10 New Things to Do with Kids In Orlando, Florida

By Karen Cicero
Get the scoop on the latest fun adventures in this family-friendly city.
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1. Visit New Fantasyland

Courtesy Walt Disney World/Kent Phillips

This must-see area in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is packed with rides and attractions. A favorite for princesses-in-training: Enchanted Tales with Belle. Guests are led into the library where Belle and Lumiére give them a chance to take part in the telling of the princess's story.

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Disney World: Explore Fantasyland

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2. Become A Wilderness Explorer

Courtesy Walt Disney World

Disney's Animal Kingdom offers a new Wilderness Explorers program with sticker badges and field guides geared to kids ages 7 to 10. Topics include studying the animal inhabitants of the park, learning animal nutrition, and combing through a dig site to identify fossils.

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3. Meet the Penguins

Courtesy SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando opened the Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin exhibit in May 2013. Nearly 250 penguins, including four Antarctic species, are part of the exhibit. The highlight: a chilly ride through the South Pole that offers up-close encounters with the penguins.

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4. Ride like a Robot

Courtesy Universal Studios Florida

Calling all Tranformers fans: Universal Studio Florida's attraction Transformers: The Ride -- 3D opened in June 2013. The ride begins when guests enter the NEST facility -- the headquarters for the government operation that partners with the Autobots to protect Earth from the Decepticons. While inside, they're recruited to help protect a powerful energy source that would allow the Decepticons to destroy the planet. Guests board EVAC -- an Autobot created exclusively for the attraction -- to save the day.

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5. Get Soaked

Courtesy of Wet 'N Wild

Wet 'n Wild's new Blastaway Beach features a 60-foot sandcastle with more than 160 interactive toys and 16 slides. It's great fun especially for super-hot days!

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6. Play with Clifford and Friends

Courtesy of the Orlando Science Center

The travelling exhibit Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog is open at the Orlando Science Center through September 2, 2013. Kids can jump aboard the Birdwell Island ferry, complete with seagull sounds and clanking ship bells. Another fun feature: T-Bone welcomes both families to a bone-shaped beach where can hunt for buried treasure and seashells.

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7. See the Space Shuttle

Courtesy of Kennedy Space Center

Drive about an hour to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where the space shuttle Atlantis made its debut in June 2013. The accompanying exhibit offers more than 60 interactive features including operating a crane and playing a Blast Off game.

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8. Sleep Under the Sea

Courtesy Walt Disney World/Matt Stroshane

Disney's newest lodging option, the Art of Animation Resort, has a wing of rooms decorated in The Little Mermaid theme. Other movie themes at the resort include Finding Nemo, Cars, and The Lion King. Disney's Art of Animation Resort also boasts the largest pool of any Disney resort property and features underwater speakers.

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9. Strike Fun

Courtesy of Walt Disney World/Kent Phillips

Swing by Downtown Disney's West Side to bowl a game or two at Splitsville Luxury Lanes. The complex offers a full restaurant, outdoor seating, and live entertainment.

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10. Stay Tuned for More Adventures

Courtesy of Walt Disney World

In 2014, Walt Disney World plans to open the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Fantasyland while Universal Orlando will expand its popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction to include a much-anticipated ride on the Hogwarts Express.

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