"We recognize that now, more than ever, we all want to escape from reality, even if it's just for a moment," said George Aguel, President & CEO of Visit Orlando. "Whether you like floating down a lazy river in one of our resort pools or immersing yourself into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we hope these experiences provide a much-needed break from everyday life."
From the comfort of their home, "virtual visitors" can now soar down a 200-ft. roller coaster drop, watch fireworks over the famous Cinderella Castle, zipline over alligators and even learn from experts how to draw Mickey Mouse, all aggregated on Visit Orlando's blog, VisitOrlando.com/blog.
Experience All of Orlando
Even More of the Theme Parks
- Walt Disney World – Watch a sneak peek of new rides like Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, enjoy character meet-and-greets and much more exclusively from the Disney Parks YouTube channel.
- Universal Orlando Resort – Travel to different worlds virtually like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley and experience the parks with 360-degree videos of some of the most popular roller coasters, explore holiday events and take a closer look into the restaurants that make up Universal CityWalk from the Universal Orlando Resort's YouTube channel.
- LEGOLAND Florida Resort – Explore the LEGOLAND® Florida Resort Castle virtually through the twists and turns of The Dragon, an indoor/outdoor steel roller coaster.
Virtual Relaxation
- Relax and virtually float through by yourself down the winding lazy river that is part of the 5-acre waterpark located in the luxurious grounds of the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort.
- Explore a lake on a giant swan-shaped boat, through the swan boat ride in downtown Orlando's Lake Eola Park.
- Float down the river with gushing geysers at Aquatica's Roa's Rapids at the Aquatica Orlando water park, in a virtual action river experience with high tides and gushing geysers.
Animal Interactions
- From Gatorland's School of Croc, a Facebook live every day at 10 a.m. every showcases animals and adventures. In the afternoon, their YouTube channel shares live-action encounters with animals including Burmese pythons, crocodiles, alligators and monitor lizards.
- Peak into animal habitats through a new daily video series on Facebook live, from the Central Florida Zoo.
- Explore a penguin colony at SeaWorld's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin.
High-Speed Thrills
- Virtually experience indoor skydiving at iFLY Orlando inside of their high-energy vertical wind tunnels that allows visitors to float on a column of air.
- Get in the driver's seat for a virtual race through Andretti Indoor Karting & Games' indoor track of turns and high-speed chases.
Virtual Learning – Making Education Fun
- You can now stream educational IMAX films typically shown in the cinedome of the Orlando Science Center. Enjoy MacGillivray Freeman IMAX films by streaming, America's Musical Journey on YouTube, and Dream Big, Humpback Whale and National Parks Adventure on Vimeo on Demand.
- Learn about living in space, Mars and rocketry or tour Space Shuttle Atlantis during a new series of Facebook lives from Kennedy Space Center.
- From Disney Imagineers, learn real-world case studies and even design a theme park experience through interactive activities and lessons in theme park design and engineering. This free online program is created in partnership with the Khan Academy and Pixar.
- Learn to draw Mickey Mouse as Disney shares a complete series of how-to tutorials on how to draw the famous figure on the Disney Parks YouTube channel. Cast member Stephen Ketchum provides expert tips on how to draw Mickey over the years, from vintage 1920s Mickey to the more contemporary "pied-eyed" version.
Music, Movies and Museums
- Listen to intimate musical performances at the Timucua Arts Foundation, set in the home grounds of the former music director for Cirque du Soleil. The foundation will post daily videos of previously recorded live performances on its Facebook page, also host a Digital Music Flea Market to help local musical artists.
- Get a daily move recommendation and insider info on the film from a cinematic expert on the Enzian Theater's Facebook page.
- Explore the museum galleries of the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art via the museum's website, with PDF versions of the object guides that are normally placed in each gallery. Learn the history behind the museum through two films available for streaming: A Legacy for the Community andbThe Tiffany Chapel: A Masterpiece Rediscovered.
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| Virtual visitors can now soar down a 200-ft. roller coaster drop aboard Mako at SeaWorld Orlando, pictured here, just one of many virtual thrills available. |
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