Icon Park is a large entertainment complex on international drive, and whilst its main attraction is its huge observation wheel, the Orlando Eye we were also excited to check out some of its other attractions – Madame Tussauds Orlando and Sealife Orlando.
That’s the charm of Orlando, there is so much for families to see and do here away from the headline attractions of the theme parks of Disney and Universal.
Sea Life Orlando
We had a Merlin combo ticket (highly recommend this for the best value) so we started our visit off at Sea Life Orlando, and having visited many of these in the UK, we were keen to see how the Orlando version would compare.
Once you step inside, its 5,000 marine creatures can be found across several different themed zones, with everything from seahorses to large sharks to see.
It’s a relatively small Sea Life centre so it didn’t take long to explore but as we made our way around the themed areas of the attraction covering areas such as ocean caves, the Atlantic ocean to the Everglades, we encountered a wide array of marine life , lots of it was local to this part of the world.
The highlight was the 360 degree ocean tunnel – the only one in central Florida – where sharks, eels and turtles all swam around us as we walked through. Another favourite was seeing the fascinating axolotls creatures that we last encountered at the Postojna Caves in Slovenia.
There was also a chance to get hands on, quite literally with touch rockpools containing invertebrates such as sea stars and anemones. I liked the really informative informational boards with lots of facts about the marine life to discover and there was good blend of interactive displays for kids including being able stand up inside a bubble of glass, almost as if they were wearing a diver’s helmet, as the fish swam around their heads.
Madame Tussauds Orlando
We ended up spending just under an hour here and as its undercover its perfect for when you want to escape the summer Orlando rain storms.
Just a short walk away at the Icon Park complex, is Madame Tussauds Orlando where we were transported into the world of US celebrities and this was the attraction that the kids in particular were most looking forward to at Icon Park. At the Orlando location there are over 60 lifelike wax figures on display, ranging from Lady Gaga, Dwayne Johnson to Dua Lipa and as we were in Orlando, we also got to meet Walt Disney himself .
Much like the London attraction, this self guided tour was really immersive with lots of interactive exhibits across several themed areas and as soon as we stepped inside we got our first peak of what was in store with a wax figure of music star Pitbull standing at the entrance.
What we all really liked about Madame Tussauds Orlando was it provided us an opportunity to get up-close and personal with A-list celebrities, sporting legends, political heavyweights and historical icons famous in the USA, many of which you would not find at the London attraction.
Across the 7 fun zones here it provided us all to get up close and take some fun selfies with our favourite celebs, ranging from US sports legends and pop icons to movie stars – my personal favourite was seeing ET again!
It’s not just the waxworks that were different, many of the interactive experiences were also unique to Orlando. One of the highlights for the kids was the Justice League area, where they met superheroes but in particular helping Superman lift a real life helicopter.
What we like about the Madame Tussauds experience is that unlike a museum where you are frowned about to get too close to the exhibits, here you can get as close as you like to the waxwork figures – the realism is incredible.
Orlando Eye
Next up was the Orlando Eye, we have previously visited the London Eye, but the Orlando equivalent was a much calmer and enjoyable experience and really did provide a totally different experience when in Orlando away from the theme parks. At 400ft tall, it’s the largest of its kind on the East Coast of the USA and it has become an iconic landmark on the Orlando skyline.
Much like London, our journey started when we stepped into one of the 30 spacious air conditioned glass capsules, and because of the low crowd levels although these pods hold up to 15 people we had the entire pod to ourselves which made the experience even more special – imagine having a private pod in London!
As the wheel gracefully lifts you up 400 ft above the ground, we were greeted with incredible 360 degree views of Orlando and across central Florida on our 25 minute trip. It was a relatively clear evening when we where on the wheel so we could clearly see Disney and Universal – it’s also the perfect spot to get a birds eye view of the new Epic Universe theme park that is currently under construction.
We could also see downtown Orlando and we were told that on a really clear day you can see as far away as the Kennedy Space Center on the East Coast of Florida – the views up here are incredible especially at dusk.
What makes the Orlando Eye experience even more enjoyable was the fact that we could connect our phone playlist via Bluetooth with the speakers in the capsule, so we could listen to our favourite tracks and have fun in the pod whilst taking in the views.
After making the most of our combo ticket which is well worth upgrading to if you are planning on visiting one of the above attractions, we were looking forward to dinner at a really unique venue here at Icon Park. There are lots of restaurants to choose from at Icon Park from quick service to full service restaurants but this one in particular really stood out.
Ole Red
We love country music especially when we are in the USA, so when we found out that country music star Blake Shelton actually owns a restaurant and live country music venue here called ‘Ole Red’ we just had to visit. Originally opened in Nashville, the Orlando venue opened in 2021 and it was a really memorable experience.
Once inside this large two storey building it could be best described as a Hard Rock Café for country music fans, the atmosphere was incredible, I would highly recommend visiting in the evening like we did as there is live country music on the stage that the restaurant tables wrap around. Southbound were onstage and the atmosphere and music was incredible!
The décor was really good, with cool artwork, music memorabilia and fun neon signs and the food as you would expect here allowed us to experience southern inspired dining. If you love country music and are visiting Icon Park, then its well worth checking out Ole Red Orlando.
Overall
If you are looking for something different away from the theme parks, then it’s well worth visiting Icon Park for the Orlando Eye, it’s a really unique experience when in Orlando. The Merlin combo ticket is the best value as it also includes Madame Tussauds Orlando – which will be a hit with the kids and also Sea Life Orlando. You can easily spend a few hours here at Icon Park and if you are a country music fan then check out Ole Red.
Ready to Book
For UK customers, there are a great range of ticket options available through companies such as attractiontickets.com and the combo ticket is the best value, saving 45% compared to buying these tickets individually.
For more information on the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds Orlando, Sealife Aquarium and the range of experiences on offer at Icon Park it’s well worth visiting the official Orlando Eye website.
