Gatorland
14501 S. Orange Blossom Trail
407-855-5496
Family friendly: Yes
This is the safest way to spend the day with thousands of alligators and other Florida-native creatures. The park offers educational productions such as Jungle Crocs of the World and Snakes of Florida. Visitors can also walk through the Alligator Breed Marsh and the tranquil Cypress Swamp. There is a water park for children, charmingly named Lily's Pad, on the premises as well.

SeaWorld Orlando
7007 SeaWorld Dr.
407-363-2280
Family friendly: Yes
SeaWorld is a learning environment, animal theater, and amusement park combined into one. The park presents numerous aquatic habitats for guests to view, from an Arctic display with penguins and polar bears to tropical waters filled with dolphins. Live shows include the Shamu Adventure, featuring some talented killer whales and Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island, with seals, otters, and a walrus all acting up onstage. Journey to Atlantis is a thrilling "watercoaster" with a 60-foot drop. Guests can also take behind-the-scenes educational tours and even sign up to become a trainer for a day. Some plans for 2000 include Kraken--a roller coaster that according to SeaWorld will be the fastest, highest, and longest in Orlando--and Discovery Cove, a new park where guests can swim with dolphins, rays, and tropical fish.

Silver Springs
5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd.
352-236-2121
Visitors can take glass-bottom boat rides along the Silver River, which is filled with natural water from the springs, making for a clear view of the fish, turtles, and 10,000-year-old fossils underneath. There are also botanical gardens and jungle safaris here, among other attractions. This is where the six original Tarzan movies were filmed as well as The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Universal Studios Escape
Kirkman Rd., Highway 435 (north of I-4, just south of Florida's Turnpike)
407-363-8220
Family friendly: Yes
Universal Studios Escape encompasses both the traditional Universal Studios Florida movie-based theme park and the more recent ride-filled Islands of Adventure. Universal Studios Orlando doubles as a working studio and major theme park attraction. It's segmented into six areas, beginning in the Front Lot with its cinema memorabilia and shops. Hollywood Boulevard features the well-executed Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time, and in the miniature New York set visitors can smell the banana breath of the world's most famous ape at the King Kong. The San Francisco section has an earthquake simulation as well as a Jaws attraction, and Expo Park has Barney Playland and the Back to the Future and E.T. Ad venture rides. There is also a new addition geared towards children called Woody Woodpecker's KidZone--a section here named Curious George Goes to Town douses kids with water at almost every turn.Universal Studios Islands of Adventure is one of the most inventive theme parks in the country. It also features some of the most adrenaline-inducing roller coasters, such as Dueling Dragons and the Incredible Hulk Coaster. Some other highlights include the Jurassic Park area, with its giant animatron dinosaur, and the Dr. Seuss kids area.

Walt Disney World
Lake Buena Vista
407-824-4321
Family friendly: Yes
The attraction that made Orlando and continues to be its leading destination is Walt Disney World. Disney World is actually a collection of theme parks and attractions that are connected by an extensive transportation system.

The Magic Kingdom resembles a cut-up pie in its layout. It is circumnavigated by the Disney World Railroad. To survey the park and get an idea of the places you want to spend your time, take the railroad from the station near the park entrance.

Main Street in the Magic Kingdom is a Victorian-style street with the resplendent Cinderella's Castle at its terminus. For information, go to City Hall on your left as you enter. Other areas radiate off from Cinderella's Castle. Moving clockwise, these begin with Tomorrowland, which has Space Mountain and Alien Encounters in its attractions. Fantasyland visits the lands of popular Disney characters such as Cinderella and the Lion King, and includes the It's a Small World ride. Frontierland and Liberty Square are inspired by the colonial period, and feature Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster and Splash Mountain, which is a wet log ride. Adventureland's jungle theme proves to be very popular with its Pirates of the Caribbean, Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, and Jungle Cruise. The Magic Kingdom is located at exit 25B off I-4.

EPCOT is the educational theme park in the Disney fold. The entrance is marked by what appears to be a giant golf ball--the Spaceship Earth, which is actually a 15-minute ride that takes visitors through 40,000 years of human communication. EPCOT is divided into two sections: World Showcase, which displays the unique elements of various cultures, such as China, Norway, and Mexico; and Future World, which explores technological ideas and experimentation. In the popular Innoventions section of Future World visitors can get miniaturized in the feature "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience." EPCOT recently added the theme ride Test Track and through January 2001 will feature its new Millennium Village, highlighting even more global cultures than its World Showcase. Its nightly fireworks and laser show "IllumiNations" is a colorful burst of pyrotechnics. EPCOT sits between the Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney areas, near the center of Disney's property; take exit 26B exit off I-4.

Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park features a number of explosive live and animated productions such as the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3-D. Two of the most popular rides in the park are Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. Visitors can also watch animators create their art and take the Studios Backlot Tour--a tram and walking tour that displays the behind-the-scenes aspects of film production, from special effects to set design. It includes Catastrophe Canyon, where your tram is subjected to dramatic debacles in the finest Hollywood disaster-film tradition. Disney MGM is located just south of the Magic Kingdom; take exit 25B off I-4.

The most recent theme park in the Orlando Disney Family is Disney Animal Kingdom. It contains more than 300 different species of animal s, and some 2.3 million plants--including 2,000 species of shrubs alone. The Kilimanjaro Safari is a theme park-style ride that takes passengers through the African savanna. Visitors can also get up close and personal with dinosaurs in Countdown to Extinction. Besides the animals, visitors can watch a 3-D movie in a theater situated at the base of a giant fantasy tree called the Tree of Life, and they can learn about the environment at the Conservation Station. Animal Kingdom is located between Blizzard Beach and the Disney All Star Resorts at the end of Osceola Parkway. This is just off the main Magic Kingdom highway; take exit 25B off I-4.

DisneyQuest is a mammoth arcade filled with interactive adventure games and virtual-reality experiences such as the Virtual Jungle Cruise. Kids can even fly their own carpet in Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride. DisneyQuest is open until midnight daily.

Water Mania
6073 West US 192
407-396-2626
Family friendly: Yes
Aside from acres of water slides, Water Mania also features a wave pool, go-karts, miniature golf, and a bodyboard/surf simulator.

The Mercado
8445 International Dr., Suite 201
407-345-9337
Family friendly: Yes
The Mercado is one of the most colorful entertainment complexes along International Drive. This 20-acre area includes gardens and paths that lead to a fountain in the central courtyard, where there is live entertainment nightly. There are 60 specialty shops as well as cafes, restaurants, an international food court, and a British pub. Also located here is the Guinness Book of World Records Museum and the "Titanic Ship of Dreams" exhibit that has full-size replicas of passenger cabins, more than 200 items of memorabilia from private collections, and live storytellers.

Ripley's Believe It or Not
8201 International Dr.
407-363-4418
The building is constructed to look like it's falling into one of Florida's sinkholes. Inside are the usual oddities such as two-headed animals. This makes for a good night spot since it's open until 1am daily (last tickets sold at midnight).

Terror on Church Street
135 S. Orange Ave.
407-649-FEAR
Between the spookily dressed actors and high-tech special effects, this huge, 25-room haunted house might be a bit too scary for very young children. But older kids and even adults who enjoy a good fright will be in heaven. This house is open until midnight, making it a good way to top a day at the theme parks.

Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Central Florida
851 North Maitland Ave.
407-628-0555
This museum displays a chronological history of the Holocaust, including more than 500 videotapes, 5,000 volumes of research material, and a multimedia exhibit.

Orange County Historical Museum
812 East Rollins St.
407-897-6350
Family friendly: Yes
This museum takes a look at the historical events of Central Florida and the people who have inhabited the area. The exhibits include a 1926 fire station, Orlando's oldest standing station.

Past, Inc.
725-B South Goldwyn Ave.
407-297-5790
Family friendly: Yes
Past, Inc. runs the Wellsbuilt Museum of African American History, which features exhibits and memorabilia about jazz musicians and other entertainers.

Winter Park Historical Museum
200 West New England Ave.
407-647-8180
Family friendly: Yes
Located in the town's farmers market, this museum gives a pictorial history of the village of Winter Park, just north of Orlando proper. Also on display are collectibles and memorabilia.

Astronaut Hall of Fame
6225 Vectorspace Blvd.
407-269-6100
Not only do visitors have a chance to hear the stories of America's first astronauts, but the Hall of Fame offers simulators that let you feel like you're in training to run a space ship.

Orlando Museum of Art
2416 North Mills Ave.
407-896-4231
One of the best art museums in the region, the Orlando Museum of Art has a collection featuring art of the ancient Americas and 19th- and early 20th-century American art. There is also a collection of contemporary American art including works from Robert Rauschenberg.

Orlando Science Center
2416 North Mills Ave.
407-514-2000
The Orlando Science Center takes visitors through an interactive odyssey with such exhibits as the "Tunnel of Discovery," "Cosmic Tourist," and "WaterWorks."

Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts
227 East Kennedy Blvd.
407-647-3307
This museum focuses on preserving the heritage, arts, and education of the arts in the Eatonville community. Also available are the writings of anthropologist and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston.

Central Florida Zoological Park
3755 NW Highway 17-92
407-323-4450
This zoo harbors more than 400 animals including clouded leopards, mandrills, cheetahs, and elephants. For a bird's eye view, walk along the elevated boardwalks throughout the park.

Cypress Gardens
Off US 27, south of I-4
941-324-2111
One of the lushest spots in the region, Cypress Gardens, founded in 1936, is a 200-acre expanse with manicured gardens and cypress swamps. This also serves as an entertainment complex, with extreme waterskiing shows, choreographed ice skating productions, and circus performers. The area also features a Butterfly Conservatory, flower festivals, and seasonal concerts.

Discovery Island Park
Walt Disney World Resort
407-824-3784
This is an 11-acre bird and small animal sanctuary--a respite in the midst of all the Disney's theme parks.

Harry P. Leu Gardens
1920 North Forest Ave.
407-246-2620
Within this 50-acre botanical garden lies the one of the largest rose gardens in Florida and the most expansive camellia collection east of the Mississippi.