in the gift shops along this street. Buyer beware. Most parks now use a fingerprint scanner that ties the ticket to the person that first used the ticket, so a ticket purchased through one of these shops MAY not gain access into a park.
Other theme park advice?
Visiting theme parks is a significant investment, but definitely worth it if you enjoy amusement park rides. When you do visit, make sure to download the park’s app onto your smartphone, allowing you to see wait lines at popular rides, and consider buying a “Fast Pass” or comparable product that allows consumers the ability to access rides more quickly.
Papa Joe and I also use the “Single Rider” option, which allows riders to get through lines faster without purchasing a “Fast Pass”. Also, most parks offer bundled food packages, which can be a good deal if you are feeding a family.
Take plenty of water, wear comfortable (preferably close-toed) shoes, and have rain gear handy if there is any chance of precip. Be prepared to pay $20 or more per car for parking. One of the things I like the most about the parks is the associated evening entertainment, with multiple restaurants and live music venues available to the public without paying for theme park admission.
I intentionally moved theme parks to the 4th reason to visit Orlando.
There is so much theme park information, that if I placed it first many of you would never look at the first 3 reasons, and they are just as good, if not better than the theme parks.
Another reason to visit Orlando is lodging options
Whatever your heart desires, Orlando has it. With theme park resorts, chain hotels, mom-and-pop hotels, and rental properties, Orlando is prepared to accommodate any type of traveler.
Papa Joe and I usually rent a house. We have found the area around Irlo Bronson is made of mini-communities with rental properties. Many of the rental properties are maintained for the sole purpose of accommodating tourists. Remember Tip #2 of the post Top 10 Travel Tips for Everyone?
House or condo, most have laundry facilities available. Many have private swimming pools and most will have some entertainment venue available. Orlando rental homes seem to have a common theme – place an entertainment room with a pool table, video games, and Foosball tables in the garage spaces.
What a great arrangement for the young adults – I know ours love it! These are a few of the amenities available renting that may not be available at a hotel or resort. There are lots of reputable internet sites to explore house rentals if that is what meets your group’s needs.
Looking for a hotel? On The Beach has been an incredible resource for our visits to Orlando. Of course, there are multiple hotel chains close to each of the theme parks, and resorts associated with theme parks.
Staying in a hotel or resort certainly has benefits – easy access, transportation to and from the parks, many are child-friendly, and may have swimming and playground equipment available. Don’t let me steer you wrong. The advice here is – to do your research and determine what meets your travel group’s needs.
Orlando transportation
Regardless of what your interest is, the city will very likely meet that need or be accessible within an hour’s drive or so. The resources available to help with planning a trip are unending. I love that the city is so versatile, transportation is easy, and the airports are able to accommodate families and international travelers.
Ease of transportation absolutely has to be my fifth reason to visit Orlando.
With two airports and a vastly improved transportation system, the city is easy to get to and easy to get around in.
I try to answer “what would we do differently next time?”
I can’t answer that for Orlando, because we try something different each time. The ability to be so flexible is interwoven into each of my top five reasons to visit Orlando, but I have even more to add to the flavor of Orlando’s gifts.
Our travel groups have been so varied with each trip, and I am incredibly impressed that regardless of what group we travel with, we find plenty to do. Usually for very reasonable rates. When we traveled with young kids interested in the theme parks, we had a blast. I also had an amazing time hanging out at the pool and playing minigolf on Irlo Bronson when we traveled with young kids not interested in the theme parks.
When our visit was an adults-only theme, we found plenty to do. Between the beaches, mudding, Harley Davidson shopping, and exploring our wildlife options, everyone had fun.
For just Papa Joe and myself – we get the best of all worlds and do a little bit of everything.
My last shameless plug
As much fun as Papa Joe and I have in Orlando with the adult kids, there is just something, I don’t know… Magical… about visiting here with children. Seeing everything Orlando has to offer through their innocent little eyes. Knowing the city can be a budget-friendly destination for families.
If you are looking for a family vacation, this seems to be one of my first recommendations. Don’t be blinded by the glitz of Disney if theme parks are on your agenda. Strongly consider the others, especially Universal Studios, and SeaWorld. Take advantage of discounts wherever you can find them, and enjoy that time with the kiddos.
Looking for a little inspiration for a trip with the family?
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