Explore Kissimmee

Gatorland is a wildlife park on South Orange Blossom Trail, south of Orlando, founded by Owen Godwin in 1949 and still owned by his family. It keeps thousands of alligators and crocodiles, with a breeding marsh boardwalk and observation tower, alligator feeding and wrestling shows, an aviary, a petting zoo, zip lines and a miniature railway.

Discovery Cove is a reservation-only day park next to SeaWorld Orlando, opened in 2000 and run by United Parks & Resorts. Guests spend the day on sandy beaches and in lagoons: they can swim with bottlenose dolphins, snorkel among rays and tropical fish in the Grand Reef, and float along a heated river that passes through an aviary of tropical birds.

SeaWorld Orlando is a marine animal park and theme park near International Drive in Orlando, opened in 1973 and run by United Parks & Resorts. Visitors see dolphins, orcas, sea lions, penguins and sharks in habitats and presentations, and ride roller coasters such as Mako, Kraken and Manta as well as smaller rides in Sesame Street Land.

Aquatica Orlando is a water park on International Drive across from SeaWorld Orlando, opened in 2008 and run by United Parks & Resorts. Its grounds of about 24 hectares have water slides, two side-by-side wave pools, a lazy river, white-sand beaches and play areas for young children, and some slides pass through tunnels beside animal habitats.

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon is a water park at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, south-west of Orlando, opened in 1989. It is themed to a tropical island struck by a storm: the shrimp boat Miss Tilly is stuck on top of Mount Mayday above a large surf pool, ringed by water slides, a lazy river and sandy beaches.