A ski resort set in sunny Florida--the Summit Plummet at the top of Blizzard Beach's Mount Gushmore is a popular attraction for older kids and teens.
Once kids have reached or exceeded the height limit for all of the major theme park roller coasters, rides with abundant stroller parking don’t seem to cut it anymore. For families with older kids and teens, here are the best theme parks and rides to “graduate” to on your next Orlando vacation.
While Disney World is best known for mild rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and It’s a Small World at Magic Kingdom, the most intense roller coaster experiences can be found at Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, or the Rock and Roll Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which also has the Tower of Terror ride that will leave your heart and your stomach in your throat as passengers feel like human yo-yo’s on a haunted elevator.
Avid gamers will love the DisneyQuest interactive indoor theme park with several floors of interactive video games (some of them with height requirements) plus many Old School arcade games their parents will enjoy. Keep in mind that Disney World boasts two water parks–Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach–that are best enjoyed by kids who are old enough to swim or handle the body slides at either park, including the famed Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach–the tallest and fastest water slide drop in the world.
Orlando’s wildest water park–Wet n’ Wild–caters to more of a teenage crowd, with bowl rides like Disco H2O and The Black Hole: The Next Generation. The newest water park in town–Aquatica–offers the Dolphin Plunge and Roa Rapids. Which is a faster version of the traditional lazy river.
SeaWorld’s main theme park offers the Manta roller coaster, a unique experience where riders glide face down like a real manta ray. And in nearby Discovery Cove, the swim with the dolphins experience is reserved for older kids, teens and adults in a tranquil environment that feels far removed from the Orlando theme park crowds.
For those who don’t mind tourist crowds and queuing up for the hottest attraction in town, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure has the Wizarding World if Harry Potter, which brings the worldwide book and movie phenomenon to life right here in Orlando. Visitors can explore the world of Hogwarts, be selected by a mahic wand, and grab a mug of (non-alcoholic) butter beer while they enjoy everything that the Universal Studios and Islands if Adventure have to offer.
Other popular Universal rides for older kids and teens include the Incredible Hulk coaster and the Spiderman ride, which will have riders feel as if they are webslinging their way through a dark and dangerous city. Universal tends to attract visitors with older kids and teens as well as those who have already experienced all of the Disney parks.
Here in Orlando, theme parks are definitely not relegated to being kid stuff–there is something for everyone at each of the Orlando theme parks. And best of all, the Orlando parks are always trying something new–which is exactly what kids of all ages are looking for.
Tell us your view - no need to register
This is really helpful information to help plan your Orlando vacation. Wet n wild is really good for older kids and little kids as well.
This is really helpful information to help plan your Orlando vacation. Wet n wild is really good for older kids and little kids as well.
