Disney's property also includes five golf courses. The four 18-hole golf courses are the Magnolia, the Palm, Lake Buena Vista and Osprey Ridge. There is also a nine-hole walking course called Oak Trail, designed for young golfers. Additionally, here are two themed miniature golf complexes, each with two courses, Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland.
Universal Orlando Resort
The Universal resort consists of two theme parks,
Universal Studios and
Islands of Adventure as well as
CityWalk, a night-time entertainment destination.
Universal Studios opened in 1990, and is marketed as the theme park that lets visitors "Ride the Movies." The theming in Universal Studio's is targeted at making guests feel like they are in a movie set with rides that are inspired by popular films. The park consists of six themed areas - Hollywood, Production Central, New York, San Francisco / Amity, World Expo and KidZone.
The latest ride to open at Universal is "The Simpsons Ride" which is a 3D interactive ride on the site of the old "Back to the Future" attraction.
Islands of Adventure opened in 1999. The park is a much more traditional theme park and is composed of six distinct "islands". Visitors start off in the Port of Entry and make their way through the various islands - Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, The Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing. A new island themed to the popular Harry Potter film and book series was announced in May 2007, with a scheduled opening in late 2009.
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a Marine Mammal park which features Whales, dolphins and many other sea-faring creatures. The park also features a number of thrill rides including Krakena a "floorless" roller coaster which was the longest in Florida until Disney's Expedition Everest opened in Animal Kingdom.
Aquatica
Aquatica is Orlando's latest attraction and is the brand new water park which is a companion to SeaWorld. The park opened on the 1st of March 2008 and features a number of unique attractions inluding "Dolphin Plunge" - which allows you to ride though glass tubes underwater and into a pool of dolphins.
Busch Gardens
Now known as "Busch Gardens Africa", the park was originally tagged "The Dark Continent". The theme park is effectively one of America's largest zoos, with more than 2,700 animals. Attractions include: Rhino Rally, Montu, Kumba, Scorpion, Gwazi, Edge of Africa, and SheiKra, a vertical dive coaster which opened in 2005. The theme park is located just north of Tampa around 70 miles away from the Central Florida Tourist area.
