Amusement Parks in Orlando Part 2 - Outside of Disney

Yes, there are theme parks in Orlando beyond the famous Walt Disney World. There’s Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, or course. (For an overview of the Universal parks, see this post from October.) In this post, we’ll look at Sea World and its sister park, Discovery Cove, as well as Busch Gardens in Tampa.

Sea World is the forgotten theme park in Orlando, but it’s surprisingly a great place to spend the day. It’s much more peaceful then the other parks, and a lot more relaxing. You won’t be waiting in long lines here, or pushing your way through crowds.

People of all ages can enjoy the park. There’s the world famous whale and dolphin shows, plus many other animal acts. In the past few years, the park has added two major thrill rides as well. The first, Kraken, is arguably the best roller coaster in all of Orlando. The second, Atlantis, is similar to Splash Mountain, but with a slightly spooky nautical theme. Of course, there’s a huge drop straight down at the end.

Next door to Sea World is Discovery Cove. This park allows a limited number of guests to enter each day, so the experience feels very personalized. Here you’ll swim with dolphins and sting rays, snorkle, and enjoy all kinds of water based attractions.

About an hour’s drive from Orlando is Busch Gardens Tampa. This park is packed with thrill rides and coasters, but also features an exotic animal theme, very much like Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If you have to choose betwee the two, Busch Gardens offers many more rides, while Animal Kingdom has that magic touch that only DIsney can provide. For world class coasters and excitement, plus that great Busch beer (yes, there’s a tasting room!), head down to Tampa. It’s well worth the trip.

Next, we’ll conclude our three part series on Orlando’s amusement parks with a look at the area’s many water parks.