If you are taking your family to Orlando for a vacation then be prepared for a busy time at the parks, although you can always take a break and visit one of the many other interesting attractions. Orlando has many churches, museums, parks, markets and unusual tourist attractions to keep the most determined visitor happy. Everything a visitor could possibly want is here and the reason why people return year after year.

If you enjoy shopping then you will love Orlando, it has plenty of malls and stores like Outdoor World which is so large it contains a 17,000 gallon aquarium and you could spend all day there. Besides the major theme parks, a vacation in Orlando can offer so many attractions to spark the imagination that it's hard to know where to begin.

Central Florida Zoological Park is one of the major reasons to visit as the zoo is home to more than 400 animals that started out as just a collection in the Sanford Fire Department. It is actually a privately owned charitable group dedicated to the protection of exotic animals plus species that are native to Florida but also offers informative and child-friendly classes and events.

For anyone that appreciates the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany then a large collection of his works is exhibited the Museum of American Art, where it has been housed since the early 1940's. Tiffany glass, clayware and ornaments are all on display here including a specially designed chapel interior shown at the Columbian Exposition back in 1893.

Whilst Orlando may appear on the surface to be a town designed for the entertainment of children that could not be farther from the truth with adults equally well looked after. Orlando vacations offer evening entertainment that's no less interesting with family venues such Pirates Adventure, Medieval Feast to more adult themes such as Disney's Downtown Pleasure Island open until the early hours.

If you are more technology and science minded then a trip to the Orlando Science Center will be a must as is a huge complex incorporating 10 halls with exhibitions everything from the Florida Everglades to the plains of Mars. Then there is the International Trolley and Train Museum where you can see toy trains from the 1920s, plus take a ride in a California Victorian-style half open/half closed trolley car.

If you have seen the Titanic-ship of Dreams film then you will enjoy the exhibition along International Drive that tells the story using large sets and depictions from the ship as a background. Away from all the hustle is the wonderful Lake Eola Park in the heart of downtown; it has beautiful sidewalks in over forty acres where it is possible to spend a few peaceful hours.

However, there aren't that many visitors who visit Orlando without a trip to one of the four main Disney theme parks or the equally impressive Universal studios, where a person's age really doesn't matter. Orlando vacations have everything so you won't be short of things to do; in fact you may need a week off to recover in a resort that never shuts and has good weather all year round.