🏖️ What to Do · Orlando, FL Attractions
Things to Do in Orlando, FL
60 real, currently-operating attractions across every category — Disney and Universal theme parks, water parks, I-Drive attractions, and day trips — so you can plan around what you actually want to see instead of scrolling a generic list.
🏗️ Disney & Universal Parks
✅ Verified Open
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🎢 Universal Parks
🎡 Other Parks
🌊 Water Parks
🎯 I-Drive
🎭 Dinner Shows
🌴 Outdoors
⛳ Golf
🛍️ Shopping
🎮 Family Fun
🎨 Museums
🚗 Day Trips
FAQ
Orlando is the theme park capital of the world — Walt Disney World’s four gates anchor the west side of the metro, Universal Orlando’s three parks (including the new Epic Universe) sit a few miles northeast, and SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, and Discovery Cove round out the major-park lineup. International Drive strings together mid-size attractions like ICON Park and WonderWorks between the big parks, while day trips to Kennedy Space Center and Winter Park give visitors a break from the theme-park pace. We checked each attraction directly against its own official site and current open status rather than a generic aggregator list.
4 Attractions
Magic Kingdom Park
Disney’s flagship fairy-tale park built around Cinderella Castle, the most-visited theme park in the world.
EPCOT
A park split between futuristic innovation pavilions and the World Showcase’s 11 country pavilions.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
A movie/TV-themed park home to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
An animal-conservation-themed park centered on the Tree of Life and Pandora – The World of Avatar.
3 Attractions
Universal Studios Florida
A movie/TV-studio-themed park featuring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley.
Universal’s Islands of Adventure
A themed-island park home to Hogsmeade, Jurassic Park, and Marvel Super Hero Island.
Universal Epic Universe
Universal’s newest gate, featuring How to Train Your Dragon, Super Nintendo World, and Dark Universe lands.
3 Attractions
SeaWorld Orlando
A marine-life park combining animal exhibits with coasters like Mako and Ice Breaker.
LEGOLAND Florida Resort
A LEGO-brick-themed park in Winter Haven built on the former Cypress Gardens site, aimed at younger kids.
Discovery Cove
SeaWorld’s all-inclusive, reservation-only day resort known for swimming with dolphins.
4 Attractions
Disney’s Blizzard Beach
A ski-resort-themed water park with the Summit Plummet speed slide.
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon
A tropical-storm-themed water park with one of the world’s largest wave pools.
Universal’s Volcano Bay
Universal’s tropical-themed water park built around the Krakatau volcano centerpiece.
Aquatica Orlando
SeaWorld’s water park with habitats where guests can see dolphins and other animals while riding slides.
6 Attractions
ICON Park
An entertainment complex on I-Drive housing The Wheel, Madame Tussauds, SEA LIFE Aquarium, and more.
Madame Tussauds Orlando
A wax-figure museum featuring celebrity and pop-culture likenesses, located at ICON Park.
WonderWorks Orlando
An upside-down-building science-themed indoor amusement attraction with 100+ hands-on exhibits.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando
An “odditorium” museum of strange artifacts in a building modeled to look like it’s sinking into a sinkhole.
SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium
A walk-through aquarium at ICON Park featuring a 360-degree ocean tunnel tank.
Old Town Kissimmee
A nostalgic open-air entertainment district with classic rides, shops, and a weekly classic car cruise.
4 Attractions
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
A jousting-and-swordplay dinner show staged in a mock medieval castle in Kissimmee.
Pirate’s Dinner Adventure
A pirate-themed dinner show with acrobatics and a full-size pirate ship set inside a lagoon arena.
Sleuths Mystery Dinner Shows
An interactive comedy whodunit dinner theater with audience-driven mystery solving.
Capone’s Dinner & Show
A 1930s-gangster-themed interactive dinner show with live music and comedy.
8 Attractions
Gatorland
A classic Florida attraction/wildlife park with thousands of alligators, a zipline, and gator wrestling shows.
Wekiwa Springs State Park
A spring-fed state park popular for swimming, canoeing, and hiking near Apopka.
Blue Spring State Park
A spring-fed park in Orange City known as a winter manatee refuge on the St. Johns River.
Harry P. Leu Gardens
A 50-acre botanical garden near downtown Orlando with rose gardens, camellias, and a historic house.
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens
A mid-size zoo in Sanford with a treetop adventure course and Florida-native wildlife exhibits.
Boggy Creek Airboat Rides
Guided airboat tours through Central Florida’s marshes and wetlands to spot alligators and birds.
Forever Florida
An eco-ranch offering zipline canopy tours and horseback safaris through native Florida habitat.
Wekiva Island
A riverside recreation spot near Longwood for kayaking, paddleboarding, and tubing on the Wekiva River.
4 Attractions
Walt Disney World Golf
Disney’s championship golf courses (Magnolia and Palm) at Walt Disney World Resort.
ChampionsGate Golf Club
A 36-hole David Leadbetter-designed golf resort south of Orlando.
Falcon’s Fire Golf Club
A public championship golf course in Kissimmee near the Disney parks.
Grande Lakes Orlando Golf Club
A Greg Norman-designed course at the Ritz-Carlton/JW Marriott Grande Lakes resort.
7 Attractions
Disney Springs
Disney’s free-to-enter waterfront shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
Universal CityWalk Orlando
Universal’s dining, shopping, and nightlife promenade connecting its theme parks.
The Mall at Millenia
An upscale shopping mall near Universal with luxury anchor stores like Neiman Marcus and Louis Vuitton.
Pointe Orlando
An open-air shopping, dining, and entertainment complex on International Drive.
The Florida Mall
One of the region’s largest enclosed malls, near the airport, with Crayola Experience on-site.
Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets
A large designer/brand-name outlet shopping center near Disney on I-Drive.
Orlando International Premium Outlets
A major outlet shopping center on International Drive with 180+ stores.
8 Attractions
Andretti Indoor Karting & Games
An indoor entertainment complex with high-speed go-karting, arcade games, and bowling.
Fun Spot America Orlando
A locally owned amusement park on I-Drive with multi-level go-kart tracks and a free-admission model.
Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf
A pirate-themed mini golf course chain with several Orlando-area locations.
Congo River Golf
An African-jungle-themed mini golf course chain with multiple Orlando locations.
iFLY Orlando
An indoor skydiving wind-tunnel experience near International Drive.
Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park
A treetop rope-and-zipline adventure course in south Orlando.
Crayola Experience Orlando
An interactive, hands-on creativity attraction for kids located inside The Florida Mall.
5 Attractions
Orlando Museum of Art
The city’s leading art museum, featuring American, African, and contemporary art collections.
Orlando Science Center
A hands-on science museum with a planetarium, observatory, and interactive exhibit halls.
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Downtown Orlando’s premier venue for Broadway tours, concerts, and symphony performances.
Mennello Museum of American Art
A small museum near Loch Haven Park specializing in American folk art.
Orange County Regional History Center
A Smithsonian-affiliated museum in downtown Orlando covering Central Florida’s history.
4 Attractions
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
NASA’s launch-site visitor complex on Merritt Island, featuring the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit and rocket garden.
Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour
A historic hour-long pontoon boat tour through Winter Park’s chain of lakes and canals.
Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art
A Winter Park museum holding the world’s most comprehensive collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany glass.
Bok Tower Gardens
A historic National Historic Landmark garden and 205-foot Art Deco carillon tower in Lake Wales.
Planning Tips for This Area
- Buy park tickets and make dining reservations well in advance. Disney and Universal both use date-based ticketing and reservation systems that fill up, especially around holidays.
- Pick a “home base” park each day. Orlando’s parks are spread across a large metro area — trying to hop between Disney and Universal in one day usually means a lot of driving.
- Summer afternoons bring near-daily thunderstorms. Plan outdoor attractions for mornings when possible, and always carry a poncho.
- Orlando’s attraction lineup changes constantly. Every attraction above was checked for current operating status, but confirm hours directly before a special trip.
How many days do I need for Orlando’s theme parks?
Most visitors budget 4-5 days for Walt Disney World alone (one day per park), plus 2-3 days for Universal Orlando if visiting both parks and Epic Universe — a full trip covering both resorts often runs a week or more.
Is Universal Epic Universe open?
Yes — Universal’s newest theme park gate opened in 2025 and is fully operational, featuring lands themed to How to Train Your Dragon, Super Nintendo World, and Dark Universe.
Are Disney’s water parks open year-round?
Disney typically closes one water park at a time for seasonal refurbishment while the other stays open, then swaps — check current schedules directly before planning a water park day.
How does NME choose which attractions to feature?
We verify each attraction directly against its own official site and current open status rather than relying on aggregator lists, and we exclude anything we can’t confirm is still open. Read more on our methodology page.
Know an Attraction We Missed?
If you know a great thing to do in Orlando we’re missing, email us and we’ll take a look.
Heading to Orlando?
See the full trip guide — where to stay and where to eat, organized the same way, by category.
