DK Travel : Orlando : Places of interest

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Jetski Sports

Here’s the place to race around on one- to three-seat motorcycles for the water.
Kennedy Space Center

This well-conceived monument to America’s space program impresses visitors with exhibits both mammoth, such as the Saturn V Rocket, and minuscule, such as antiquated space suits. Bus tours are a good way to take in the installations.
Kissimmee Rodeo

Every Friday night, cowboys (and girls) from all over the Southeast mosey over to Kissimmee for an evening of calf roping, bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding, and more. Unusually for Orlando, this is not an attraction but a genuine rodeo competition, with cash prizes. The action is live, unrehearsed, and, for those who’ve never seen the real thing before, quite something. A cheap and eventful evening out.
Kissimmee Rodeo

Once upon a time, before it became a suburb of Disney World, Kissimmee was part of Florida’s important beef industry, and populated by cowboys (sometimes called Crackers because of the sound made by their whips). Quite a few remain in the area today, and this Friday night bash is where they celebrate the skills of Kissimmee’s original cowboys. Bear in mind, this is no tourist attraction – it’s a bonafide rodeo with cash prizes and real danger. Angry bulls have been known to crush the skull of an occasional unlucky cowboy.
Kraken

Think pure speed as Poseidon’s mythological underwater beast breaks free and without warning pulls your 32-passenger train 151 ft (46 m) closer to heaven, then dives 144 ft (44 m) back toward hell at speeds of 65 mph (104 kmph)! If you survive, expect seven loops on a 4,177-ft (1,273-m) course. This may just be the longest 3 minutes, 39 seconds of your existence. (Sea World) .
Lake Eola Park

A pedestrian-only path encircles Lake Eola, offering a pleasing view of downtown’s skyline. Those willing to exert their leg muscles can rent swan-shaped paddle boats (see Swan Boats In Lake Eola). Real swans drift along in the lake’s shallow water and will venture onto dry land if offered a handful of the food that can be bought for small change. Plays and concerts are performed at the Walt Disney Amphitheater, a bandshell with surprisingly decent acoustics. Disney’s presence is more ostentatiously displayed with the rather incongruous Millennium clock located on the lake’s southern side.

Fountain, Lake Eola Park

Lake Eola Fountain, Lake Eola Park
Lowry Park Zoo

Tampa’s first zoo has 1,500 creatures, including Sumatran tigers, Persian leopards, and Komodo dragons. It also serves as a rehabilitation center for injured manatees (see SeaWorld’s Rescue & Rehabilitation Program) and as a sanctuary for Florida panthers and red wolves. A free-flight aviary and petting zoo provide a chance to touch some tamer species.
Magic Kingdom

Who’s the leader of the theme-park pack? Disney’s first Florida park is the most popular in the US. (see The Magic Kingdom® Park).
Manatee Seeker River Tour

These two-hour, pontoon-boat cruises specialize in safely allowing visitors a closer look at endangered manatees (see Shows & Other Attractions). Sightings of these gentle creatures are most frequent from late October to late March, but year round, expect to see alligators, bald eagles, snakes, deer, and more.
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.