Amazing Orlando - A Valley of Theme Parks!

One may like to think of it this way. If there is anything we know about history, it’s that it’s not completely certain. Some sources claim that the first theme park was established in Denmark, back in 16th century. However, the evident root of the idea of Theme Parks stretches back as far as the descent of 18th century, when people dug into history and found inspiration from the periodic fairs held in the Middle Ages. One such fair that is known to be referred to as Bartholomew Fair, was held in England. History tells us that the flow started off in the form of Freak Shows, Acrobatics, Conjuring and Juggling and went so far as The Walk in the Menageries.

So what truly is a theme park? There are several kinds of it. The best way to explain one of such kinds, is to put it in the form of a hierarchy. It all starts from a figure that spends its life excelling at creation. These figures, reside among us in the form of artists, writers and poets who, on the outside may look casual, but have a hurricane running in their minds. A hurricane of imagination that in the end, leaves them with details of characters, scenes and plots. These details merge to form a whole new story, worlds and even universes. These worlds, once ready, are then brought out to public attention, in the form of art, books or movies. Then such fictional universes are brought to a certain extent of reality in the form of Theme Parks.

One such valley of Theme Parks is known to exist in Florida. Orlando has been home to a number of Theme Parks for decades but it is primarily known for major four of them.

SEAWORLD ORLANDO:

A major theme park that is further made up of three different worlds, if one were to speak in parlance of themes. Aquatica Orlando is themed after Southern Pacific. What will majorly be found here is Australian and New Zealand based mascots that include a kiwi, kookaburra, a Commerson’s Dolphin, a gecko, a royal spoonbill, a takahe and a turtle. People enjoy swimming pools and lagoons, some of which pass through animal habitats.

Then, there is Discovery Cove, which is majorly known for giving its guests the chance to interact with several marine animals. For instance, the signature attraction of the park is that people get to talk, touch, play and swim with Bottlenose Dolphins.

The third park that joins the family is known as Sea World itself. It is a marine zoological park. It showcases various sorts of seas themed differently after their own significant inspirations. For instance, they have Sea of Shallows, which shows the life of shallow sea animals as well as the Dolphin Theatre. Then they have Sea Of Legends, which centers around mysterious myths, and other tales told about the magnificent sea.

These worlds are also referred to as each other’s sisters.

Universal Orlando:

It is a theme park resort in Orlando. It is the second largest theme resort in Orlando. It consists of two theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

The Universal Studios center around the life conjured from entertainment industry mostly, which mostly involves movies and television. They influence their visitors into what they refer to as ‘riding the movies’. One will be able to enjoy rides, conventions and themes from movies as big a legend as, Back To The Future, Terminator, Jaws, Woody Wood Pecker, Men in Black, Shrek, The Mummy, Fear Factor, Despicable Me, Transformers, SpongeBob, The Incredible Hulk, Fast & Furious and many more.

It’s about time you took your wands out and yelled, “Lumos Maxima”, because the Park is known to now have said “Alahamora” to a World Wide Phenomenon. That’s right. Harry Potter fans should rejoice, because Hogwarts has now come to Universal Studios. You will find it all here, from Quidditch to King’s Cross, from Sorting Hat to Diagon Alley, from Ollivander’s to Madam Pomfrey’s Hospital Wing. Just name it!

Wet n’ Wild:

Wet n’ Wild park is another sister of these two parks. It should be known that this is famous for being America’s first ever Water Park. Featuring as many attraction points as Aqua Drag Racer, Black Hole, Blastaway beach, The Blast, The Bomb Bay, Brain Wash, Disco H2O, The Flyer, Lazy River, The Storm, The Surge and Wave Pool Surf lagoon.

WALT DISNEY WORLD:

It is yet another entertainment complex located within the Disney World, which is further made up of four parks.

Animal Kingdom:

As the name suggests, it’s a zoological theme park owned by Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is further divided into six themed areas.

Oasis: It is the park’s main entrance, providing guest services. It features several habitats including, African Spoonbills, Australian White Ibis, Florida cooters, lesser whistling ducks, ruddy ducks and many more.

Discovery land: It is located in the center, a hub connecting the other sections of the park. Originally named Safari Village, they have a man made Baobab tree, called Tree Of Life, surrounded by trails and animal enclosures.

Africa: One of the original areas of the park, the fictional home of Africa’s main attraction, Kilimanjaro Safaris. You may be able to find a number of African animals here including African Wild dogs, Black Rhinos, Cheetahs, Elephants, Zebras, Impalas, Lions and many more.

Rafiki’s Planet Watch:

Rafiki’s Planet Watch is for children and families and the only section of the park not connected to Discovery Island. Visitors can take Narrow gauge Short train to explore the area, which consists of three areas. Other animals known to be found around are, ball pythons, blue and yellow macaws, Costa Rica tarantula, Dexter Cattle, rats and rat snakes etc.

Asia:

Just like in Africa, the attraction points in this area are fictional. e.g The Kingdom of Anandpur. Anandpur consists of two villages, a riverside village which is also called Anandapur and Serka Zong up in the foothills of Himalayas. Some Asian species found here include, Asian fairy bluebirds, Bali Starlings, bantengs, Bengal Tigers, Eld’s deers and many more.

DinoLand USA:

It is a theme park dedicated to human’s curiosity and interest towards dinosaurs. The place mostly attracts those with a scientific interest in the long extinct animals. The animals found on display mostly constitute American Crocodile, Abdim’s Stork, Asian Brown Tortoise and many more.


EPCOT:

EPCOT Center is a theme park dedicated to the celebrations of human achievement, in parlance of Science, Technology and international culture. The park has two sections, one centers around the future world made up of eight pavilions, and the World Exhibition, that is themed after eleven nations. The park is represented by Spaceship Earth, a geodesic sphere, an attraction of its own.

MAGIC KINGDOM:

Magic Kingdom is another sister park that the Disney World is composed of. This park is symbolized and represented by Cinderella Castle, inspired by the fairy tale castle seen in 1950 classic. It has been and currently is the most visited theme park in North America with a population of 20.11 million people attending every year. The tag line 0of Magic Kingdom is, “The Most magical place on earth.”

Magic Kingdom once used to be another name for Disney World but then it was changed and associated with this particular part only. Disney World, however, is also known as “The Happiest Place on Earth”.