Orlando International Drive, Florida, USA
Orlando's International Drive offers some of the world's greatest theme parks all within a short drive, home to many hotels, small tourist attractions, restaurants, and other commercial properties. International Drive stretches for over 11km and offers plenty of choice for the whole family for both quiet and relaxing holidays and jam packed activity holidays.
Orlando International Drive
A great choice for being in the thick of things, International Drive is lined with shops, restaurants, hotels, cinemas and some of the areas best parks such as SeaWorld, Aquatica and Universal Studios.
For those who don't drive or prefer not to, the convenient I-Ride Trolley service operates the length of International Drive.
Orlando International Airport is approx 20km away and Sanford International Airport is approx 41km away.
Beaches
If you have hired a car, it might be worthwhile taking a drive to one of Florida's beautiful beaches. Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach are just over an hours drive away and well worth taking some time out to go and relax for a few hours.
Things to Do
Not only is International Drive crammed full of bars, restaurants and shops, there are also tons of things to do.
The main attraction has to be Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure. The Universal Theme Parks provide plenty of thrills and excitement for all the family. Islands of Adventure offers thrill rides, shows and rides for younger members of the family too. Universal Studios is movie based with lots of rides, 3D shows and plenty of other entertainment. Universal also has it's own entertainment area called Citywalk which is full of restaurants, clubs and entertainment venues.
Seaworld is also close by and as well as the many animal exhibits, there are many rides for all the family and plenty of shows and other attractions. If you enjoy seeing the animals at Seaworld, you could visit nearby Discovery Cove for a chance to get up close to dolphins, stingrays, tropical fish and some beautiful exotic birds. The park only allows so many people in per day so you know it's not going to be really busy but you are best to book in advance.
Aquatica is situated on International Drive and has many slides and water attractions for the whole family to enjoy, definitely not one to be missed.
Although lots of people do visit the main theme parks, a lot do enjoy visiting the likes of Titanic the Experience, Wonder Works and Ripleys believe it or not, all of these are great attractions. There are also several mini golf courses here which are great fun for all the family.
Fun Spot Action Park is another popular attraction and offers various rides including a large ferris wheel, go karts and arcade games.
Out and About
With the great selection of shops on International Drive, you could spend hours and hours looking for a bargain or a souvenir to take home. There are lots of souvenir shops dotted around the place as well as many outlet shops. As well as the outlet shops, you will also find large shopping malls such as Festival Bay and Pointe Orlando where you can visit high street shops and speciality shops. Not only do the malls have loads of shops, they also have a lot of really nice restaurants, cinema and other entertainment venues so it is quite easy to spend a few hours chilling after a busy afternoon shopping. Pointe Orlando also has some great bars and nightclubs too.
Whether you are going out as a group or out with the kids, you will find something to suit the whole party. There are dinner shows which are great for family nights out and cocktail bars and music bars if you are looking to party. There is also a good variety of restaurants, from American favourites such as Denny's, Ponderosa and IHOP to kid's favourites, Pizza Hut and McDonalds. It's not all fast food and family restaurants, there are plenty more options available.
Nearby Attractions
Approx 15km away, you will find Disney World and with 4 theme parks, 2 waterparks, dining, shopping and entertainment areas, you will have no problem finding something to do. There is so much going on in Disney that it is worth setting aside some time to explore it.
Florida's Legoland is the largest Legoland park in the world and is approx 68km away. There are restaurants, shops and over 50 rides, shows and attractions. There is also a botanical gardens and a waterpark too.
NASA's launch headquarters, Kennedy Space Centre is just over an hour away and gives you the opportunity to tour launch areas, see giant rockets, train in spaceflight simulators, meet a veteran astronaut and if you are lucky enough, view a launch.
For something a bit different, get up close to the alligators for a taste of the real Florida. As well as the various shows and attractions, Gatorland is home to one of the best zip lines in the USA. Soaring through the sky at a great height will give you some fantastic birds eye views.
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