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Orlando : Places of interest

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  • The Vietnamese District

    This area, also known as the ViMi district (for the crossroads at Virginia and Mills avenues), is a less obvious ethnic enclave than, say, New York’s Chinatown. Nevertheless, it is still clustered with Vietnamese restaurants and shops, as well as delights from other Asian countries. The thickest concentration is south of Virginia, at Colonial Drive.

  • The spirit of Leonardo DiCaprio lingers around this impressive recreation of the doomed Titanic. Guided tours by actors playing crew members and passengers bring the displays to life. Among the 200 or so exhibits are life jackets salvaged from the ship, which add a solemn touch.

  • This exhibit’s 200 artifacts include a real life jacket and an old deck chair, which were both recovered from the wreckage of the fateful liner, as well as the Titanic’s second-class passenger list. The attraction also has full-scale re-creations of some of the ship’s rooms, including its grand staircase, as well as memorabilia from three major Titanic movies – including one of the costumes worn by Leonardo DiCaprio. Actors in period garb play out events that occured on the fateful journey, telling the story of the White Star Line’s supposedly unsinkable ship. Most of the artifacts came out of private collections from both the United Kingdom and the USA.

  • This is one of the rides thrill junkies rent (at a price) for their own private parties. You can have just as much fun without the premium, though be warned this ride’s mechanisms sometimes develop minor glitches, causing heads to knock on the ceiling as riders plunge back to sea level. (see Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror) (Disney-MGM Studios).

  • Part studio and part attraction, the movie-themed rides and shows here really let visitors step inside the movies.

  • By day, visitors stroll through this area of restaurants and shops on their way to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. In the evening, CityWalk becomes it’s own sparkling destination, a swinging Downtown with outdoor entertainment and pulsating crowds to rival Disney’s BoardWalk. For 15 minutes of quiet romance, take the free boat ride (which runs until 2am) between CityWalk and the Portofino Bay Hotel. In the moonlight, the Portofino’s faux Italian paint job looks even more convincing.

  • Thirty-six acres (15 ha) of twisting, turning waterslides and plenty of places to chill out and float in an inner tube make this waterpark a particular favorite among teens and young adults. It’s less themed than Disney waterparks (see Water Parks), smaller than Wet ’n Wild, but, unless the weather is bad, usually pretty crowded.

  • Disney World has two water parks. The hugely popular Typhoon Lagoon, designed to resemble a beach resort devastated by a tropical storm, can hold more than 7,000 people at once, and has plenty of rides and attractions. Blizzard Beach’s theme is a ski resort that melted and is a favorite among water slide fans. But whatever extreme weather they represent, these parks have similar features: long drops to build up speed and darkened tubes to confuse you before spilling you, laughing or screaming, into a wading pool below. The parks have seasonal opening hours, so call to check. (see Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach)

  • It’s hard to out-do Disney, but Wet ’n Wild is arguably Orlando’s best sun-and-swim water park attraction, with plenty of slides and rides to amuse.

  • Some farmers’ markets are serious business, packed with old trucks and farmers selling mountains of vegetables just pulled from the earth. The Winter Park Farmers’ Market is altogether a different affair. More of a social gathering on the village green, Winter Park’s yuppies come here to mingle, buy potted flowers. preserves, and herbs, and indulge in fresh croissants, muffins, and breads. Yes, the required vegetables are here, too, but this is more of a coffee and brunch gathering.

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