Ask any child around the world 'What is Florida famous for?' and nearly all of them will tell you that it is for their theme parks. A recent Florida tourist board survey has shown that nearly 85% of tourists visiting Florida for the first time are doing so with the sole intention of visiting a least one theme park.



Orlando is now the world wide centre for theme parks and it has grown into one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world off the back of the theme parks. When Walt Disney took his first plane ride around Florida looking for a home for his new theme park, nobody would have ever of envisaged the staggering economic success that it would have upon the Florida economy.

Today two of the world's major film studios have theme parks in the Orlando area. They are literally located just a few minutes from each other and both are continuing to grow and add new rides each year.

You can go and experience a ride and feel as though you are actually part of the latest block buster film. There are rides for people of all ages; great care and attention has been given to including every generation of a family which has resulted in the Orlando theme parks being regarded as true family entertainment.

In addition to the scary rides and roller coasters, there are also theme parks specializing in animals. One particular park has been created on the theme of Africa and when you enter it you feel as though you are in the animals' natural environment. You can even take a Safari ride in one and get close up to lions, tigers, elephants and hippos.

Another park has been created in the shape of a giant golf ball and it educates its visitors on new technologies and what they might expect to see in the future. Following on from this educational theme, they have also recreated a mini world community set out around a lake. You can call into each country and experience their local cuisine and culture and then every evening the lake explodes in a ball of spectacular fire as one of the world's best firework displays is launched.

Water parks are also some of the most visited theme parks that you will find in Florida. There is an abundant supply of them in this area so you can't miss them. They have massive lagoons with water slides and wave pools.

There is even a theme park full of whales and dolphins which give regular displays to the thousands of people that visit it every day. It has an underwater tunnel that gives you the feeling of being close to the underwater creators without going into the water. There is also the shark encounter that allows you pet a real life shark.

It is now easy to see why Florida has grown into one of the top tourist destinations in the world. A combination of the good weather and fantastic theme parks have created a holiday environment that is loved by millions of people world wide.