My Top Orlando Attractions

Posted by Mike Gerrard Mar 17, 2008

We've just returned from a month in Central Florida, where my wife was researching a new guidebook to Orlando, with excursions as far as Tampa and St Petersburg on the west coast, and the Space Coast in the east. It was a hectic non-stop trip, and my first visit to the Sunshine State. It was an eye-opener, showing me there's more, much mre to Florida than just Disneyland and the other theme parks. Here's a quick run-down of my personal Florida favorites:

• Boggy Creek Airboat Rides: an exciting ride on Lake Tohoe, seeing gators, snail kites and many more.
• Salvador Dali Museum: one of the biggest and best Salvador Dali collections anywhere.
• Bern's Steakhouse: the best steak I've ever eaten, and the biggest wine cellar in the world.
• Ybor City: the historic Cuban quarter of Tampa, and America's cigar capital.
• Soarin' at Epcot: convincing hang-gliding simulator over the California landscape.
• Discovery Cove: swimming with dolphins, the highlight of the whole trip.
• The Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee: real cowboy skills and thrills.
• Sea World: dolphins, killer whales, manatees and other wonderful wildlife.
• Kennedy Space Center: the Space Shuttle Endeavour was on the launch pad, and we had lunch with an astronaut.
• Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge: seeing gators and hawks, and watching an otter feeding for about 15 minutes.
• Cocoa Beach: laid-back beach resort. We'll go back.
• Spiderman: best theme park ride of all, at Universal Studios.
• Downtown Orlando: great art galleries and impressive restaurants.
• Canoe Escape: a relaxing float down the Hillsborough River near Tampa with an expert naturalist, seeing spoonbills, hawks, woodpeckers, herons, egrets, anhingas and simply enjoying the peace and quiet, and Florida's breath-taking wildlife.

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See what my wife thought was Walt Disney World's Best Ride.

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