DK Travel : Orlando

One word describes Orlando’s transformation in the last three decades: stunning. The city and its suburbs have gone through a Cinderella-like metamorphosis, where plain Jane has become a worldly beauty. Millions of tourists are seduced every year by sophisticated resorts, a wide range of theme parks, must-see attractions, happening nightclubs, and winning restaurants. Here are Orlando’s best of the best.

More on the Top 10 sights in Orlando (see Thrill Rides)

Massageworks Day Spa & Fitness

Located in a 100-year-old Kissimmee schoolhouse, this spa has an air of yesteryear. Treatments include massages (Swedish, neuromuscular, reflexology, and sports); therapies (salt scrubs, aroma steam, and mud-aloe); wraps (oil, marine algae, and sea clay); and colonic irrigation. Yoga, kick-boxing, and martial arts are also on offer, and there’s a sauna. It’s possible to combine treatments in three- to six-hour packages.
Matrix

This new club pumps out house and electronica to a young, vibrant crowd.
Matrix

This 15,000-sq ft (1,480 sq m) venue takes the prize for Orlando’s coolest new dance club. Copping style points from the film after which it’s named, Matrix offers an upscale industrial decor with a cobalt blue and stainless steel color scheme, a gigantic computerized lighting rig above the dance floor, and walls of video screens. Orlando house, techno, and electronica rule the decks.
Medieval Times

Horses take a secondary role at this spectacle. Instead, the action heroes are knights who get into sword fights, joust, and otherwise raise the roof while you feast on the likes of barbecued ribs, and roasted chicken with your fingers (after all, this is the 11th century). If you arrive early, you can tour a re-created medieval village.
Mennello Museum of American Folk Art

This small, lakeside museum houses an unusual and charming collection of paintings by obscure curio-shop owner and Floridian folk artist, Earl Cunningham (1893–1977). In addition to his own work are traveling exhibitions featuring the works of other “outsider” artists.
Mennello Museum of American Folk Art

Half of the Mennello is devoted to the work of Florida folk artist Earl Cunningham (1893–1977), who created vibrant, whimsical pastoral paintings glowing with orange skies and yellow rivers. The other half houses traveling exhibits of folk art. The lakeside grounds contain wonderfully quirky sculptures scattered here and there.
Merritt Island

Located at the Kennedy Space Center, this wildlife refuge is great for learning about local and migrating animals, while also enjoying a bit of fishing or hiking.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

This 140,000-acre (56,000-ha) wildlife sanctuary (the secondlargest in Florida) has more federally-endangered species than any other refuge in the United States. A six-mile (10-km) driving tour with shaded boardwalks weaves through lush pine and oak hammocks. (see Canaveral National Seashore & Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge)
Metropolis

The DJ plays 1980s and ’90s sounds and there are seven billiard tables at this glitzy venue.
Metropolis

In a stylish velvet and cherry-wood venue, Metropolis achieves an upscale ambience often aspired to but rarely achieved in Orlando’s clubs. DJs and a dance floor cater to groups of friends out for a giggle, while dark corners offer privacy for couples who want to smooch and sip cocktails. Top-class facilities include billiards tables and plenty of comfortable seating to encourage lounging around.