Orlando can be confusing. The Orlando metropolitan area comprises three counties and, since you will often hear location indicated by naming the county, it is worth knowing their names and relation to one another. From north to south they are Seminole, Orange, and Osceola. Orlando is in Orange County, Kissimmee is in Osceola. Most of the attractions covered in this book are in Orange and Osceola; only a few are in Seminole or more distant counties.
The area is dotted with lakes, both large and small; so streets stop, start, and take circuitous detours. In European fashion, streets change names as they cross municipal boundaries. On top of that, the area’s major highway, Interstate 4, which runs east-west across the state, runs roughly from northeast to southwest through the Orlando metropolitan area and almost directly north-south in the heart of Orlando’s tourist district. As a result, streets that are “east” or “south” of I-4 at one point are “west” or “north” of it at another. (See map, page 8.) All of this complicates the process of giving, receiving, and following directions.
Fortunately, most of the Orlando area’s attractions are located in two fairly compact tourist districts: International Drive in Orlando and US 192 in Kissimmee, with I-4 forming a direct and easy-to-follow link between them. Attractions that are not located in these two areas are seldom more than a short drive away from an I-4 exit.
International Drive (sometimes abbreviated I Drive and pronounced “Eye Drive,” just as I-4 is pronounced “Eye Four”) is in Orlando. It is a meandering boulevard that roughly parallels I-4 from Exit 75 on the north to Exit 67 on the south. Many of the major attractions profiled in this book are on it or near it. At the northern end, you will find Universal Orlando (just across I-4) and Wet ’n Wild. At the southern end lies SeaWorld. In between, there are some dinner attractions and a number of smaller attractions, along with dozens of hotels, scores of eateries, several discount outlet malls, and the mammoth Orlando Convention Center. International Drive is glitzy, garish, hyperactive, and a traffic nightmare in the evening and at rush hours.
The second major tourist axis is US 192 (also called Highway 192, and Irlo Bronson Highway), which runs east to west through Kissimmee, crossing I-4 at Exit 64. West of I-4 you will find an entrance to the Disney properties; to the east of I-4 is a gaudy strip of hotels, restaurants, dinner attractions, smaller attractions, miniature golf courses, and discount shopping outlets. This strip is thoughtfully marked with numbered “Mile Markers,” which I have used in the text to give directions.
Tip: Chances are you will be staying in or very close to one of the two major tourist areas. When you are traveling from Point A to Point B in the Orlando area, my advice is to travel via US 192 and I-4. This may not always be the most direct or shortest route but it will be the surest route and very often the quickest because there is less chance of getting lost en route. When I give directions in this book I try, wherever possible, to route you via these major arteries.
Back
to Chapter Contents
Didn't find what you were looking for? Try a Google search.
|
