DK Travel : Orlando : Places of interest

Page
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

Osceola County Historical Museum & Pioneer Center

This homespun outdoor museum gives a glimpse of Kissimmee life before Disney. The focal point is a pair of late 1800s “Cracker-style” cypress wood buildings, complete with “possum trot” breezeway – an early form of air-conditioning. One showcases a simple home, while the other is reconfigured as a general store, selling local history books, crafts, and guides for the nature preserve located across the street.
Park Avenue

The stretch of Park Avenue between Fairbanks and Swoope avenues is a thriving and delectable slice of urban living. This is the kind of manageable, old-style downtown, which is usually erased in the rush to suburbanize the Sunshine State. There’s bucolic Central Park; buildings are rarely over three stories and contain fashionable shops or eateries at ground level; and all around, the sidewalks are full of people enjoying the day.
Pteranodon Flyers

A neat aerial adventure, but it can make some riders queasy.
Reptile World Serpentarium

This is a unique and educational attraction providing all the right ingredients to make your skin crawl. Visitors can watch a snake handler extracting poisonous venom from cobras, rattlesnakes, and other deadly serpents. The indoor exhibits house more than 60 species of reptiles, and it’s the largest of its kind in central Florida.
Reptile World Serpentarium

This unique and educational attraction gives visitors the opportunity to watch a snake handler in action as he extracts poisonous venom from deadly snakes. It also contains the largest reptile exhibit in Florida. (see Gatorland).
Richard Petty Driving Experience

Ever wanted to drive one of those souped-up, 600-horsepower NASCAR race cars, or even just be a co-pilot? Well, here’s your chance to try for your dream – and a new land-speed record. The two-page waiver form that riders need to sign may shake your nerve, but there’s nothing virtual about this attraction. There are two options: ride or drive. For the first, take the passenger seat while a professional drives off around the track at 145 mph (233 kmph); minimum age for this option is 16. Alternatively, spend a few hours or (if you have lots of cash to spare) days learning how to drive, and then race others for up to 30 laps (minimum age is 18 years).
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium

If you’re a fan of the bizarre, you’ll love Ripley’s. This worldwide chain of attractions displays the unbelievable finds of Robert Ripley’s 40 years of adventures, the reports of which were published in more than 300 newspapers and read by more than 80 million people. The Orlando branch has a full-scale model of a 1907 Silver Ghost Rolls Royce (with moving engine parts) built out of 1,016,711 match sticks and 63 pints (36 I) of glue; a flute made of human bones; a mosaic of the Mona Lisa made out of toast; shrunken heads; a five-legged cow; and a portrait of Van Gogh made from 3,000 postcards. You’ll also encounter a holographic 1,069-Ib- (485-kg) man, plus films of strange feats such as people swallowing coat-hangers.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium

Cunningly designed, this building looks like it’s about to slip into the ground. Inside, kids might squeal – and adults might cringe – over the replicas of human and animal oddities on display. Two-headed cat, anyone? A movie shows people swallowing coat hangers, light bulbs, and more. There are also plenty of quirky displays, such as a rendition of the Mona Lisa made out of toast.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium

This place is built to look as if one of Florida’s sinkholes opened up and nearly swallowed the building.
Rivership Romance

Operating out of historic Sanford, this 1946-built triple-decked boat offers daily “eco-dining” cruises along the scenic St. John’s River. It’s a truly civilized way to catch a glimpse of the Florida that tourists rarely see.