The hands of Mickey may have pushed Orlando to the top as America's number one family vacation destination, but Walt Disney World is now in good company. In fact, you could easily spend a week visiting Orlando's theme parks and entertainment centers and you still wouldn't hit everything. Universal Studios recently opened Islands of Adventure, one of the most innovative theme parks in the country, and SeaWorld continues to add water rides to its facility. Walt Disney World alone is home to four major theme parks; two water parks; a zoological park; six golf courses; a sports complex; 26 resort hotels; and two main centers for dining, shopping, and nighttime entertainment. The list goes on and shows no signs of stopping.
Though most visitors head to Orlando for the thrill rides and giant cartoon characters, the city is also a hub for nightclubs, five-star restaurants, outlet shopping, and golf. Downtown Orlando (which most visitors never even see, let alone fully explore) is home to several art and history museums that, unfortunately, get dwarfed by the larger-than-life attractions on its outskirts.
Orlando's roots date back to the end of the second Seminole War in the mid-19th century. The town, which first grew as an army post, may have gotten its name from Orlando Reeves, a U.S. soldier who was killed during battle with the Seminole Indians in 1835.
When Orlando was incorporated as a city in 1875, the surrounding area was mainly comprised of lakes and pine forest. But this fertile terrain drew cattle ranchers, and soon much of the region was turned into farmland. Cotton plantations were also started, but were a short-lived industry due to the outbreak of the Civil War and a harsh hurricane in 1871 that destroyed most of the crops.
The cotton fields soon turned into citrus groves, and oranges and grapefruits were easily shipped via the new extension of the South Florida Railroad into Central Florida in 1880. Central Florida became the country's citrus capital during the 1950s.
In 1971, the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom opened, marking the beginning of Orlando's shift to a vacation spot. With Disney continuing to expand, SeaWorld opened in 1973, and the rest of the area began focusing on how to get tourist dollars by opening hotels, restaurants, and related attractions.
Though Orlando caters to family travelers, its diversity and multitude of attractions have a wider appeal. Nevertheless, many of these will likely remain in the shadow of Mickey.
