| ORLANDO | |
| CITY OVERVIEW
Stay in Orlando
|
Orlando
is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the US today – but
not because of the city itself. Orlando is home to the biggest Disney
facility in the world – Disneyworld. Not many people have too much
knowledge – or interest – in the downtown area of Orlando but a lot of
work in recent years has gone into trying to make Orlando’s downtown an
attraction in its own right. Disney
World opened up in 1971 and has quickly become one of the world’s most
visited tourist attractions. It is also one of the largest – it houses
Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT Center and the Disney-MGM Studios theme park. It
is near impossible to see all the facilities within in a given day so it
is worth investigating numerous ticket prices and options over several days. Within
the Magic Kingdom are smaller theme areas, including New Tomorrowland,
Fantasyland and Adventureland, which are based on the adventure stories
favorite with children. This Park is definitely set up for the kids. EPCOT
stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The Center is
divided into two main sections: Future World, a combination amusement and
educational park, and World Showcase, an exhibition that highlights the
characteristics of 11 countries – currently Canada, China, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, the UK and the USA. If you
only get the time to see one of the parks, then this is probably the best
one. And if you stay until the closing time of the EPCOT Center, you can
see a pretty flash fireworks display. If
your idea of fun is high-tech displays and rides, then the Disney-MGM
Studio is the one for you. Most of the rides are 3D and there is a
smattering of the obligatory scary rides. Disney
World is about 20 miles (32km) southwest of downtown Orlando in a town
called Lake Buena Vista. A special Disney World bus leaves every two hours
from Orlando's Lynx Bus Center. If staying downtown to see the NBA Magic, it is worth checking out the renovated Church Street Station, a large collection of restaurants, bars, picture theatres and other shopping mall attractions. But that’s about if for downtown Orlando. The best tip if in this part of Florida is to hire a car to get to some of the surrounding attractions like Disneyworld, Seaworld, the Kennedy Space Centre, and the seemingly hundreds of golf course resorts that exist in this part of the world. |
| GETTING THERE
Fly to Orlando Within USA
|
Orlando International Airport is located 14km from downtown. Lynx buses connect the Airport with the downtown Lynx bus terminal. The Greyhound bus station is in the middle of downtown Orlando on Central Ave. The Amtrak station is about 1.5km south of downtown Orlando at 1400 Sligh Boulevard. The main
public transit terminus is the Lynx Bus Center - one block east of Orange
Ave (Church Street & Orange Avenue). It attempts to connect much of
the dispersed surrounding attractions with downtown Orlando. Although
services are irregular and requires a lot of pre-planning to ensure you
get to and from places without major delays, the services are there at
least, especially the free downtown circuit bus that links most of the
major attractions and hotels. |
| NBA
ORLANDO MAGIC |
The NBA Orlando Magic’s main claim to fame is that they were Shaquille O’Neal’s first professional sporting team. That being said, the Magic has been regular play-off contenders since they came into the NBA in 1989. Although they have never won a championship, the Magic has been the home to some of the most exciting players in the NBA. Besides O’Neal, legends such as Grant Hill, Tracey McGrady, Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant have all worn the Magic singlet. |
| TD WATERHOUSE CENTER |
The TD Waterhouse Center (part of the multi-facility Orlando Centroplex) hosts the Magic and is located at One Magic Place, 600 West Amelia, Orlando. The Center is located approximately 2km north-west of the Downtown Orlando. Opened in 1989, the Center has a capacity of 17,000 and is renowned as having one of the best ‘sounds’ for a stadium in the country. From the Downtown Lynx Terminal in Orlando take the free shuttle service directly to The Arena. |
| GOLF
Mid March - US PGA Bay Hill Invitational, Championship Course at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, 9000 Bay Hill Boulevard, Orlando. |
Bay Hill is located some 20km south-west of downtown Orlando. The bus that gets you closest is the Lynx Bus 43 from Universal Studios to Florida Mall – it goes to Dr Phillips Boulevard and Wallace. From there walk west along Wallace, south along Apopka and west along Somerton Blvd to the course. From downtown, catch any bus that goes to Universal Studios or nearby Dr Phillips High School (like Routes 21 and 24) and switch to the Route 43 from here or just catch a taxi. |
| GOLF
Late October - US PGA Funai Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort, Magnolia at Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista. |
Magnolia is located behind the Epcot Center and Magic Kingdom off Epcot Center Drive. From the downtown Bus Center, catch the Lynx Routes 300 or 50 Bus to Magic Kingdom, and take the long walk (or a taxi) around Buena Vista Drive to the golf course. |
| NCAA
SPORTS - DIVISION 1
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA |
The UCF Golden Knights are located at 4000 Central Florida Boulevard, which is about 25km east of downtown Orlando. The Golden Knights have teams in most sports, including football and men’s and women’s basketball. The football team plays out of the famous Florida Citrus Bowl, which is located at 1 Citrus Bowl Place in the western section of downtown Orlando and has a capacity of 70,000. The basketball teams play out of the UCF Arena, which is also located on campus and has a capacity of over 5,000. To get to the campus from downtown Orlando, catch the Lynx Bus Route 13 from the Downtown Bus Center to the UCF campus. To get to the Citrus Bowl from downtown, there are several potential routes that go west, including Lynx Routes 20 and 36. |
