Despite what you may have heard, don’t be fooled: there’s more to see in Orlando than just its theme parks. This incredible city located in the state of Florida is one of the most visited family destinations, especially for its wide range of parks and natural spaces for young and old.
Although you can’t leave Orlando without visiting the wonders of Universal Studios, in the city you can discover iconic places, museums and leisure activities that will make your visit to Orlando an unforgettable experience. And if that wasn’t enough, you’ll be able to enjoy the great weather that this city offers all year round. What are you waiting for to visit Orlando?
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Things to see in Orlando
Lake Eola Park
The famous Lake Eola Park is located in the heart of Downtown Orlando. Also, it is one of the most popular places to visit in Orlando for locals and travellers alike. The park is incredibly large, making it the perfect place to wander around and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.
As the name suggests, this park is home to the famous Lake Eola. You can enjoy a pleasant stroll through the trees or, if you fancy something a little more fun, you can hire a swan-shaped boat and sail around the lake while you get up close to real swans. A truly breathtaking experience, especially for the little ones!
Downtown Orlando
Downtown is the most important area to see in Orlando, as well as being its historic and commercial centre. As one of the largest urban centres in the state of Florida, there are a thousand activities and places to see for all tastes and ages.
On your tour of Downtown, you can choose from parks, art galleries, restaurants, shopping centres and even theatres. In addition, this area is especially famous for its nightlife. It offers a wide variety of bars and venues where you can enjoy music and a good drink. So it can be a good place to go out at night if you are travelling to this city with friends. You will feel the essence of Orlando and its people, as well as getting to know one of the most interesting areas of the city, not to be missed!
ICON Orlando
The ICON is one of the most symbolic elements of the whole city, as well as being one of the most popular places to see in Orlando. This massive Ferris wheel reaches 120 metres in height, making it the tallest Ferris wheel on the West Coast.
In addition to the impressive experience of climbing such a tall infrastructure, from the top you can enjoy views over the entire city of Orlando and get to know it from an unparalleled perspective. You can take advantage of the little ride inside one of the Ferris wheel capsules to relax after a long day of sightseeing; and if you want to enjoy the experience even more, don’t hesitate to go up at sunset. It will leave you speechless.
Harry P. Leu Gardens
If you’re looking for a little piece of nature in the city, a visit to the Harry P. Leu Gardens is a must. P Leu Gardens. When you arrive at this botanical park, in addition to finding a natural environment, you will be offered a map of the place so that you can find your way around.
We recommend that you spend a morning or afternoon inside the park to walk along its numerous nature trails. Here, you can see different types of vegetation, from trees to palm trees and from woodland to tropical plantations. Finally, you can visit the Leu House, formerly built as a residence, and whose owner was Harry P. Leu himself, who travelled all over the world to bring back home countless plants and seeds that now make up this beautiful botanical garden. The site also houses a museum of decorative art, which you can visit. A 100% recommended visit.
Mills 50 District
The Mills 50 District is one of the oldest neighbourhoods to see in Orlando and is located in the north of the city, very close to Downtown. The origin of its name comes from the intersection of two famous avenues: Mills Avenue and State Road 50.
This district is especially characteristic for its good vibe and colourful style, full of murals with paintings and illustrations that pay homage to certain Orlando cultures. The area is home to a wide range of services. From restaurants and cafes to entertainment and culture, including music venues and museums, making it one of the busiest and liveliest areas of the city. We recommend dedicating an entire morning to the district to make the most of all it has to offer.
Universal Orlando Resort
You’ve probably heard of Universal Orlando Resort as the most attractive feature of the city, and certainly one of the places that should be at the top of your list of things to see in Orlando.
It’s common knowledge that Orlando is famous for its theme parks, and it’s no surprise why. This incredible resort is themed to perfection on some of the world’s most famous fictional worlds, such as Harry Potter and Marvel. It’s made up of two main parks: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Here, you can enjoy hours and hours of fun and adrenaline in its myriad of rides and shows, among many other activities. Also, if you are staying at one of their hotels, you will have the opportunity to enter the park one hour before the official opening time. You can get your tickets at a very reasonable price. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
Farmer’s Market in Orlando
The Farmer’s Market is one of the must-attend events in Orlando. It’s located in Winter Park, just minutes from downtown.
This popular farmers’ market takes place every Saturday and offers a variety of stalls where you can sample or buy some of their handcrafted goods. It’s also in a very pleasant setting, so it might be a good option to grab a bite to eat and have it sitting on one of the benches in the shade of one of the trees. You’ll be delighted with the incredible quality of the produce!
Orlando Museum of Art
If you are interested in visiting a museum in the city, you can’t miss a visit to the Orlando Museum of Art. Besides being one of the most culturally valuable places in the city, you will find a wide variety of exhibitions from around the world.
Throughout your visit to the museum, you’ll be able to see a myriad of mainly contemporary and American art, as well as an interesting and extensive collection of African art and even the famous 6-metre glass sculpture that leads into the rest of the museum. You can get your tickets at a great price!
Kraft Azalea Garden
The Kraft Azalea Garden, also known as the jewel of Winter Park, is a natural area of over 21 hectares located on the bay of Lake Maitland. You’ll feel like you’re in a magical world as you stroll through its incredible natural environment filled with immense trees.
Particularly characteristic for its huge cypress trees, this park is the ideal place to get away from the city for a morning or afternoon and enjoy absolute tranquillity. You can take a long walk or, if you prefer to rest, you will find several benches scattered throughout the park where you can sit and enjoy the surroundings. You can also go to a small pier where the views are simply spectacular. Without a doubt one of the most beautiful places to see in Orlando.
Travel Tip: To organize your trip we recommend using Passporter totally free. You can be inspired by the experiences of other travelers, choose the places that interest you most, create the travel route with a geolocated map, upload all important documents such as reservations and invite your friends so that everyone can participate in the organization of the trip.
What to do in Orlando with kids?
Forever Florida
Forever Florida is a large Wildlife Conservation Area located one hour away from downtown Orlando, where you can enjoy more than 2000 hectares of wildlife with your family.
Kids love the great outdoors, so this is sure to be one of their favourite places in Orlando. They will be able to live a real adventure in a wild environment along 9 completely different ecosystems while practising adrenaline-filled activities. And if that wasn’t enough, the most impressive thing about Forever Florida is the sheer number of species, from huge felines to the most fearsome alligators. Are you going to miss it?
Wekiva Island
If you feel like taking a break from the city and spending a nice family day out in nature, we recommend a trip to the famous Wekiva Island. Located just 30 minutes from Orlando, it can be the ideal plan for a day trip.
You can enjoy a day full of activities on the water thanks to the wide range of kayaks, boards and canoes offered by the resort. On the other hand, you can also choose to relax and sunbathe on its platforms at the water’s edge, perfectly decorated with palm trees, hammocks and other facilities. A practically paradisiacal place to see in Orlando!
Kennedy Space Center
Located just 45 minutes from Orlando, you can’t miss the impressive Kennedy Space Center, one of NASA’s most important bases. Although it’s not an amusement park, the little ones will enjoy it just as much as the grown-ups.
On your visit to the centre, you will have the opportunity to learn more about life inside spacecraft and the processes and situations astronauts go through when they are in space. Whether you are an astronomy lover or not, it is impossible to get bored. The youngest visitors will be fascinated by the huge rocket exhibition in the Rocket Garden due to its dimensions and shapes. You can also enjoy projections recorded by the astronauts themselves on their journeys and even go inside one of the rockets. You’ll love it!
Itineraries for your trip to Orlando
Universal Studios Orlando @rubiasviajeras
What to see in Orlando in 1 day?
- Stroll around Lake Eola Park
- Visit Harry P. Leu Gardens
- Ride the ICON Orlando
- Discover the Mills 50 District
What to see in Orlando in 3 days?
- Tour Downtown Orlando
- Spend a day at Universal Orlando Resort
- Head to the Farmer’s Market
- Step inside the Orlando Museum of Art
- Enjoy family fun at Wekive Island
- Visit the Kennedy Space Center
- Stroll through the Kraft Azalea Garden
Frequently Asked Questions
Admission for adults is £12.60, children between the ages of 4 and 17 are £4.20, senior admission is £6.70, and admission for college students with ID is also £4.20.
Orlando is, among other things, famous for its incredible nightlife, so you can choose from a wide range of options.
On the one hand, you can stroll through Disney Springs, a large entertainment centre where you’ll find shops, cinemas, restaurants and other services until midnight.
Another place you can’t miss at night is the I-Drive 360, Orlando’s largest and most central entertainment area, where you can access the famous Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, visit its impressive aquarium, or ride the famous ICON Ferris wheel, among other things.
Finally, another of our recommendations is to experience an Orlando Magic NBA game at the Amway Center stadium – you’ll have a great time!
A one-day adult ticket costs €26.80, while a one-day ticket for children between the ages of 3 and 11 costs €22.30. If you want multi-day tickets, the price per adult is €73, while the price per child is €60.
You can get to Wekiva Island by renting a car and taking the I-4 E road north out of the city. The drive takes about 20 minutes; we recommend arriving early in the morning to get a good spot on the island.
How do you prepare your itinerary of what you want to see in Orlando?
Download the Passporter app and plan your trip in the most organised way and according to the days and places you want to see in Orlando.
With the app you can:
- Be inspired by the experiences of other travellers.
- Save valuable information about the destinations you want to visit that you have found on the internet. Just install the Chrome extension and save everything useful for your trip.
- Save your tickets and reservations.
- Organise your route on google maps with your accommodation as the starting point or any other that you indicate.
- Know the best travel option for each place.
- Save and publish as you go along your own photos and experiences in each of the places, so that when someone asks you “How was your trip in Orlando? Visit my traveller profile on Passporter.
- If you are interested in learning more about how to use and get the most out of the Passporter app, you can read our post: How to create a travel itinerary on Passporter.
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