When you come to
Orlando,
you are in for the thrill of your life. Make that 95 thrills. And counting. The
Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates that it would take you 8 hours a day for 65
days to experience all of Orlando's theme parks, thrill rides, amusements and educational/cultural exhibits.
Starting years ago, Orlando put its money on mass entertainment, and the dice has been coming up 7's ever
since. The city has 50 million visitors a year, making it the leading travel destination in the world.
When you think of Orlando you start with Walt Disney World Resort (WDW), a 47-square-mile metropolis larger
than Manhattan that features hotels, six golf courses, dozens of restaurants, rides and exhibits. Epcot
Center takes you into space, you can meet princesses at Magic Kingdom, laugh at the clowns at Cirque du
Soleil, or take a safari at Animal Kingdom. Like water? Try WDW's two water parks.
If the Disney resort doesn't exhaust you, Orlando also has Universal Studios that takes you into the make-believe
world of film. You can swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove, or take a high-speed roller coaster or Jurassic
Park water ride at Universal's Islands of Adventure. How about the Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium, where
you never saw so many strange things? Want to see alligators up close? Gatorland is for you. Or how about
SeaWorld Orlando? Do you like ancient history? Try The Holy Land Experience. It recreates Israel at the
time of Jesus and offers fascinating biblical exhibits.
For the culturally minded, the city has two ballet companies, several symphony orchestras including the Orlando
Philharmonic, and opera. Horticulturists will enjoy the Leu Gardens near downtown where you will also find
23-acre Lake Eola Park, which makes a splendid place to stroll. In nearby Apopka, 7800 acres of preserved
Timucuan Indian lands await you at Wekiwa Springs State Park.
As for golf, all of the course architects worth their salt have peppered Greater Orlando with over 163
golf courses that include
Bay Hill,
Greg Norman's two designs at Champions Gate, and Ron Garl's very
popular Eagle Creek
near the airport. Home of the Golf Channel, Orlando has top rated golf schools: the Faldo Golf Institute by Marriott, the David Leadbetter Golf Academy at Champions Gate, and Phil Ritson's Orange County National Golf Center, to name several.
Walt Disney World Resort is one of the largest golf resorts in the world with 99 holes. It's top-rated
courses include Magnolia and
Palm,
venues of the Funai Classic, a PGA Tour event. Robert Trent Jones'
Celebration in the planned community by the same name is also a WDW property, as is Tom Fazio's magnificent
Osprey Ridge. The resort also has a 9-hole course set up for families of young children.
Other golf venues worth a look include the enormous resort of Grand Cypress with 45 holes by Jack
Nicklaus, and local favorite Timacuan Golf & Country Club. The Arnold Palmer-designed
Legends at
Orange Lake,
Mystic Dunes Golf Club with its roller coaster green complexes, Rees Jones' gem
Falcon's Fire, and
Harmony
by Johnny Miller are all outstanding. If you enjoy walking straight out your hotel
door to the first tee, consider
Hawk's Landing, a Robert Cupp redesign layout associated with the spectacular Marriott World Center.
The two courses at Orange County National, Steve Smyers'
Southern Dunes in Kissimmee
south of Orlando, and Mission Inn are all outstanding. Located in Howey-in-the-Hills, Mission Inn boasts two superior courses in undeveloped settings - a modern layout and a vintage parkland course with some of the steepest fairways in the state. A recent addition to the Orlando portfolio is
Grande Pines, a Steve Smyers-Nick Faldo collaboration that is becoming one of the highest rated courses in the
area. 
Orlando Golf Vacations
