Three theme parks

Orlando’s largest and most popular attractions are the massive and internationally renowned theme parks. May is not peak tourist season, but you will want to make reservations in advance to access certain attractions and avoid lines.

1. Walt Disney World – The biggest and most famous of the Orlando theme resorts, featuring the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and other parks. Passes can be bought for one park for one day, or in bundle options.
2. Universal Orlando Resort – The movie studio’s resort contains four parks: one water park and three parks with rides and attractions dedicated to Universal movies.
3. SeaWorld Orlando – This theme park is a blend of an aquatic nature center and roller coasters.

Three theme park alternatives

An alternative to the bustle of world-famous theme parks is to seek out attractions that run at an entirely different pace.

1. Kennedy Space Center — The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the visitor center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Visitor Complex offers tours and experiences, which include a microgravity simulator, a virtual reality program that simulates walking on Mars, and more.
2. Bok Tower Gardens — Approximately 80 minutes from the convention center by car, this unique habitat is a bit of a drive, but an oasis of nature and serenity.
3. Boat tours — Canal excursions, glass-bottom kayak tours, sunset sail boating, swampland airboat rides, and more. 

Three local resources

Here are three local, reputable sources that can guide deeper explorations while building an agenda among a wealth of possibilities.

1. Visit Orlando, the city’s convention and tourism board website, includes events, attractions, interactive maps, an AI-powered personalized planner, and more.
2. The Orlando section of the Visit Florida website provides a streamlined listing of the city’s major attractions, including unique eco-tourism opportunities around Orlando.
3. The independent Orlando Weekly website provides a calendar of events and detailed restaurant reviews.

Three unique aspects

All cities have unique qualities that can affect travelers unfamiliar with the locale. Here are three things to keep in mind when planning for downtime in Orlando.

1. Transportation — The city of Orlando provides public transportation, including bus lines and commuter rail service. However, the city is not compact, and most major destinations will require a ride-share or taxi from the convention center and surrounding hotels.
2. Supersize attractions — The major theme park resorts are extensive properties, making it virtually impossible to see all areas in a day or two. Choose one resort and one park per day. It will be enough.
3. Backyard beaches – Orlando is a vibrant city worth exploring; it’s also only an hour away from famous Florida beaches such as Cocoa Beach and its beautiful coastline. If you want surf, sand, and ocean sunrises, you don’t have to travel far.