Orlando The Place
There's a basic fact worth learning about central Florida: for most holidaymakers, there's Disney, and then there's everything else. Situated off I-4 about 16 miles (26 km) from downtown Orlando and sprawling across an area roughly equal in size to Boston, Disney World truly is a city in its own right.
It has its own police, fire, and sanitation departments and an average daily population of over 100,000 people. It even has quasi-governmental status, thanks to a deal that Walt Disney and brother Roy cut with the state of Florida to create the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a public corporation that gives Disney powers usually reserved to municipalities.
There's a whole other world of entertainment outside Disney. About 9 miles (15 km) down I-4 is Disney World's chief competitor, Universal Orlando. Its two theme parks ... Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure ... offer some of the wildest and most technologically advanced rides in the Southeast. With the addition of a nighttime entertainment complex, and three new hotels, it has positioned itself as a self-contained, multi-day resort.
Between Universal and Disney World is SeaWorld, the third big player in Orlando's theme-park triumvirate. Famous as the home of Shamu, the killer whale, SeaWorld is a cross between an aquarium and an amusement park, with beautifully presented shows and exhibits featuring dolphins, seals, penguins, and other marine creatures as well as two world-class thrill rides.
Clustered along International Drive is an array of smaller attractions like Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium, and shopping and dining complexes such as the Mercado. Downtown Orlando houses the city's main cultural venues, including the Orlando Museum of Art and Orlando Science Center.
Farther afield, the area is scattershot with worthy destinations like old-time favorite Gatorland, and for those who don't mind a short drive, Busch Gardens in Tampa and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral. The choices are rich indeed. Little wonder that Orlando and Disney World are the most visited tourist destinations in the United States.
See also our online guide to Florida.