| Sanford Airport is often the starting
point for those traveling to Orlando, Florida on their
holidays.
Ideal for family fun and the young at heart Orlando
has much to offer, with its abundance of theme parks
to suit all tastes, plenty of great hotspots for night-life
and even educational trips that are guaranteed to capture
the imagination like never before.
With all year round great weather, it's
no surprise Florida has been nicknamed 'The Sunshine
State'. Orlando sees average high temperatures of 34c
(93 fahrenheit) in the summer and even winter hits a
pleasant 22c (72 fahrenheit) so there'll be plenty of
great days to enjoy, and many happy memories.
With so much to do around the Sanford/Orlando
area you'll be hard pushed to fit everything in during
one visit. This is the kind of trip where it is almost
essential to make use of a car hire in Sanford/Orlando,
as Florida is often underestimated in its size and relying
on public transport, especially on family trips can
add unnecessary pressures.
Comparing the Florida peninsula to the rest of America
it may seem fairly small, but its is in fact only a
fraction smaller then England. Keep in mind that in
hot weather, traveling by car, especially with children
we recommend an air conditioned hire car.
Theme parks
Some of the main attractions in Orlando are the fantastic
theme parks and there is no shortage of choice.
There is the ever popular Disney Land which remains
one of the world's, if not the world's favorite family
theme park. For lovers of Sea Life there is the aptly
named Sea Life Centre and Orlando also caters for the
more religious with The Holy Land, a theme park built
to send you back in time to the Bible days of Jerusalem.
Disney Land
The Disney Land resort offers the chance that kids dream
of, to meet their favorite characters and enjoy some
spectacular shows and rides including 'Big Thunder Mountain
Railroad', 'Splash Mountain', 'Space Mountain', the
'Indiana Jones Adventure' and “'It's a small world'.
One show that can't be missed is the famous Main Street
Parade that offers a chance to see all the Disney characters
that you may not have been lucky enough to see around
the park.
Also part of the Disney experience is the Epcot Centre,
with its instantly recognisable dome taking centre place,
surrounded by several areas all dedicated to countries
around the globe. This is one of the only places on
earth where you can learn about and sample so many cultures
in a day. Why not stop for a quick break in Japan to
see a Taiko drum show before heading to Morocco for
lunch? The Epcot Centre offers it all, and why not after
lunch take a little astronaut training? It's all there
to enjoy!
To see everything Disneyland has to offer will take
the good part of 2-3 days, so its well worth investing
in a three-day pass, and if you want to keep the Disney
magic during your visit there are many Disney hotel
resorts which offer monorail travel too and from the
main parks, as well as further attractions along the
way.
| The
Kennedy Space Centre
Here you'll get to see everything from lunar landing
modules and the impressive 'rocket garden' to
being able to take a guided coach tour around
the inner workings of the space centre, including
the chance to see the launch pad and the Vehicle
Assembly Building in Launch Complex 39
Those with the luck of good timing will witness
the spectacle of a genuine space shuttle launch
with tickets available to view from a podium on
site, although you can get equally as clear views
and in some places better by taking your hire
car along the surrounding Florida coastline
Cocoa Beach is a particular favorite point to
view space shuttle launches, and makes up a part
of coastline that has been dubbed the 'Space Coast'.
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| The
Kennedy Space Centre's Rocket Garden gives
you a chance to view up close many different
types of rockets. |
|
| Sea World
Another must visit park in the Orlando area is
Sea World, with its world renowned Orcas (Killer
Whales) including the infamous Shamu, along with
much other aquatic life such as Sea Lions and
Dolphins, both with their own shows.
Orca shows are run throughout the day with a special
show at night, these are highly recommended visits
during your day trip. It's worth noting that the
night time show is different to that of the day
time shows.
Linked to Sea World is Discovery Cove, a recent
addition which acts as a separate entity and makes
more of a special trip.
As you need to book in advance and the park doesn't
allow more then a thousand visitors at a time,
the ticket prices could be considered a little
steep at around $260 each.
This inclusive price offers some unique experiences,
such as interacting with sharks, manta rays with
spans of up to 8-feet, exotic birds and of course
the main attraction swimming with dolphins, which
those who have experienced will testify is well
worth the price of admission. |
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| Sea
World puts on not just Orca,
but Dolphin and Sea Lion shows |
|
Universal
Studios
For those looking for a theme park with more of
an edge, Universal Studios offers a great day
out. It's a lot less character crammed and will
make a welcome change to many, with the edgier
styles of attractions such as the Jaws ride, Terminator
2, 3D Battle Across Time, Men In Black, Alien
Attack and now host to shows like Fear Factor
Live.
As now is popular, Universal Studios also offers
a resort (The Islands of Adventure) for those
looking for somewhere close to the action although
its worth noting that long stays in these resorts
can end up being more expensive.
Music
For a musical night out, music lovers have plenty
of choice to suit there taste. A couple of the
more notable places to visit include the House
of Blues and the Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede
Dinner and Show. The House of Blues is a good
sized music venue to see live music, with a constant
string of artists from all genres playing, with
artists such as Frank Black, Methodman, Soilwork,
Hootie & the Blowfish and Pat Green. The Stampede
and Dinner show offers a good country style night
out, with the kind of food and music you'd expect.
Celeb Spotting
Those looking for a more star studded night out
are best taking their hire car for a drive down
to Miami, which has over the last few years been
adopted and sculpted by many celebrities to become
one of 'the' places to been seen partying.
Click
here to book car hire in Sanford (Airport)
Click
here to book car hire in Orlando |
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