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Nowadays, circuses without animals are all the rage, and the Canadian company Cirque du Soleil is one of the best of its kind. So popular are its shows that, in addition to world tours, there are now permanent venues, too. Orlando’s high-energy, 90-minute show, La Nouba, climaxes with a finale in which more than 70 performers execute an extraordinary trampoline routine. The ticket is quite pricey, but you’re unlikely to be disappointed.

A park that combines front-of-house fun with behind-the-scenes explanation.

This interactive, indoor theme park is divided into four zones and entertains adults as much as it does kids. Highlights of the Explore Zone include Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold, and Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride. The former puts you on the deck of a two-master schooner to play cat-and-mouse with foul-playing pirates and foul-smelling sea monsters. Aladdin’s Magic Carpet involves wearing a virtual reality helmet and taking a ride through the 3-D Cave of Wonders in search of the genie. In the Score Zone, it’s all about testing your game-playing skills. Don’t miss the Extraterrestrial Alien Encounter where you get to fly a space ship and blast gigantic robots, or the Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam, a life-size, sure-fire hit for pinball fans. The Create Zone unleashes the designer within: build your own roller coaster (and then ride it in a simulator), or take a short course in cartooning at the Animation Academy. The Replay Zone is filled with games where for an extra charge, you can win tickets that can be redeemed for prizes you can live without. Crowds are worse after lunch.

Disney’s fourth Orlando park is a place where elusive animals roam. (see Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Park).

Disney’s sports complex is the spring training home of Major League baseball’s Atlanta Braves (Feb–Mar) and minor league baseball’s Orlando Rays, a farm team for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (Apr–Sep). It’s also a winter home for basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters. Other facilities in the 200-acre (80-ha) complex, which is used for all kinds of amateur sports and athletics, include: a fitness center; basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts; softball, soccer, and lacrosse fields; a martial-arts venue; and a golf-driving range. Disney’s Wide World of Sports is also the home of the NFL Experience. There is an extreme sports area catering for skateboarders, in-line skaters, and cyclists, which is now open for special events.

Walt Disney’s guys knew something had to appeal to curious adults and techno kids. Epcot is that something. (see Epcot®).

Orlando in general and Walt Disney World Resort in particular have some great golf courses (see Golf Courses), but not everyone likes to take the game so seriously, or has the makings of a pro. These two miniature golf courses offer a total of 72 holes of putting fun. Inspired by the classic Disney cartoon, Fantasia , Fantasia Gardens’ 18 holes have an animal theme. Located near Disney-MGM Studios, it’s the more forgiving of the two courses, and so the best choice for young kids or beginners. Winter Summerland is a scale model of a large course, complete with bunkers, water hazards, frustrating putting greens, and holes that are up to 75 ft (23 m) long. Choose between the winter and summer themed courses.

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).

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).

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)