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Orlando

Travoley
Orlando
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Orlando Travel Guide

  • About Orlando
If there was ever a city dedicated to enjoyment, Orlando would be it. Even the most cursory drive through the city will tell you one thing: there is no disguising the fact that Orlando is a city built on theme parks. Lots of them. However, it is strange to think that until the mid-20th century, there was precious little here in Central Florida. A few roadside attractions aside, it was one man, Walt Disney, who really changed the landscape. No matter which way you slice it, growth has spiralled thanks to a huge influx of tourists that followed the arrival of Walt Disney World Resort. Almost all of Florida’s cities and resorts are based around its long coastline, naturally capitalising on the beaches or swampland national parks that attract so many international visitors. Orlando is the only real exception, a strange, idiosyncratic place in the middle of the Floridian wasteland, and coincidentally one of the most famous resort towns in the world attracting over 70 million tourists a year. Most head straight to one of the theme parks, the biggest and most famous being Disney World. Beginning with the original Magic Kingdom, which opened in 1971, the park has expanded to encompass three more theme parks, two water parks, a mini-town called Disney Springs and a pretty lakeside stretch known as the Boardwalk. But while theme parks dominate, Orlando has built a distinct character of its own. There has been a stab at giving the city some historic context with the promotion of ‘Old Orlando’, a stretch of the increasingly gentrified Downtown which includes Orange and Garland Avenues. There is also the pretty Lake Eola, with brick streets lined with old oak trees and 19th-century homes, as well as retro roadside attractions such as Gatorland. Really though, Orlando is all about encouraging as many people to have as much fun as they can cram into a fortnight– whether that is at Disney World, Universal Studios or in the city centre itself.
  • Orlando History
Orlando was originally named Jernigan after early settler Aaron Jernigan, who travelled down from Georgia and established the location in 1843. The city grew relatively slowly around the abandoned Fort Gatlin, an old army post erected during the Seminole Wars. The town’s name was permanently changed to Orlando in 1857. The city is thought to be named after Orlando Reeve, a sentinel who was felled by arrows and buried on the south side of Lake Eola after having saved his unit guarding the camp. The area was heavily farmed into the early 20th century, first with cattle, then cotton and finally orange groves during the ‘Orange Fever’ period of the late 19th century. The Florida land boom of the 1920s saw extensive development and Orlando enjoyed minor success as a middle-class resort. Although the boom was short-lived, the city’s tourism reputation was consolidated with the opening of Cypress Gardens in 1936. Cypress Gardens was opened as a botanical garden, but quickly became a major attraction, known for its waterskiing. It remained open through until 2009, when it closed and was reopened as LEGOLAND Florida Resort. Success as a tourism destination was assured in 1965, when Walt Disney announced plans to build a theme park there, ahead of Miami and Tampa. After opening the resort in 1971, there was an explosion of housing and hotels, and tourism quickly spurned further development. The rise in theme parks and resorts became exponential, and the city now has the most theme parks and attractions in the world. More recently, a burgeoning central business district, or financial district, is changing the city’s skyline, and enterprise outside of tourism (e.g. information technology and financial services) is being widely encouraged. However, for now, it is the theme parks that continue to encourage millions of tourists to visit each year.
  • Did you know?
Orlando’s first settler, Aaron Jernigan, was arrested on murder charges and escaped jail twice. The huge Floral Clock situated in Leu Gardens was actually imported from Scotland in 1966. In 1884, a huge fire destroyed much of Downtown Orlando, including The Orange County Reporter newspaper plant.
  • Weather in Orlando
The peak season for Orlando is from June to August when the theme parks are full of families and children on their summer holidays. Good hotel rates and shorter queues are to be found in September, which is traditionally the city’s slowest month for tourist numbers. January to March also affords pleasant weather without the bustle of the crowds. Generally, temperatures do not tend to dip below 21°C (70°F), and June to September tends to be the rainiest time of year.

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