Best Landmarks in Orlando & Central Florida

The icons worth your camera — and your time. These are the landmarks that define an Orlando trip, from theme-park symbols to natural and historic Florida.

Theme-park icons

- Cinderella Castle (Magic Kingdom): the fairy-tale centerpiece — see it at fireworks time from Main Street, U.S.A.

- Spaceship Earth (EPCOT): the giant geodesic sphere, and a great ride inside.

- The Universal Globe (Universal Studios Florida): the spinning landmark at the park entrance — everyone's first photo.

- The Wheel at ICON Park: 400 feet of lit-up Orlando skyline views.

Downtown & local icons

- Lake Eola Park: downtown Orlando's swan-boat lake with the city skyline behind it — free, and best at sunset.

- Disney Springs: the waterfront dining district — no ticket needed.

- Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts: downtown's modern landmark for Broadway tours and concerts.

Classic Florida

- Gatorland: "The Alligator Capital of the World" — a landmark since 1949.

- Old Town Kissimmee: retro Americana on the 192 — classic cars and neon.

- Celebration Town Center: the lakeside downtown of the town Disney built.

Worth the day trip

- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex: where America launches — about an hour east on the coast.

- Bok Tower Gardens: the 205-foot Singing Tower in Lake Wales, a National Historic Landmark.

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