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The Best of Orlando

In 1886, a young unmarried mailman, frustrated with his fruitless toil in the Midwest, moved to the woolly wilderness of Central Florida to make a better go of life. The land was angry. Summers were oppressively hot, the lightning relentless, and the tough earth, sodden and scrubby, defied clearing. The only domestic creatures that thrived there, it seemed, were the cattle, and even they turned out stringy and chewy. Undaunted, the young man planted a grove of citrus trees and waited for things to get better. They didn’t. His trees died in a freeze. Now penniless, he was forced to return to delivering mail, the very thing he had tried so hard to escape. By 1890, he gave up, defeated, and moved to Chicago to seek other work. The American dream appeared to fail Elias Disney.

The story could have ended there. But he was joined by his new bride, whose own father had died trying to tame Florida land. Back in the smoke of the Midwest, they had children and settled for an anonymous urban existence. One day, 8 decades later, long after the young man and woman had lived full lives and passed away, two of their sons, now in the sunset of their own lives, would return to Central Florida, to the land that broke their father, and together they would transform the recalcitrant swamp into the most famous fantasy land the world has even known.

Little did Elias know that the dream was only skipping a generation and that his sons Walt and Roy would become synonymous with the same land that rejected him. Had he known that the Disney name would in due time define Central Florida, would he have been so despondent? Even if he had been granted a fleeting vision of what was to be, and what his family would mean to this place—and, indeed, to the United States—would he have believed it?

The Disney brothers turned a place of toil into a realm of pleasure, a place where hardworking people can put their struggles aside. The English have Blackpool; Canadians have Niagara Falls. Orlando rose to become the preeminent resort for the working and middle classes of America, and the ingenuity of its inventions inspires visitors from everywhere. Although other countries segregate their holiday destinations by income or some other petty quality, Orlando, in classic American egalitarian style, is all things to all people, from all countries and backgrounds.

Orlando represents something more powerful to American culture and history than merely being the fruit of a dream. It’s something shared. No matter who you are, no matter your politics or upbringing, when you were a kid, you probably went at least once to Walt Disney World and Orlando—or, if you didn’t, you desperately wanted to. Which other aspect of culture can we all claim to share? What else has given children such sweet dreams? I’ve often said that if somehow Walt Disney World went out of business tomorrow, the U.S. National Park Service would have to take it over—it means that much to the fabric of the nation.

Don’t think of the amusements of Orlando as big business. Of course they are, and the incessant reminder of that often threatens to shatter the fantasy. But Walt Disney World, and by extension Orlando, is Americana incarnate. The flair for showmanship and fantasy that they crystallize, now coined as the term “Disneyfication,” is the defining mind-set of our culture, in which even grocery stores are dressed like film sets and the “story” of your local burger joint is retold on the side of its beverage cups.

Orlando tells us about who we dream of being. Virtually nothing about it is natural or authentic, and yet there may be no more perfect embodiment of American culture. To understand this invented landscape is to understand the values of its civilization and our generation. And if you observe Orlando with a long view—starting with young Elias Disney cutting his hands trying to budge a tough Florida pine—you will be a part of the explosive, unexpected powers of the American dream.

And one more thing: If you can buck the system and relax, it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

Orlando’s best Theme Park Experiences

Walt Disney World: Walt Disney World operates four top-drawer theme parks every day of the year: Magic Kingdom, the most popular theme park on Earth, is a more spacious iteration of the original Disneyland, the park that started it all, and is brimming with attractions that have been cherished since Walt’s day; Epcot is a new-brew version of an old-style world’s fair; Disney’s Animal Kingdom blends animal habitats with theme-park panache; and Disney’s Hollywood Studios presents a show-heavy salute to the movies.

Universal Orlando: Often surpassing Disney in adrenaline and cunning, Universal Orlando’s two parks, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, command great respect and get the blood pumping a bit stronger and are home to immersive sections devoted to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Beyond Disney and Universal: Venture beyond the Big Six theme parks and you’ll find more breathing room and more focused experiences. The gardens and marine mammals at SeaWorld Orlando make for a slower-paced excursion. Five water parks flow with energy: Typhoon Lagoon and Aquatica for family-friendly slides, Blizzard Beach for more aggressive ones, Wet ’n Wild for no-holds-barred thrills, and Discovery Cove for VIP swims with dolphins and reef fish. South of town, Legoland Florida, one of the best parks for very small children, charms with Old Florida touches, while Gatorland celebrates the region’s true locals.

Orlando’s best Rides & Shows

Walt Disney World: More than any other park, the Magic Kingdom (p. 27) is packed with seminal experiences: the transporting Audio-Animatronic wizardry of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion; the vertiginous thrills of Splash Mountain and Space Mountain; and the homespun, only-at-Disney charm of Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, and “it’s a small world.” Cap the day with Wishes, the famous fireworks show. At Epcot (p. 53), Soarin’ is the ride with the resort’s highest re-ride ratio, and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (p. 70), the ride-through 3-D video game Toy Story Midway Mania is never the same experience twice, while the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has an innovative design repeated nowhere else in the world.

Universal Orlando: At Islands of Adventure (p. 115), Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey fires on more technological cylinders than you thought a ride could possess, while The Amazing Adventure of Spider-Man has been the standard holder for premium ride concepts for more than a decade. But don’t miss Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls or Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, a pair of ingeniously sopping flumes. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley is a blockbuster representing the cutting edge in visual design that believably immerses you in the world of the movies and the Escape from Gringotts ride is a tour de force like none other. Fans of Springfield will find themselves re-riding The Simpsons Ride to catch all the insider references.

The Other Parks: At SeaWorld Orlando (p. 126), roller coasters pack punches that Disney pulls: Manta flies riders belly-down over water and rooftops, while Kraken dangles their feet for seven spine-knotting inversions. Its two polar pavilions, Wild Arctic and Antarctica, are among its best habitats. The spectacular killer whale show, currently One Ocean, is perennially packed (p. 129). Elsewhere, Wet ’n Wild’s Bomb Bay (p. 144) is one of the most sadistic water slides ever devised, while Legoland Florida’s tricked-out Miniland USA (p. 137) is such a tour de force of Lego creation that it’s a show of its own.

Orlando’s best Overlooked Experiences

From Earth to the Moon: The Kennedy Space Center (p. 152) sent Americans into space for more than half a century, and for decades NASA’s nerve center was the focus of tourist attention, but a majority of today’s visitors remain securely within Disney’s orbit. That’s a huge shame. The Kennedy Center is where you can see proof of America’s glory days as an exploratory power, including some out-of-this-world space vehicles such as the Saturn V rocket, the largest rocket made, which sent 27 men to the moon, and the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis, still coated with space dust. You can even undergo astronaut training.

Connecting with Others: More Make-a-Wish kids request visits to Orlando than anywhere else, and you can help make their dreams come true at the fantasy resort built just for them, Give Kids the World Village (p. 151) in Kissimmee. There are hundreds of jobs for volunteers here (which can be done in just a few hours), including handing out presents or scooping ice cream. And since the late 1800s, the moss-draped Cassadaga (p. 146) has been the domain of psychics and mediums who invite visitors to explore their spiritualist town for readings.

Undiscovered Disney: Even inside the theme parks, as other guests stampede for the nearest thrill ride, you can find relatively off-the-beaten-path treasures. The most fruitful ground for those is Epcot’s World Showcase, where many pavilions contain little-seen museums to the heritage of their lands, including the Stave Church Gallery in Norway (p. 62), China’s House of the Whispering Willow (p. 63), the Bijutsu-kan Gallery in Japan (p. 65), and the Gallery of Arts and History in Morocco (p. 65). At the Magic Kingdom, you can get a haircut on Main Street’s Harmony Barber Shop (p. 34). At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the artifact-stuffed AFI exhibition (p. 77) is a display like none other in WDW. And the entire Disney World resort offers a slate of small-group behind-the-scenes tours (p. 97) that uncover hundreds of secrets.

Orlando’s best Authentic Experiences

Florida, Your Eden: Although the theme parks have come to define Orlando, Central Florida has a long tale of its own, if you’re willing to listen. There are more fresh springs here than in any other American state. You’ll always remember swimming in the 72-degree waters of De Leon Springs State Park (p. 159), canoeing them at Wekiwa Springs State Park (p. 160), or meeting the at-risk manatees in their natural habitat at Blue Spring State Park (p. 159).

Florida, the Gilded Age Idyll: Of course, Orlando’s identity as a sunny theme-park mecca only began in 1971, but visitors from the north have been coming for a century. Sample the high art collected by its high-society settlers at Winter Park’s Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (including a massive collection of Tiffany glass; p. 147) or the Cornell Fine Arts Museum (with lush decorative arts of every description; p. 148). Peep at their historic mansions, whose lawns slope invitingly to the tranquil lakes of Winter Park, on the long-running Scenic Boat Tour (p. 161).

Florida, Land of Flowers: The reason all those blue bloods migrated here? The fine weather and the beautiful water. The horticultural achievements at Harry P. Leu Gardens (p. 160), practically smack in downtown Orlando, remind you just how bountiful the soil here can be. Or lose yourself at Bok Tower Gardens (p. 148); its builder set out to create a Taj Mahal for America, and its landscaping is by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., whose other work includes the White House and the National Mall.

Florida, the Original Tourist Draw: Today, nothing is more quintessentially Orlando than Disney, but a few other major attractions never feel jammed: Legoland Florida (p. 137) ambles pleasantly on a lakeside that was once home to Cypress Gardens, Florida’s original mega-park and a haunt for everyone from Esther Williams to Elvis Presley. Its historic botanical garden has been prized since the 1930s. Gatorland (p. 149) is a pleasing, corn-fed throwback from an era when Central Florida was synonymous with reptiles rather than the Mouse.

Orlando’s best Hotels

Inside the Theme Park Resorts: Disney’s Contemporary Resort (p. 202) and Disney’s Polynesian Resort (p. 203), which opened in 1971, have become architectural landmarks, and their location on the monorail system makes a vacation easy and fun, but the Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (p. 207) elevates the resort’s lowest-priced rooms into something approaching immersive. Universal’s newly opened Cabana Bay Beach Resort (p. 211) applies a layer of Miami style on its own budget category, and the new Four Seasons Resort Orlando on Walt Disney World property delivers a level of luxury that’s a revelation among theme park hotels (p. 208).

Full-Service Resorts outside the Parks: Exquisite restaurants and unbeatable pool areas made the Grande Lakes’ JW Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton (p. 220) two names to beat among Orlando’s luxury resorts, while Nickelodeon Suites (p. 214), rocking with extravagant pool areas and nonstop entertainment, rules in full-service fun for kids. Taking theme-park flair to a hospitality extreme, the colossal atrium of Gaylord Palms (p. 212) is like a big top for eye candy.

Affordability without Sacrifice: Not all affordable hotels are shabby. New arrivals Crowne Plaza Orlando–Lake Buena Vista (p. 217), Drury Inn Suites (p. 220), Avanti Resort Orlando (p. 223), and Fairfield Inn Orlando International Drive/Convention Center (p. 223) can buy you a just-built room near the action for around $100 a night, while the B Resort (p. 209) puts you in a South Beach–styled resort right on Disney property for the middle $100s. WorldQuest Resort (p.218–219) and Meliá Orlando Suite Hotel at Celebration (p. 215) have style and space but not the crowds and offer one-bedroom units from $129. Or rent a full house, as tastefully furnished as if you lived there, from All Star Vacation Homes (p. 225).

Orlando’s best Restaurants

The Most Memorable Meals at the Resorts: Orlando is one of those places where even blasé restaurants are priced like splurges, but some special-occasion tables get you the most bang for your buck, including California Grill (overlooking the Magic Kingdom fireworks from atop the Contemporary Resort; p. 172), Todd English’s bluezoo or Deep Blu (serving impeccable fish; p. 173 and p. 172), Boma (an all-you-can-eat feast in a hotel where you can watch African animals roam; p. 172); and the famous character meals, where your fuzzy hosts serve up family memories (p. 191).

Finding Family-Run Places to Eat: Some fabulous restaurants, many family-run, have been unfairly elbowed into the background by same-old, also-ran chains. Orlando’s real-world selection puts Epcot’s World Showcase to shame, and at a fraction of the price: Bruno’s Italian Restaurant (abbondanza! right in the franchise zone of Disney, too!; p. 178); Nile Ethiopian Cuisine (authentically African, down to the coffee ceremony, near Disney; p. 184); Havana’s Cuban Cuisine (the real stuff, from steak to plantains, right by Disney; p. 180); and Arepas El Cacao (p. 185), whose overstuffed Venezuelan flatbread sandwiches first gained area popularity as food truck fare.

Big Style, Local Flavors: Get in touch with the locals: The veggie chili at the friendly hangout Dandelion Communitea Cafe (p. 187) is to die for, and the quirky personalities of homegrown Funky Monkey Wine Company (p. 181) and Maxine’s on Shine (p. 187) are seductive fun. Above all, the sensationally priced Vietnamese district of Mills 50 (p. 188) is a revelation. Yes, as it turns out, there are still dining secrets in this town.