"orlando florida" a Orlando Travel Page by doug48

orlando florida is named after orlando reeves, a U.S. solder killed in 1837 during the second seminole war. orlando was incorporated in 1875. from 1875 to 1895 orlando was the hub of florida's citrus industry.during WW11 orlando was the home to orlando army air force base, now orlando executive airport. in 1958 mc coy air force base was built south of orlando. today the base is orlando international airport. the economy and culture of orlando drastically changed in 1971 with the opening of walt disney world. this event made orlando world famous and today the orlando area hosts over 50 million visitors a year. pictured is the launch of the space shuttle atlantis, sept 9th 2006. living in central florida allows one to experience this impressive feat of 20th century engineering.

the purpose of my orlando pages is to give the visitor some other options as to see and do in central florida other than the major theme parks. there are numerous pages on VT which do an excellent job of covering disney world, epcot, universal studios, and sea world. i have posted tips which i think would be helpful to the business traveler and for those that want to see other attractions than the big theme parks. i also have posted tips on things to do at disney and universal that do not require admission to the parks. you may want to visit my off the beaten path tips that show some of central florida's natural attractions and places to see that were around long before the arrival of disney.

after las vegas the orlando area offers the largest number of hotel rooms in the united states. because of the vast number of hotels in the area it can be difficult making a decision as to which one to choose. the best and safest hotels are near the theme park area. these are also the most expensive. in my hotel tips section i have arranged them in good, better, and best areas. a good place to select a hotel is on I-drive between sand lake road and the convention center. a better location is the lake buena vista area. and of course the best location is in the theme parks. hotel break in's and hotel parking lot robberies are not uncommon in orlando so check out the location of a hotel before you book. the following is in my opinion are the best hotels in the orlando area. disney: the grand floridian. universal: portofino bay resort. buena vista: hyatt grand cypress resort. sea world: renaissance orlando resort. I-drive: rosen plaza. downtown: westin grand bohemian. winter park: park plaza gardens hotel. do some internet home work before you book and your hotel choice will enhance your stay in the orlando area.