Top Attractions in Central Florida
From the magical fantasy of Walt Disney® World and the captivating rides of Universal Studios to the energetic nightlife of Ybor City and the breathtaking launches of Kennedy Space Center, Central Florida is a spectacular family vacation destination. Explore mysteries of the sea at SeaWorld Orlando, splash into fun at Wet 'n Wild waterpark, ride pulse-pounding coasters at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park and enjoy action-packed NASCAR racing at Daytona International Speedway. From beautiful coastal beaches to world-class art museums, Central Florida is your gateway to fun and adventure.
Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral)
John F. Kennedy Space Center is America's gateway to the universe and NASA's launch headquarters. Located 45 minutes from Orlando, this facility is a remarkable place to explore and make discoveries. Celebrating mankind's intergalactic triumphs, Kennedy Space Center is the ultimate Florida destination and America's busiest launch and landing facility. Witness earth-shaking launches and breathtaking landings of the NASA Space Shuttle fleet - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - communication and surveillance satellites and the Atlas, Delta and Titan rockets.
Every building at Kennedy Space Center tells a story about space exploration from the Mercury Program's first astronauts to Project Gemini, when man walked in space, to the legendary Apollo Program that put 12 Americans on the moon, to NASA's launch of a rover to the planet Mars to the current Space Shuttles transporting pieces of the International Space Station 200 miles above earth. Explore NASA's launch headquarters, including towering launch pads, huge rockets, and history-making technology. Guided by space program experts, the NASA Up-Close Tour and Cape Canaveral: Then & Now Tour lead you into the action of Kennedy Space Center. Visit www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
[Top]Ringling Museum of Art
Located on a 66-acre estate on Sarasota Bay, Ringling Museum of Art is the official State Art Museum of Florida. Ringling Museum offers 21 galleries of European paintings, Cypriot antiquities, Asian Art, American paintings, and contemporary art, as well as the Searing Wing's traveling exhibitions. The estate features the spectacular Cà d'Zan ("House of John"), a restored waterfront mansion, and the Circus Museum, which display the world's largest miniature circus, costumes, wagons, performance equipment, and artifacts chronicling the history of the Circus. The estate also features Mable Ringling's Rose Garden, beautifully landscaped grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay, Treviso Restaurant, Banyan Café, gift shops, and acres of parkland and gardens with banyan and palm trees and exotic plants. Check out the Museum's courtyard concerts, "Third Thursday" socials on Cà d'Zan's terrace, lectures, workshops, art conservation laboratory and public tours. Visit www.ringling.org/.
[Top]Ybor City
A historic neighborhood of Tampa, Ybor City - Tampa's Latin Quarter - is an exciting night club, entertainment, shopping, dining and art district that echoes of the past and spices up your vacation. Lined with more than 60 restaurants, bars and nightclubs, this colorful entertainment district offers an energetic nightlife scene with hip music venues - from blues to rock - and mouthwatering cuisine - from Creole delicacies to American barbecue to authentic Spanish and Cuban food. Notable dining spots include Columbia Restaurant serving Cuban sandwiches and the nightly Flamenco show. Browse unique retailers, such as La France, Romeo Stylish Furniture and Tampa Rico, a store inside Ybor Square that sells hand-rolled cigars.
Check out historic Ybor Square, Ybor Museum State Park, Ybor City Saturday Market, and Centro Ybor, featuring an exciting mix of retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues around a palm-lined plaza that captures the flavor of Tampa's historic Latin Quarter. Tampa's longest established arts community, Ybor City is also home to artist studios, galleries, theater groups, filmmakers, and the Ybor City ARTWalk. This National Historic Landmark District has several buildings and sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
[Top]Daytona International Speedway
Home of "The Great American Race" - the Daytona 500 - Daytona International Speedway is country's top motorsport venue. In addition to the Daytona 500, the richest and most prestigious race in the US and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the 480-acre motorsports complex boasts the most diverse racing on the globe, earning it the title of "World Center of Racing." The legendary speedway presents nine major weekends of racing, including NASCAR, Rolex Sports Car Series, Daytona 200 Week By Honda, American Motorcyclist Association and the World Karting Association, as well as a fun events, car shows, athletic games, production vehicle testing and motorcycle training.
"The Official Attraction of NASCAR," The Daytona 500 Experience is an interactive entertainment facility that entertains racing fans with the history of motorsports in Daytona Beach - home of world land speed record. The award-winning attraction features IMAX Theatre, showing "NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience" and "Daytona 500: The Movie," three motion simulators, 16-Second Pit Stop and the Daytona 500-winning car. Experience the Speedway Tour, Daytona Speedway video entertainment center, Pit Shop souvenir shop, and Fourth Turn Grill. Visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
[Top]Florida Aquarium
Among the top aquariums in the world, Florida Aquarium is home to 20,000 aquatic animals and plants from Florida and around the planet. The 250,000 sq. ft. aquarium tells Florida's water story from its underground source to the open sea. Explore Florida's freshwater wetlands - springs, streams, marshes, rivers and mangrove forests - and face otters, spoonbills, gators and snakes. Check out the Aquariumania! exhibit, dedicated to home aquariums. Discover sea life along Florida's coast and swim with bonnethead sharks, seahorses, spiny lobsters, stingrays and a 350 pound grouper. Plunge 60 feet into a colorful coral grotto - Sherwood Forest - home to 2,300 fish including moray eels, grouper, tarpon, and Queen Triggerfish. Encounter sharks, a giant Pacific octopus, and lionfish at Sea Hunt. Dive with sharks in Shark Bay. Cool off at Aquarium's 2-acre water adventure park, Explore A Shore!, with watery waves, slippery slides and gushing geysers. Visit the Bone Zone, a 600-gallon touch pool of invertebrates, or enjoy an eco-tour aboard The Bay Spirit, a 49-foot catamaran, and encounter animals that thrive in the bay waters. Visit www.flaquarium.org.
[Top]Adventure Island (Tampa)
Slide, soak, serve, spike and splash to your heart's content at Adventure Island in Tampa, Florida. Adventure Island's 30 acres of water-drenched fun in the sun features 10 high-speed thrill rides, cool attractions and tropical surroundings for the ultimate family adventure. Within a tranquil Key West atmosphere, you'll experience a blend of slides, corkscrews, water falls, a wave pool, children's water playground and family attractions such as outdoor cafés, picnic and sunbathing areas, gift shops, and a championship white-sand volleyball courts. Visit www.adventureisland.com/ai/.
[Top]Cypress Gardens Adventure Park
One of the most exciting theme parks in the country, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park offers fast-paced family fun with 40 thrilling rides, 5 pulse-pounding coasters, the world's tallest spinning rapids ride, family shows, a historic botanical gardens, Jubilee Junction, Splash Island water park, a quaint shopping village, and Nature's Way, a zoo displaying 300 animals including Nile crocodiles, a jaguar, and a movie-star alligator. Brave the heart-stopping drop on Thunderbolt and the wooden curves of Triple Hurricane, and enjoy all-star concerts and exciting events. Garden delights include Topiary Trail, a landscape of flowers and trees pruned into amusing shapes around a waterfall, andSnively Plantation's four beautiful gardens. Visit www.cypressgardens.com.
[Top]Wet 'n Wild
America's top water park, Wet 'n Wild - Orlando features over 30 action-packed acres of aquatic thrill rides, exciting multi-passenger tube rides, slippery slides, twisty flumes, a kid's park, and sensational surf under the warm Florida sun. Take off on The Black Hole: The Next Generation, two-person hydra capsule that blasts through an explosion of pulsating lights, dynamic effects and cosmic energy. Enjoy knee skiing and wake skating the Wake Zone, featuring Knee Ski, a half-mile knee-boarding course. Go fast and get wet on Mach 5, a twisting flume that drops you 1,700 feet. Fly through the sounds of the 70's on Disco H2O, the park's enclosed flume ride. Jump on The Flyer, a six-story toboggan that runs through 450 feet of banked curves, and the Surge, one of the longest (580 ft. of curves) and fastest tubes in the country. Brave Brain Wash, a 6-story extreme tube with a tall vertical drop, and ride Raging Rapids, a white-water run with a wicked waterfall plunge. Visit www.wetnwild.com.
[Top]Universal Orlando Resort/Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure
Florida's most captivating theme park resort, Universal Orlando Resort wows with innovative rides, adrenaline-pumping coasters, entertainment, shopping, and dining. Feel like a movie star at Universal Studios Florida, the most amazing movie and TV theme park on the planet. Go beyond the screen to experience the magic of blockbuster films at this working film and TV studio. With high-powered excitement, spellbinding rides, side-splitting comedy, heart-warming tales, and wonderful shows and attractions, you'll get deep into the action. Enjoy high-tech, action packed rides such as Revenge of the Mummy and the new adrenaline pumping and music thumping roller coaster - Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit.
Islands of Adventure features cutting-edge rides, fierce coasters and innovative attractions. Journey through five fantastic islands where myths, legends, comic books, cartoon heroes and children's stories come to life on high-speed roller coasters, such as the Incredible Hulk Coaster, thrill rides, such as Revenge of the Mummy The Ride, whimsical children's rides, such as the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman - Man, action-packed challenges such as Fear Factor Live and exciting 3-D attractions. Check out the new theme park - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - coming in 2009. Heat up your night at Universal City Walk, an energetic entertainment oasis with wonderful restaurants, clubs, shops, and live music and entertainment venues. From exhilarating theme park rides to sensational shows, Universal Orlando is your family fun zone!
[Top]SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando is the world's most exciting marine adventure park, delighting families with two incredible theme parks, exhilarating rides and coasters, world-class shows and entertainment, and amazing up-close animal encounters. Explore mysteries of the sea with exhilarating animal interactions and learning experiences with killer whales, dolphins, sea lions and sharks. Trek below the surface, above the waves and beyond your expectations at SeaWorld, where you can touch dolphins, feed seals and sea lions and count the teeth on a shark. See hands-on animal attractions such as Dolphin Cove, Stingray Lagoon, and Shark Encounter. Enjoy thrills and excitement on state-of-the-art rides, such as Kraken, Journey to Atlantis, Wild Arctic and Shamu's Happy Harbor Rides. Visit www.seaworld.com.
[Top]Disney® World Resort
The most exciting entertainment destination on the planet, Walt Disney® World is a magical resort of four exciting theme parks, water parks - Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon - exciting attractions, themed resorts, restaurants and shops, live entertainment and nightclub districts, a wilderness area, and two cruise ships. Experience a universe of family entertainment at Disney®'s Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Pleasure Island, Disney®-MGM Studios, Disney®'s Animal Kingdom, Disney® Fort Wilderness Resort, and Downtown Disney® - where pulse-pounding rides, innovative attractions, family shows, live entertainment, unique shopping and Disney® magic light up your Florida vacation. Disney®'s Magic Kingdom is a land of imagination and wonder, with Disney®'s most amazing rides and attractions, such as Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Monsters, Inc.
Walt Disney®'s dream utopia, Epcot Center inspires through innovative rides and attractions, such as Mission: SPACE, Test Track and Soarin'. Star in your own adventure - from rock 'n' roll fantasy to Broadway spectaculars - at Disney®'s Hollywood Studios, an incredible theme park and working movie and TV studio with exciting attractions, entertainment, shows, performers, and riveting rides. Disney® storytelling comes to life at Disney®'s Animal Kingdom with animal adventures and the wonders of nature. Downtown Disney® is a lively marketplace of shops, restaurants, clubs, and entertainment venues. Swing by Downtown Disney® Marketplace, home to the largest Disney® character store in the world, and Downtown Disney® West Side, a shopping and dining promenade with restaurants, theaters, shows and amusements.
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With sunny locations from Orlando to Tampa Bay, Ramada Hotels of Central Florida offer stylish, sophisticated lodging for your vacation and business travels. Enjoy a weekend getaway in the Sunshine State as you explore exciting theme parks, cool attractions, beautiful golf courses, and stunning beaches - just a short drive from our contemporary hotels in Orlando, Kissimmee, Tampa Bay, Clearwater, Daytona Beach, Ocala, Ellenton, Titusville, Cocoa Beach and St. Petersburg. Discover spacious accommodations, extra-mile service and lifestyle amenities, such as wireless internet, complimentary breakfast, pools/spas, fitness facilities, meeting space, and business centers surrounded by the magical scenery of Central Florida. [ More About Central Florida Hotels ]
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