About The Area

The Orlando area got it's name, it's believed, from a man name Orlando Reeves, who operated a sugar mill and plantation in the area. Pioneer settlers foun his name carved into a tree and assumed it was a marker for his grave site. They then referred to the area as "Orlando's grave". This is believed to take place to the mid 1800's

Orlando remained a relatively large town for many years, with strong links to the US military. This changed in 1965 when Walt Disney announced plans to build Walt Disney World, beating established cities of Miami and Tampa for his park. The resort opened in October 1971, ushering in an explosive population and economic growth for the Orlando metropolitan area. As a result, tourism became the centerpiece of the area's economy and Orlando is consistently ranked as one of the top vacation destinations in the world. This reputation was improved further in 1970, when the new Orlando International Airport was built from a portion of the McCoy Air Force Base. The military base closed in 1974, and most of it is now part of the airport.

Away from the commercial resorts, the Orlando area is home to more than 100 lakes, the largest of which are Lake Apopka, Eustis, Griffin, Harney, Harris, Jesup, Monroe, Sand Lake, Conway, and Tohopekaliga.

Orlando has a warm and humid climate, and there are two weather seasons each year. One of those seasons is hot and rainy, lasting from April until October (roughly coinciding with the Atlantic hurricane season). The other is a cooler season (November through March) that brings more moderate temperatures and less frequent rainfall.

As previously mentioned, the Orlando area is home to a wide variety of tourist attractions, including the Walt Disney World resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando. SeaWorld Orlando is a large adventure park that features numerous zoological displays and marine animals alongside an amusement park with roller coasters and water park. Universal Orlando is a resort comprised of Universal Studios, CityWalk, and the Islands of Adventure theme park.

Other attractions in the Greater Orlando area include:

• Blue Spring State Park, which is the winter home of large numbers of Florida manatees that come upstream from the St. Johns River to bask in the warm 72 °F (22 °C) waters of the springs. Canoeing, swimming and fishing are popular activities at Blue Springs.
• Bok Tower, located in Lake Wales, FL.
• Central Florida Zoological Park is a 100 acre zoo. It is home to a butterfly garden, herpetarium, and numerous tropical animals.
• Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba is a world famous acrobatics and special effects show with more than 70 artists from around the globe performing in a custom-designed, 1,671-seat theater.
• Cornell Fine Arts Museum, situated on the campus of Rollins College, features significant loans, recent acquisitions, and items from the Cornell's renowned permanent collection. Admission is free.
• Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, an amusement park opened in 1936. This park features beautiful botanical gardens, 40 rides, 5 roller coasters and a water park.
• Discovery Cove, a resort that is part of the SeaWorld Adventure Park complex. Some attraction features are tropical fish, stingrays, and an aviary, as well as swimming and playing with dolphins.
• Gatorland houses thousands of alligators and crocodiles. The park includes a petting zoo, bird sanctuary, mini-water park and outdoor entertainment, including daily alligator wrestling.
• Hard Rock Café is the Orlando location of the restaurant chain with music memorabilia. There is also Hard Rock Live, a 3,000-capacity live music venue.
• The Holy Land Experience is a biblical themepark and museum complex.
• Kennedy Space Center is 45 minutes from Orlando. Visitors can tour launch areas, see giant rockets, "train" in spaceflight simulators, and much more. Guided tours include NASA Up Close, Cape Canaveral: Then and Now, and Lunch With An Astronaut. Combo tickets offer maximum access admission, plus one guided tour.
• Harry P. Leu Gardens, which is an inner city oasis covering 50 acres and features annuals, palms, an orchid house, and a butterfly garden.
• Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, in Kissimmee. Six brave knights on horseback compete in tournament games, jousting, and sword fighting while guests dine on a medieval-style banquet.
• Old Town, in Kissimmee, features eight restaurants, fifteen amusement park rides and 75 shops along its brick-lined streets. Classic car shows every Friday and Saturday feature hundreds of vintage automobiles. Admission and parking are free.
• The Orlando Museum of Art, which has ongoing exhibitions of American portraits and landscapes, American impressionist works, and art of the ancient Americas.
• The Orlando Science Center, is a 207,000 square foot (19,000 m²) hands-on learning center with hundreds of interactive exhibits for visitors of all ages. Images surround visitors on the giant screen of the Dr. Phillips CineDome. Other attractions include the Body Zone, teaching health and fitness, as well as an observatory. The center has the largest refracting telescope in Florida.
• The Ripley's Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium is located in a building artfully constructed to appear as if it were collapsing to one side. Visitors can explore bizarre artifacts, strange collections, weird art/hobbies and interactive exhibits in sixteen odd galleries. It is one of 27 Ripley museums in ten countries.
• Wekiwa Springs State Park, which comprises around 7,000 acres (28.3 km²) of wild Florida. The springs pump out 42 million gallons of crystal clear water a day. Popular activities at the park include canoeing, swimming, picnicking and fishing.
• World of Orchids, featuring thousands of blooms in an enclosed tropical rainforest. World of Orchids is a working greenhouse shipping orchids and other plants nationwide. A greenhouse covers nearly an acre (4,000 m²), and in this controlled climate of warm, humid air some 1,000 orchids are displayed in a natural jungle setting, with streams, waterfalls, and squawking parrots. World of Orchids also has a 1,000 foot (300 m) long boardwalk meandering off into nearby wetlands. Admission is free.
• Wet n' Wild A large waterpark located just minutes from Universal Studios on International Drive