If you are travelling to Orlando you will without a doubt be wanting to visit the theme parks, and there are many fantastic theme parks in Orlando and Florida and as many great places to visit and things to do.  I have written about things I recommend to try over the years, all through first-hand experience.  I’m going to be adding to that list over the next couple of weeks. I will also pop a comprehensive list to all of the posts I have written about at the end of this post.

If you are looking for things to try in Orlando Florida, ideas that aren’t the parks, I wanted to direct you to something we tried for the first time, last year.  We visited in October/November 2019 and for the first time decided not to visit any of the main theme parks.  Instead, we looked at things we had never done before, starting with a trip to WonderWorks Florida and later that evening we went to the Outta Control Magic Show.

WonderWorks is an instantly recognisable and iconic building. We have passed it lots, having visited the area many times over the past 13 years. It’s actually quite hard to describe it, as it isn’t like anywhere else that I’ve ever seen before. Judge for yourself though.

 

So what is WonderWorks?

WonderWorks is a fun, over-the-top science centre. It’s less expensive than most local theme parks, and makes a good addition if you have an extra day, or just a few hours to fill on holiday. It’s also a good indoor option for weather troubles. Too hot or rainy days  being an example – and Orlando has plenty of both of those.

 

As soon as you walk through the door you can see the theming. I would recommend buying them online and just picking them up if you can.  Tickets are valid all day, so you can come and go, maybe go and have a drink and something to eat in the nearby area that full of restaurants and more casual bars with food.

Millers Alehouse – Great for sports fans, free refills for soft drinks and reasonably priced overall. Very near WonderWorks and a great stop off in between visiting WonderWorks and the Magic Show

Each of the many exhibits throughout the WonderWorks building are hands-on, offering kids of ages 4-11 (in my opinion) an experience that will surely keep them talking. I’m not going to mention them all as I think it works better to keep some things as a surprise.

The beginning of your journey through WonderWorks starts with walking through a spinning vortex – make sure you are ready with your camera as you won’t be able to walk through again to take a snap. If you’ve got the camera then go first and turn around and catch what the rest of your party is doing.

It’s from here you enter the Natural Disasters area. You can experience a 5.3 magnitude earthquake, feel hurricane-force winds, become a human lightning rod, and see water droplets that defy gravity.