 Facts at a Glance
Area: 67 sq mi (174 sq km)
Population: 174,000
Elevation: 120ft (36m)
State: Florida
Time: Atlantic Time (GMT/UTC minus 5 hours)
Telephone area code: 407
 History
At the end of the Second Seminole War, settlers and traders followed soldiers into the Orlando area. Originally named Jernigan, the settlement grew up around Fort Gatlin. In 1857, the city was named Orlando, for Orlando Reeves, a soldier killed by Indians at Lake Eola.
The city boomed several times; a railroad boom (which fueled a population boom), a real estate boom and a citrus boom. The late 1950s brought a boom that was to last: the beginnings of the Space Age. The Glenn Martin Company (now Martin Marietta Defense Systems) began missile production, and the creation of Cape Canaveral and later Cape Kennedy Space Centers on Florida's east coast brought infusions of cash and jobs to the area.
With the establishment of Walt Disney World in 1971, the area became worldwide theme park central. But it's not just the theme parks doing all the attracting: while nobody was looking, Orlando established itself as the high tech corridor - the Silicon Valley, if you will, of Florida. Watch your step - a 1998 study found that the stampede to Orlando has made it the most dangerous place in the US for pedestrians.
 When to Go
Orlando is popular year round. January is the coldest month, if you consider a low of 50°F (10°C) and a high around 70°F (22°C) cold. July and August are very hot and humid, with highs around 90°F (33°C), 95% humidity and frequent downpours. This is also when kids are out of school for summer vacation, which leads to long, sweaty queues at the theme parks. Weather-wise, early autumn is best. At the theme parks, weekends tend to be less crowded than the beginning of the week. As far as accommodations go, the cheapest time to visit is from early August to mid-December; the most expensive is during the Christmas and Easter holiday periods.
 Orientation
The biggest city in central Florida, Orlando is dominated by Lake Eola in its northeastern downtown quadrant. The most famous downtown icon is Church Street Station, a collection of restaurants, bars and shops located between I-4 and the railroad tracks. Orlando is 4 miles (6km) from Universal Studios; 10 miles (16km) from Sea World; and 20 miles (32km) from Walt Disney World, all located southwest of downtown along International Drive (I-Drive) in an area appropriately known as the Tourist Quarter.
Orlando International Airport is in the far southeastern corner of the city, 9 miles (14km) from downtown. The Greyhound bus station is in the middle of downtown Orlando, off Central Ave; the Amtrak station is 1 mile (2km) south of Central. The Lynx Bus Center is one block east of Orange Ave.
 Attractions
Downtown Orlando
If you're looking for Walt Disney World, look again - it's located in the entirely separate city of Lake Buena Vista. Believe it or not, Orlando's a city in its own right, and the locals would feel just fine, thank you very much, if all those ear-wearing yahoos would just get back in their cars and keep moving (except, of course, when they spend their money here).
Once the outta-town attractions are pared away, Orlando's main distractions comprise the Harry P Leu Gardens, an estate with over 2000 varieties of camellia and an 18th century mansion; the Orlando Science Center, which has a gator hole and the physics-phriendly Tunnel of Discovery; and the Orlando Museum of Art, which showcases Mayan archeological finds. Given these heart-pounding highlights, most visitors use Orlando as a base from which to make excursions to nearby theme parks.
You can't help but be happy in 'the happiest place on earth.' You're expected to so at peace that it seems as if the air in Disney World has been infused with high doses of Prozac. Anti-depressants aside, the world that is Disney is a true testament to one man's vision to amuse the masses and make money for the favor. And while Uncle Walt remains a controversial, authoritarian figure, everybody's still crazy about his famous mouse.
When California's Disneyland, built in 1955, took off in a big way, Walt Disney realized that tons of hotels, restaurants and other tourist draws were springing up nearby and cashing in on his visitors. As a result, he became determined to control every aspect of vacations to his theme parks (and to keep all the profits himself). In the years to follow, Disney discreetly bought up thousands of acres of land in central Florida until his death in 1966. His successors opened the second Walt Disney park - Disney World - 5 years later.
In its first year, Disney World saw over 10 million visitors, and it remains one of the world's top tourist destinations, now attracting some 20 million visitors a year. It's also the world's biggest amusement resort, covering an area twice the size of New York's Manhattan. It has its own transport system, emergency services, police force, energy plant and 21,000 employees. It would have made Walt very, very happy.
Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT Center and Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park are the three main parks within Walt's Disney World. The centerpiece of the Magic Kingdom is Cinderella's Castle, the most recognizable of Disney's logos. Within the Kingdom are a series of 'lands,' including the tautological New Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Adventureland.
EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and its trademark silver geodesic dome is visible throughout Disney World. EPCOT Center is divided into two main sections: Future World, a combination amusement and educational park, and World Showcase, a well-presented re-creation of 11 countries - Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, the UK and the US (there's a logic in there somewhere).
Disney-MGM Studios' rides and attractions are absolutely first rate, but it's far less of a working studio than they'd have you believe. Most of the 'rides' here are 3D, with the notable exception of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which is arguably the park's best and most terrifying ride. The 3D stuff in Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3D is so real that kids (and, fess up, adults too) try to reach for the characters.
It's best to buy your tickets before you arrive, either at a Disney store or by mail from Walt Disney Guest Communications, since lines to buy tickets can be very long. There are numerous ticket prices and options. Disney World is about 20 miles (32km) southwest of downtown Orlando, west of I-4, in a town called Lake Buena Vista. The best way to access the park is by car; if that's not an option, a bus leaves every two hours from Orlando's Lynx Bus Center.
So you want to be in pictures and the only offers you've had are for 'experimental' films made by creeps? Then Universal Studios may be more your style, a place to live out your wildest film screen fantasies while remaining fully clothed.
Like Universal Studios in Hollywood, Orlando's Universal Studios is a combination working movie studio and theme park. What this means essentially is that you can admire stars from afar and live vicariously through them. Some of the best attractions for relieving star-envy include Terminator 2: 3D, a spectacular 3D simulator experience where you get to be Ahnold; Back to the Future, which has phenomenal special effects; and Earthquake - The Big One, which is so dynamite it hits 8.3 on the Richter scale. Popular shows include the Animal Actors, Dynamite Nights Stuntacular, Ghostbusters and the Gory Gruesome & Grotesque Horror Makeup Show. The Hitchcock 3D Theater is a tribute to the master of suspense.
Universal Studios is 4 miles (6km) southwest of downtown Orlando near the intersection of I-4 and the Florida Turnpike.
Somewhere along the way someone figured out that people would pay to see wild animals splashing around in chlorinated pools. This fact has spawned places like Sea World (owned by the Anheuser-Busch beer empire), where landlubbing people sit poolside to admire leaping dolphins, sliding sea lions and crashing killer whales. Not quite as crass as it sounds, Sea World has some entertaining and educational marine theme exhibits. The park also puts its money where its mouth is, sending out a Sea World Animal Rescue Team to rescue endangered manatees and restore them to health. One of the best animal rescue outfits in the country, the team is partially funded by park admissions.
Sea World's highlights include the Whale & Dolphin Stadium, which includes 40 dolphins that have been born at the park; Manatees: the Last Generation?, which shows a fine nature film about these endangered creatures; the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium, full of mimicking sea lions, otters and walruses; and Terrors of the Deep, a visual reminder that sharks and barracudas have really sharp teeth.
Sea World is 10 miles (16km) southwest of downtown Orlando near the intersection of I-4 and the Bee Line Expressway (Hwy 528), west of International Drive.
 Off the Beaten Track
Kennedy Space Center
To some people, the finest words ever spoken by an American were Neil Armstrong's 'One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,' spoken as he became the first man to walk on the moon in 1969. Since then, we Earthlings have had a longstanding love affair with space travel and the scientists who make it possible. There's no better place to stand in awe of the 'right stuff' than the Kennedy Space Center, off the coast of central Florida.
The center draws 2 million people a year to its Gallery of Spaceflight, packed with real spacecraft and scale models. It was established in 1958, when the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) started Project Mercury to compete with the Soviets' successful launch of Sputnik. The US started launching its spaceships from Cape Canaveral, a stone's throw from the Kennedy Space Center, because of its weather, its proximity to the ocean (for splash landings) and the huge, unpopulated tracts of land available to the government for testing. Mercury was succeeded by Project Gemini, then Project Apollo, which landed a man on the moon. The Space Coast still maintains facilities for unmanned and space shuttle launches.
Titusville, the main gateway to the Kennedy Space Center and the wildlife refuge, hosts the Astronaut Hall of Fame, dedicated to exhibiting every detail of the astronauts' lives and boasting a shuttle-landing simulator ride and G-force trainer. Titusville also has excellent vantage points from which to watch shuttle launches.
The Kennedy Space Center is on Merritt Island, on the eastern side of the Intracoastal Waterway (called Indian River here). The NASA Causeway is the main east-west thoroughfare and begins at the junction of Highway 405 and Highway 1. The Banana River separates the main Kennedy Space Center complex from Cape Canaveral, the site of the first launches of the US space program. You'll need a car to get to the Space Coast. Greyhound buses only get as close as Titusville, 7 miles (11km) west of the Space Center, off Highway 405.
NASA only uses 5% of its land area for making things go boom. It turned over its unused land to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1963, who in turn established the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, where migrating birds stop on their way to and from South America. Manatees, alligators and turtles also inhabit the refuge. The best time to visit is from October to May. Black Point Wildlife Drive, a 6 mile (10km) loop, is a good road for self-guided tours. A two-hour bus tour leaves from the Kennedy Space Center, taking visitors around the coast.
Blue Spring State Park
For hundreds of years the Blue Spring area was home to the Timucuan Indians, until settlers killed them off in the mid-1800s. Today, Blue Spring State Park is practicing karmic retribution by doing everything it can to protect a beleaguered resident of a different kind - the endangered manatee.
This park is the best place in the state to see manatees in their natural habitat, especially between November and March, when the St John's River to the north gets cold enough to drive the manatees to Blue Spring's warmer waters. There are campsites and cabins within the park, but book ahead as things get crowded and you can't see a manatee through somebody else's tent.
Blue Springs State Park is about 40 miles (65km) north of Orlando off I-4, near a town called Cassadaga. You'll need private transportation to get there.
The Ocala National Forest is a gigantic, old established Florida park with several natural springs and lakes, and fantastic hiking, canoeing, fishing and swimming. You can camp anywhere in the park. Three major spring areas make up the park: Juniper Springs (at the park's center), Salt Springs (at the northern end) and Alexander Springs (to the southeast).
Juniper Springs are incredibly clear and beautiful and offer great canoeing. Salt Springs and Alexander Springs have trails through cypress forests. The Lake Eaton Sinkhole is 80ft (24m) deep and 450ft (135m) in diameter, and a staircase leads down into the hole. Nearby Lake Eaton is a good spot for swimming and sunning.
The Ocala National Forest is 10 miles (16km) east of Ocala, which is about 60 miles (96km) northwest of Orlando and is the best base for exploring the forest. Highway 19 runs north-south through the park and Highway 40 east-west. You'll need private transportation to get there.
 Activities
If Disney rides don't fall within your idea of a workout, try hiking in Wekiwa Springs State Park, a 7000ac (2800ha) piece of land a few miles north of Orlando with 13 miles (21km) of hiking trails. In Ocala National Forest, the Salt Springs area has a splendid 2 mile (3km) loop trail through a cypress forest. A 66 mile (106km) section of the Florida National Scenic Trail runs right through the Juniper Springs area. The 5 mile (8km) Cruickshank Trail surrounds a shallow marsh within the Space Coast's Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It begins along Black Point Wildlife Drive.
Places to canoe include the Wekiwa Springs State Park, the Ocala National Forest and Mosquito Lagoon in the Canaveral National Seashore. There's good swimming in the Ocala National Forest at Juniper Springs, Alexander Springs, Clearwater Lake and Lake Dorr. You can also swim in Blue Spring State Park's 72°F (22°C) crystal-clear waters when no manatees are present. Apollo Beach and Klondike Beach at the northern end of Merritt Island have gentle surf and soft sand.
 Events
Orlando's festivals are not exactly major league, though it must be hard to organize a brouhaha in the shadow of a theme park that wants you to believe that everyday's a holiday. The Silver Spring Rodeo has been putting on a fine show since 1944, drawing 50,000 spectators and some of the top rodeo athletes to Orlando in mid-February and again in July. It's the largest rodeo in the eastern US.
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival is a big to-do at Disney World in mid to late April. The highlight of October is the Oldsmobile Scramble, when 100,000 amateur golfers putt it out at the Walt Disney World Resort. The Oldsmobile Classic for pros follows.
 Getting There & Away
Orlando International Airport, in the far southeastern corner of the city, is the largest in central Florida. It's served by almost all major airlines, as well as charters and discount airlines. There are more packages available to Orlando than to any other Florida city, as cross-marketing plans with the theme parks and hotels and various airlines lower prices. The city's also served by Greyhound bus and Amtrak train.
 Getting Around
Orlando International Airport is 9 miles (14km) southeast of downtown Orlando and 22 miles (35km) northeast of Walt Disney World. A decent bus service exists between the airport and downtown Orlando's Lynx Bus Center.
There are a handful of car rental companies at the airport and many more downtown. Although driving within the city of Orlando can be complicated - most streets are one-way and ticket-happy meter maids lie in wait - the area requires a car since it can be difficult to travel outside of Orlando relying on public transport. To get to Disney World from the airport by car, take Highway 417 to Highway 536, which runs right to the park. From downtown Orlando, take I-4 south. If renting a car is not an option, there's a bus every two hours from Orlando's Lynx Bus Center.
Orlando runs a highly efficient and inexpensive city bus system, including a free downtown circuit. Pick up schedules and route maps at the Lynx Bus Center. Taxis cannot be hailed on the street; you'll have to phone to secure one.
 Recommended Reading
- Those interested in the cultural politics and the possibly mind-altering consequences of a trip to Disney World should consult Stephen Fjellman's Vinyl Leaves, the Project on Disney's Inside the Mouse: Work and Play at Disney World or David Koenig's Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks.
- If you're planning to go to one of the many natural parks in the Orlando region, pick up Allen de Hart's Adventuring in Florida or The Green Guide: Florida, by Marty Klinkenbergh and Elizabeth Leach, which is good on details and practicalities for travel in state parks and wilderness.
- Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff chronicles the exploits of the space jockeys from their sound barrier-busting days to their triumphs at Cape Canaveral.
 Lonely Planet Guides
 Travelers' Reports
 On-line Info
|
