Orlando Vacation Restaurants, Theme Parks, and Things to Do

Walt Disney World® Theme Parks

Explore the Enchanted Cinderella Castle

You've heard the story of Cinderella, her Prince, and her fairy godmother ... now see the splendor of her story come to life at Cinderella Castle. Your entire family will delight at finally seeing this enchanting symbol of magic, fantasy and imagination in person at Disney's Magic Kingdom®  Park! (as to Disney artwork, logos and properties: ©Disney)

The hardest part of finding things to do in the Orlando area is deciding what to leave out. There are so many things to do that you would need two full months -- no exaggeration -- to see every attraction just once. And that doesn't even include the things you would do on your off days like lounging by the pool or taking in a movie and dinner. Is it any wonder that Orlando is more than a tourist Mecca, but also a growing community of over 1.5 million residents?

Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks in Orlando

Tops on the list is Walt Disney World, consisting of four theme parks and two water parks:

• Magic Kingdom - Since 1971, the venerable granddaddy of family theme parks and a gateway into your own imagination.
• Epcot - An experimental city of the future and world showcase where visitors are amazed, educated and enlightened.
• Disney-MGM Studios - A real, working studio and a theme park dedicated to classic movies and TV shows.
• Disney's Animal Kingdom Park - An exciting live animal safari park mixed with some fantasy fun that could only be pulled off by the folks at Disney World.
• Typhoon Lagoon - Waterslides, streams, tides, rapids and artificially created waves make up this wet and wild theme park.
• Blizzard Beach - Create a freak snowstorm and set it down in South Florida then wait for the snow to turn into slush and build a water park around it. That's Blizzard Beach!

Disney World is constantly adding new attractions to its parks and resort areas. You can even catch the latest Cirque Du Soleil show in Downtown Disney. And a stay at any one of Disney's two dozen resorts gets you free monorail transportation throughout the whole complex. Not your average train ride!

Restaurants in Orlando

• Even dining in Orlando is nothing short of an adventure. For a fun dinner that the kids would enjoy, skip to the head of the line with a Planet Hollywood Premiere or Blockbuster Meal Voucher. Movie and TV memorabilia abound in this planet-shaped restaurant that emphasizes the family dining experience with kid-friendly fare -- and not just a little section in the back of the menu that says "hot dogs" or "grilled cheese".
• For dinner with a show, there are several places to choose from. Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner & Show is an import from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which is just outside of Dolly Parton's own Dollywood theme park. The show features a friendly rivalry between the North and the South (or the Blue and the Gray, if you're old enough to remember the Civil War) as dozens of entertainers and scores of horses perform for the dining crowd.
• Arabian Nights Dinner Attraction in Kissimmee is a local favorite that takes place around an indoor equestrian theatre, while a more recent addition, Pirate's Dinner Adventure puts you on a Spanish galleon, and makes you part of the show!

So there's your first week or two of things to do. Certainly more than enough to fill your vacation time. Of course, you'll miss a few rides or you'll see something on the menu that you would have liked to try. Put it on your "next time" list and maybe you'll be able to squeeze it in between games of golf.