| Education, entertainment, wildlife conservation and thrills | | | | preserve featuring California sea lions. Here you can |
| are what you can expect at Orlando's SeaWorld. This | | | | meet, touch and even feed some of these remarkable |
| park has been called the most popular marine-life park | | | | animals. Be sure to get a spot at Pacific Point |
| in the world, and it certainly lives up to its reputation. At | | | | Preserve at feeding time and you'll be in for a treat. |
| SeaWorld you can get up close to dolphins, stingrays, | | | | This laid back community of California sea lions and |
| water turtles, penguins and the other creatures that | | | | harbor seals are always ready to entertain a crowd |
| inhabit the seas of the earth. Let's look at some of the | | | | with their animated vocals and endless antics. In |
| attractions that you can experience at this park. The | | | | addition to the thrill and wonder of seeing amazing sea |
| Wild Arctic is a popular favorite. Here, you'll enter a | | | | creatures up close, the park also has sea-themed thrill |
| frozen wonderland with walls of ice nearly a half-inch | | | | rides. One of the newest is Journey to Atlantis. Here is |
| thick. Exploring this multi-level ecosystem, you'll | | | | how the Sea World website, describes this ride: |
| encounter abundant Arctic animal life seemingly drawn | | | | "Brave twists, turns, and watery falls of mythical |
| to the old ship. This includes face to face encounters | | | | proportions as you explore the mysterious, lost city of |
| with real walruses, beluga whales, and two famous | | | | Atlantis aboard this thrilling water coaster ride. Journey |
| polar bears named Klondike and Snow. Do you like | | | | along a dark, watery passageway through this sunken |
| penguins? If so then you should make it a point to visit | | | | city guarded by sirens, whose fury casts riders out on |
| the Penguin Encounter attraction. It is Sea World's "slice | | | | some of the steepest, wettest plunges you'll find, |
| of the Antarctic" and here you can watch penguins | | | | sending you racing out of the gates of this ill fated |
| waddle about and enjoy themselves. Stingrays have a | | | | utopian paradise." You can expect to get wet on this |
| fearsome name, but contrary to the name and the | | | | ride, so be prepared. To top off the thrills, SeaWorld is |
| reputation they are among the most docile animals of | | | | also home to the Kraken, the tallest, fastest, longest |
| the sea. Visit Sea Worlds Stingray Lagoon and you | | | | and only floorless roller coaster in Orlando. That's right, |
| can watch 200 rays glide through the waters of their | | | | it has no floor! Imagine a roller coaster that takes you |
| protected home. If you put your hand just below the | | | | to heights of a 15-story building, and puts you upside |
| surface, you're likely to get a velvety "high five" as | | | | down seven times at speeds reaching 65 mph! Whew, |
| they swim by. In a nearby nursery, stingray pups learn | | | | that's Kraken and it can only be found at SeaWorld. |
| and play under the watchful eye of SeaWorld's animal | | | | (You must be 54 inches tall to ride). After you have |
| care experts, always on hand to tell you anything you | | | | been thrilled by the rides and delighted by the sea |
| want to know about these graceful, mysterious | | | | creatures, you can chill out at the park's entertainment |
| creatures. At Turtle Point you can view 300 sea | | | | and dining area, known as the Waterfront. There is no |
| turtles, ranging from tiny hatchlings to 6-foot-long | | | | doubt about it; SeaWorld has a combination of |
| leatherbacks. At Turtle Point you can also learn about | | | | attractions, thrills and fun that is sure to bring a smile to |
| and watch some of the endangered and threatened | | | | every member of your family. |
| species of sea turtles. Here, these prehistoric-looking | | | | Mark Whichard and his wife Susan are experts in the |
| reptiles reside in a naturalistic lagoon complete with a | | | | field of Orlando Disney Villa rentals with experience |
| beach, sand dunes and indigenous plant life. Pacific | | | | dating to 1998. Visit their website: for more information |
| Point Preserve is a recreated Los Angeles nature | | | | about renting villas or homes in Orlando. |