Where Florida's Famous Attractions Gather
Central Florida is the inland region of the peninsula surrounding Orlando, known for the world's most visited theme-park resorts, countless lakes and an easy reach to both coasts. The area grew from citrus groves and cattle ranches into a global holiday destination after Walt Disney World opened in 1971, and today it blends large-scale attractions with quiet lakeside towns. Rolling horizons of oak and palm, clear springs and fresh sky give the region a different tempo from the glamour of the beaches.
Beyond the parks, there is real variety. Winter Park, a few minutes north of downtown Orlando, has brick-paved Park Avenue, small museums and a scenic boat tour through its chain of lakes. Kissimmee offers family-friendly resorts and airboat rides, and the spring-fed rivers around Wekiwa Springs and Silver Springs are made for canoes, kayaks and glass-bottom boat trips. Lake Wales is home to the Bok Tower Gardens, a carillon tower set among landscaped grounds, giving a calm counterpoint to the parks.
Launch Pads, Beaches and Wide Open Water
Within roughly an hour of Orlando, the Space Coast gives visitors a very different Florida. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex tells the story of the Apollo missions and the shuttle era, with rockets and spacecraft displayed on the very site where they flew. Cocoa Beach, nearby, is a surf town with a classic pier and relaxed beach cafés, and Canaveral National Seashore keeps a long stretch of shoreline natural. Here, Daytona Beach and the Atlantic coast lie close at hand for guests who want sand after the parks.
Food leans on the Gulf and the Atlantic: grilled grouper, rock shrimp, Florida citrus desserts and farm-to-table menus in Winter Park and downtown Orlando. Golf is a signature of the region, with a great many courses across the lakes. A hotel group can showcase a range of stays, from family resorts with lazy rivers to quiet lakeside lodges, and for travellers who love the wider peninsula, Florida as a whole offers coast-to-coast variety within a single fly-drive trip.
Read the full Central Florida guide on Visit Travel Group, or see VisitCentralFlorida.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.