6 Things to Know Before You Visit Orlando, Florida

Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld—Orlando’s probably best known for its theme parks, but it's far from a one-trick pony. The city also boasts an impressive lineup of art institutions: the Orlando Museum of Art, the Mennello Museum of American Art, and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum—famous for its large collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany pieces.

Consider fine performing-arts institutions like the Orlando Ballet, or enjoy the sprawling Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Local and international cuisine options are celebrated during September for Orlando's Magical Dining Month. The city's six historical preservation districts, like Downtown and Lake Eola Heights, feature historic Mediterranean and Colonial Revival architecture that feel a world away from the nearby theme-park kitsch.

Like golf? Hitting the green (or watching the pros do so) is among the most quintessentially Orlando things to do. The city can claim more pro golfers as residents than any other, and offers almost 200 golf courses and academies, which host renowned tournaments like the Arnold Palmer International.

If golf isn’t exactly your style, there are plenty of other sports facilities to enjoy when you visit Orlando. Watch basketball courtesy of the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center, or learn how to serve and volley at the U.S. Tennis Association National Campus.

Occupy yourself solely with waterslides and roller coasters when you visit Orlando, and you’ll be missing out some world-class ecotourism. From pinewoods and bald-cypress swamps to lake-spangled marshlands, pockets of wild Florida persist here amidst all the development. Day trips give you access to jewels like the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve, the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes (ultimately linked to South Florida’s Everglades via Lake Okeechobee), and Blue Spring State Park, famed for its wintering manatees. Get to know Central Florida's outdoors and maybe spot a gator or two.

Orlando transportation is convenient in the city's metro area, but cars are typically the easiest way to get around. Public transit options include the LYNX bus lines and the SunRail train network; rental cars are best for getting out of downtown. The city is firmly inland, but saltwater marshes and lakes dot the greater Orlando area—you can get to waterfront locales like Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, and other Space Coast attractions within an hour by car.

When’s the best time to visit Orlando? Given an average annual temperature of 72 degrees and plenty of Florida sunshine year-round, the subtropical climate is most popular in winter while the rest of the nation is blanketed in snow. Summer weather can be hot and sticky, and near-daily thunderstorms break up the heat. Winter is high season because it's comfortable and generally dry, making the shoulder seasons before and after winter holidays the best times to visit Orlando.

Orlando is served by not one but two major airports: Orlando International Airport (MCO) to the southeast of the city center, and Sanford Orlando International Airport (SFB) to the north. Orlando is also a major Florida crossroads reachable via a number of highways, including Interstate 4 (which links Tampa and Daytona Beach) and the Florida Turnpike. Learn more about Orlando airport transportation.