The Theme Park Capital of the World — Florida's most-visited city has more hotel rooms than any US city outside Las Vegas and New York, anchored by Walt Disney World (four parks), Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, and LEGOLAND, yet beyond the resort bubble hides a surprisingly good food and arts scene
Orlando is the most visited tourist destination in the United States and one of the most visited in the world — a metro of 2.7 million in central Florida, defined by its concentration of world-class theme parks. Walt Disney World Resort (the largest theme park complex on Earth: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, two water parks, and Disney Springs on 27,000 acres) opened in 1971 and transformed Orlando from a small citrus-farming town into the world's tourism capital. Universal Orlando (Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe opening 2025, and Volc…
The Orlando area was inhabited by the Seminole people and was the site of significant conflict during the Second Seminole War (1835–1842), including the Fort Gatlin massacre of 1840. The city was incorporated in 1875 as a small agricultural settlement, growing on the citrus industry. The 1950s–60s brought highway infrastructure and aerospace industry (Kennedy Space Center, 60 miles east) that began diversifying the economy. Walt Disney's 1965 land purchases in Orange and Osceola counties (announced after his death in 1966) transformed the region. Disney World's 1971 opening began the theme pa…