Things to do · Orlando · United States
17 best things to do in Orlando
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jedi94, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Orlando are Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Of the 17 picks below, 2 are free, 2 work on a rainy day and 13 suit children. Allow about 7 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Magic Kingdom
- Free sights
- 2
- Good on a rainy day
- Morse Museum of American Art
- Time to see the highlights
- 7 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Kingdom | Walt Disney World | Full day | Expensive |
| EPCOT | Walt Disney World | Full day | Expensive |
| Disney's Hollywood Studios | Walt Disney World | Full day | Expensive |
| Disney's Animal Kingdom | Walt Disney World | Full day | Expensive |
| Universal Studios Florida | Universal Orlando | Full day | Expensive |
| Universal Islands of Adventure | Universal Orlando | Full day | Expensive |
| Epic Universe | Universal Orlando | Full day | Expensive |
| SeaWorld Orlando | International Drive | Full day | Expensive |
| Disney Springs | Lake Buena Vista | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Lake Eola Park | Downtown Orlando | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour | Winter Park | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Morse Museum of American Art | Winter Park | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Gatorland | South Orlando | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Wekiwa Springs State Park | Apopka | Half a day | Low cost |
| Harry P. Leu Gardens | Orlando | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Orlando Science Center | Loch Haven Park | 3 hours | Mid-priced |
| ICON Park and The Wheel | International Drive | 1–2 hours | Mid-priced |
The 17 best things to do
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Theme park · Walt Disney World
1.Magic Kingdom
Disney's original Florida park, opened in 1971, is built around Cinderella Castle and lands such as Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Adventureland. Classic rides include Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, and the evening fireworks over the castle are the high point for many families.
Arrive before the official opening time; the first hour and the afternoon parade are the quietest moments for the most popular rides.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Tickets are dated and prices vary by day; buy in advance on the official site and consider paid queue access for busy dates.
- Iconic
- Kids
- After dark
Theme park · Walt Disney World
2.EPCOT
EPCOT combines rides such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Test Track and Soarin' with World Showcase, a lakeside ring of pavilions representing 11 countries, each with its own food, shops and architecture. Seasonal festivals for food, flowers, the arts and the holidays run for much of the year.
Eat your way around World Showcase in the evening, when it is cooler and the pavilions are lit up.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- The most popular rides may use a virtual queue or paid access; check the Disney app for the current system on your date.
- Iconic
- Kids
- Food
- After dark
Theme park · Walt Disney World
3.Disney's Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios has Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, with Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, plus Toy Story Land and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Its evening Fantasmic! show plays in an outdoor amphitheatre.
Head to Galaxy's Edge or Toy Story Land at opening, as queues there build quickly.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Iconic
- After dark
Theme park · Walt Disney World
4.Disney's Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom mixes a zoo with a theme park: Kilimanjaro Safaris drives through savannah habitats with giraffes, lions and elephants, while Pandora – The World of Avatar has the Flight of Passage ride and glowing forests after dark. The Tree of Life, carved with hundreds of animals, is the park's centrepiece.
Ride Kilimanjaro Safaris early in the day, when the animals are most active and it is cooler.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Nature
- Iconic
Theme park · Universal Orlando
5.Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is built around film and TV sets, with Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter films, home to Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, plus thrill rides and shows based on movies. The Hogwarts Express train links it with Islands of Adventure for visitors with a park-to-park ticket.
Arrive before opening and head straight to Diagon Alley, where queues build fastest.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Buy dated tickets online; you need a park-to-park ticket to ride the Hogwarts Express between the two original parks.
- Kids
- Iconic
Theme park · Universal Orlando
6.Universal Islands of Adventure
Islands of Adventure has Hogsmeade and Hogwarts Castle, home to Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, plus roller coasters such as the Jurassic World VelociCoaster and the Incredible Hulk Coaster. It is the more thrill-heavy of Universal's two original parks.
Ride Hagrid's and the VelociCoaster first thing, and save the water rides for the hottest part of the afternoon.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Active
- Iconic
Theme park · Universal Orlando
7.Epic Universe
Opened in May 2025, Epic Universe is Universal's newest park, a few kilometres south of the original resort. Its lands — Super Nintendo World, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and the monster-themed Dark Universe — are arranged around a central hub called Celestial Park.
Go to the land you care about most at opening; queues elsewhere are usually shorter later in the day.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Epic Universe tickets are sold separately from the original parks and can sell out on busy dates; book well ahead.
- Kids
- Iconic
- After dark
Theme park · International Drive
8.SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando combines marine-animal habitats — penguins, sea lions, dolphins and manatees — with some of Orlando's biggest roller coasters, including the hypercoaster Mako.
Check the day's show and feeding schedule on arrival and plan coaster rides around them.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Active
- Nature
Street · Lake Buena Vista
1.Disney Springs
Disney Springs is a free-entry outdoor district of shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment beside Lake Buena Vista, with the huge World of Disney store and a tethered helium balloon ride that rises high above the lake.
Parking in the Disney Springs garages is free, so it makes an easy evening out even if you are not staying at Disney.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- After dark
Park · Downtown Orlando
2.Lake Eola Park
Lake Eola Park circles a lake in Downtown Orlando with a walking path of about 1.5 km, the illuminated fountain that is a symbol of the city, swan-shaped pedal boats and resident swans. A farmers market is held around the lake on Sundays.
Come at dusk, when the fountain lights up, and hire a swan boat for a slow lap of the lake.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Couples
- After dark
Experience · Winter Park
3.Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour
Running since 1938, the Scenic Boat Tour takes small pontoon boats across three of Winter Park's lakes and through narrow, tree-lined canals past lakeside mansions and Rollins College, with commentary on the town's history.
Combine it with lunch on Park Avenue and the Morse Museum's Tiffany glass a few blocks away.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Nature
- History
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Winter Park
4.Morse Museum of American Art
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art holds an exceptional collection of work by Louis Comfort Tiffany, including the chapel interior he designed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, along with leaded-glass windows and lamps.
Allow time for the reconstructed Tiffany Chapel, the highlight for most visitors.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- History
Zoo · South Orlando
5.Gatorland
Open since 1949, Gatorland is an old-Florida attraction with thousands of alligators and crocodiles, a breeding-marsh boardwalk with a wading-bird rookery, feeding and wrestling shows, and a zip line over the gator pools.
Time your visit for the Gator Jumparoo feeding show, and walk the marsh boardwalk in spring to see nesting birds.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- History
Nature · Apopka
6.Wekiwa Springs State Park
About 30 km north of Downtown, Wekiwa Springs State Park has a spring-fed swimming area where the water stays around 22°C all year, plus canoe and kayak routes along the Wekiwa River and woodland hiking trails.
Arrive early on weekends and in summer; the park closes its gates once it reaches capacity.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Kids
- Active
Garden · Orlando
7.Harry P. Leu Gardens
Harry P. Leu Gardens covers about 20 hectares on the shore of Lake Rowena, a few minutes from Downtown, with camellias, a rose garden, tropical plantings and a historic house museum.
Visit in the morning, then have lunch in nearby Mills 50.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Loch Haven Park
8.Orlando Science Center
In Loch Haven Park north of Downtown, the Orlando Science Center has four floors of hands-on exhibits, a dinosaur hall, a giant-screen theatre and an observatory with a large refractor telescope used on some evenings.
Pair it with the Orlando Museum of Art next door in Loch Haven Park on a wet or very hot afternoon.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Viewpoint · International Drive
9.ICON Park and The Wheel
ICON Park on International Drive is anchored by The Wheel, a 122-metre observation wheel with air-conditioned capsules, surrounded by restaurants, bars and indoor attractions.
Ride after dark for views across the lit-up resort area.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- After dark
- Kids
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Morse Museum of American Art and Orlando Science Center |
| History | Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour, Morse Museum of American Art and Gatorland |
| Views | ICON Park and The Wheel |
| Outdoors and nature | Disney's Animal Kingdom, SeaWorld Orlando, Lake Eola Park and Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour |
| Food and markets | EPCOT and Disney Springs |
| After dark | Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epic Universe |
| With children | Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom |
| On a rainy day | Morse Museum of American Art and Orlando Science Center |
What to book ahead
- Magic Kingdom: Tickets are dated and prices vary by day; buy in advance on the official site and consider paid queue access for busy dates.
- EPCOT: The most popular rides may use a virtual queue or paid access; check the Disney app for the current system on your date.
- Universal Studios Florida: Buy dated tickets online; you need a park-to-park ticket to ride the Hogwarts Express between the two original parks.
- Epic Universe: Epic Universe tickets are sold separately from the original parks and can sell out on busy dates; book well ahead.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Orlando?
Magic Kingdom. Disney's original Florida park, opened in 1971, is built around Cinderella Castle and lands such as Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Adventureland.
+What can you do for free in Orlando?
Disney Springs and Lake Eola Park. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Orlando when it rains?
Head indoors to Morse Museum of American Art and Orlando Science Center.
+What is there to do in Orlando at night?
Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epic Universe are best after dark.