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Interesting Facts
- Orlando offers the largest motion picture facility outside of Hollywood. Universal Studios has entertained visitors for a decade with state-of-the-art rides, movie sets, live entertainment, shopping and other attractions. Universal Studios Escape encompasses more than 840 acres and has two theme parks – Universal Studios Florida and the new Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Try Jurassic Park Island at the new park or such thriller rides as Earthquake, King Kong or Jaws at the original park.
- That's one big baby. The latest addition to SeaWorld's family of killer whales was born at 7:53 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on June 22, 1999, in the park's Shamu Stadium. Baby Shamu weighed about 350 pounds and measured seven feet long. The elder Shamu and his expanding family are the stars of this marine-life park that explores the mysteries of the deep with such attractions as "Manatees: The Last Generation?" and "Terrors of the Deep."
- It's not such a small world. Orlando's mainstay attraction – Disney's Magic Kingdom ® – is about the size of two Manhattan islands and needs a cast of 55,000 people to create its magic, making it the largest single-site employer in the United States. Uncle Walt clandestinely purchased 33,000 acres in the 1960s and began what is now the world's top tourist destination. In addition to the Magic Kingdom ® Park, there is EPCOT®, Disney-MGM Studios ® and a host of resort hotels.
- Honey, don't forget to turn off the lights. More than 26,000 feet of lights outline the EPCOT® World Showcase pavilions. And every night, the high-tech lighting serves as part of the spectacular IllumiNations Laser Show – a 16-minute grand finale staged over the lagoon at the World Showcase that also features darting laser beams, fireworks and rainbow-lit dancing fountains against a backdrop of classical music.
- Row, row, row your boat. River enthusiasts should check out the upper Oklawaha River, which has been selected by Paddler Magazine as the best canoe trip in Florida. The Oklawaha is a narrow, winding river that is largely shaded by a canopy of trees and was used to carry steamboats and barges into Florida's interior in the 19th century. The land on its eastside is part of the Ocala National Forest and is home to deer, black bear and otter.
- The world famous water ski show at Cypress Gardens got its start in 1943 when a local newspaper ran a photo of water skiers being pulled by a boat at Cypress Gardens. Soldiers began showing up to see the show, even though there was none; so the owner's wife rounded up her children and their friends to stage the first water ski show. The park is a botanical paradise of more than 200 acres featuring 8000 varieties of plants and flowers from more than 90 countries and breath-taking seasonal floral festivals.
- Off into the wild blue yonder. Check out the Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Air Museum for a taste of the world's military history in the air. The museum gives people a chance to see planes that many have only glimpsed in World War II newsreels or read about in history books. See the process of restoring vintage warplanes to their old glory. Planes commonly on display include F-101A Voodoo, P-51 Mustang, Boeing B-17 and Russian Mig 21.
- Watch that first step. The thrill-seeking visitor to Orlando should check out Summit Plummet at Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park. Here you can ride one of the world's fastest water slides – freefalling 120 feet at speeds of more than 55 mph to a splash-landing at the base of the park's snow-capped mountain, Mt. Gushmore.
- Something for the artistically minded. Check out the work of Albin Polasek, internationally acclaimed Czech-American realist artist. The Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, at his one-time home and studio in Winter Park, is home to more than 200 sculptures and paintings. Among the works on display is the relief "Evoking Memories," which was the result of Polasek comforting himself after the tragic death of a friend; and "Eternal Moment," which depicts a man and woman at the moment of first love.
- Want an escape from Mickey and friends? Try a leisurely cruise through old Florida. For most of the century, visitors have been viewing Winter Park's chain of natural lakes aboard pontoons that wind through canals and tree-shaded gullies. Check out the lakeside mansions and cypress swamps.
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