The fifth of a series of features looking at some of the alternatives to Disney in Central Florida, easily accessible from Kissimmee.
While most visitors to Central Florida have come to enjoy the wonders of Disney and the other major theme parks, you need an alternative to these if you are to entertain the family for two weeks. One possible alternative is to visit a water park and there are several in the Kissimmee region. Water parks can be a great day out for the family and usually feature a full range of rides and attractions suitable for all members of a family group, from some very scary rides for the thrill seeker to the more gentle for small children. The other advantage of going to a water park, particular during the hotter summer months, is the opportunity to cool down a little. The following are just a few of the major water parks, but there are several more.
Aquatica is the water park operated by Sea World. As well as a large number of rides there is the opportunity to interact with wildlife, with Commerson’s Dolphins making up part of the fun on the Dolphin Plunge. Other rides you might like to try are Omaka Rocka, Tassie’s Twisters and the Taumata Racer.
Although I started this article by suggesting that a water park was an alternative option to an unrestricted diet of Disney, in fact Walt Disney World themselves offer a couple of Water based theme parks. The focal point for Blizzard Beach is a 100 foot peak called Mount Gushmore. Typhoon Lagoon is very much a family centric attraction with six foot waves in the Surf Pool bringing the coast to Central Florida.
Wet ‘n Wild Orlando is probably the largest of the water Parks in the area and features a full range of rides from the thrilling such as Disco H2O, The Surge and Black Hole: Next Generation, to the more sedate such as Surf Lagoon or the Kiddies play area. If you want to enjoy a relaxing 10 minutes or so why not try the Lazy River, a slow moving stream that circumnavigates the park moving at a gentle pace. For a piece of luxury living you could hire a personal Cabana which offers personal waitress service and somewhere to retreat to away from the buzz of the rest of the park. A point to note about Wet ‘n Wild is that once you have paid to get in you can enter the park again at no extra cost as many times as you like during the next 14 days, a great way to cut the cost of a day out.