Orlando Attractions

"A must for any serious golfer", "Arnie's 'home' club" is replete with "great history" on a "classic", "relatively flat" layout featuring "plush fairways" and "demanding" hazards, especially on the "outstanding last three holes"; you'll need to stay to play, but the "intimate", "country-club" experience includes "invaluable caddies", "excellent facilities", a "helpful staff" and – if you're lucky – "a cheery wave from the man himself to make the trip worthwhile"; N.B. it hosts the annual Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Just a few miles northeast of Walt Disney World, a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" awaits at this water park where swimmers can realize the "fantasy" of frolicking with "playful" "kissing" dolphins (the "main attraction"), while landlubbers can "interact with stingrays" and "other creatures of the sea", not to mention "beautiful birds in the aviary"; yes, it's "expensive", but it's a "day-long treat" and "everything is included", from "awesome eats" to a keepsake photograph; N.B. rates vary by season.

An "interesting but tricky" Jack Nicklaus design, this 27-holer in Orlando serves up "lots of water", "punitive rough", "difficult greens" and a "good pace of play", with the "North/South being the marquee" combination; the "amazing" conditions, "superb facilities" and "fantastic service" lead many to conclude that a trip "here will empty your wallet, but will also leave you with a memory that money can't buy."

"Gators, gators and more gators" await at this "kitschy but fun" "low-tech" attraction in South Orlando, a "grimy but authentic" "Old Florida park" that bills itself as the 'Alligator Capital of the World'; spend an afternoon enjoying "beautiful walks" along planked trails and then watch shows that get the creatures "jumping", but although most find it "well worth the money", a few "can't help thinking what a great pocketbook one of these would make."

For a "taste of Orlando before urban sprawl", stroll through nearly 50 acres of "tranquil, stress-reducing" gardens at this "largely undiscovered treasure" in College Park, where you'll "ooh and aah" over one of the biggest American camellia collections in the country, the state's largest rose garden, a butterfly garden and more than "a few brides on the lawn" of the historical Leu House ("do not miss the tour"); N.B. free on Mondays from 9 AM–noon.

A "Tom Watson gem", this "truly fulfilling experience" encompasses a "fantastic design" set atop "unusual terrain for Florida", with "varied elevations" and "simply beautiful landscaping"; "you won't believe how much dirt they moved" to build this "linkslike" layout – "those hills weren't there before" – which comes complete with the "excellent facilities and service" and "wonderful lodging" you'd expect from an "amazing resort with three big-name courses."

"Not for the faint of heart", this Universal theme park is a piece of "vibrantly colored" "eye candy" for those "daredevils" who love the "stupendous", "technologically advanced" thrills that make this a "roller-coaster heaven"; a handful of critics claims it "doesn't compare" to Disney's parks – there "aren't enough attractions to fill a whole day" – but guests at the three affiliated resorts appreciate the express passes that let them "cut every line."

An "interesting but tricky" Jack Nicklaus design, this 27-holer in Orlando serves up "lots of water", "punitive rough", "difficult greens" and a "good pace of play", with the "North/South being the marquee" combination; the "amazing" conditions, "superb facilities" and "fantastic service" lead many to conclude that a trip "here will empty your wallet, but will also leave you with a memory that money can't buy."

Culture vultures head Downtown to this "small", "quiet" art museum that's "getting better all the time" courtesy of permanent exhibits of Pan-American and African art and artifacts, plus a "wonderful variety of shows" that change regularly; nevertheless some cognoscenti counsel "check the event calendar" in advance "to make it worth your time and money."

For a "rainy-day getaway", consider this Downtown Orlando exploratorium that's packed with "hands-on exhibits" demonstrating the workings of the human body, energy, Florida's ecosystem, film special effects and laser beams, among other topics; amateur astronomers find the observatory the star attraction (especially the monthly SunWatch), while everyone digs the planetarium laser shows and the ever-changing IMAX movies.

At this museum of "quirky" oddities – located in a lopsided I-Drive building "made to look as if it's falling" into a sinkhole – you'll find shrunken heads, a life-size 1907 Rolls-Royce replica made of matchsticks, a tilted room and other brainteasers and optical illusions; though it's "too weird" for some, others call it "a fun way to spend a couple of hours", and art enthusiasts will surely appreciate the huge mosaic of Van Gogh created from 3,000 postcards.

"When you play on greens that Tiger Woods says are some of the truest he's ever putted, you know you're playing a great course" fawn fans of this "well-manicured" Greg Norman design that may be "flat as a pancake" but makes "good use of water" amid a "beautiful" Orlando landscape; although "the greens fees are very high", it has an "excellent caddie program and facilities" and is part of an "amazing hotel" – after all, "you cannot go wrong with the Ritz."

Decidedly "laid-back" compared to its theme park neighbors – even with its "upscale" retail, restaurant and entertainment area – this I-Drive "aquatic dream" appeals to anyone "from age one to 100"; "you can never get enough of killer whale Shamu", and you can also "pet stingrays", "feed the dolphins and fish" or have a meal at the fine-dining restaurant "next to the shark tank"; in short, after a visit here, you "may want to take up marine biology."

An "interesting but tricky" Jack Nicklaus design, this 27-holer in Orlando serves up "lots of water", "punitive rough", "difficult greens" and a "good pace of play", with the "North/South being the marquee" combination; the "amazing" conditions, "superb facilities" and "fantastic service" lead many to conclude that a trip "here will empty your wallet, but will also leave you with a memory that money can't buy."

"Film buffs are in paradise" at Universal's Hollywood-themed park where the "rides are so lifelike they magically transport you into the movies", from the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster to the E.T. Adventure, which takes you for a jaunt "with that lovable alien on a bike"; while detractors dismiss it as a "poor man's Disney", others insist it gives the mouse and company "a run for the money", "offering something for all ages."