Situated roughly 35 miles southwest of downtown Orlando sits Lake Buena Vista, Kissimmee, Celebration, and the world famous Disney World Resort. Hands-down the most famous theme park epicenter on the planet, this area is a fantastic getaway for families with kids, couples, and singles - no matter your age or tastes, you're bound to have a blast!

Disney World Resort and its surrounding neighborhoods truly offer something spectacular for every traveler. You'll find four major theme parks, two water parks, three shopping and dining districts, eight renowned golf courses, and much, much more. Read on for specifics about the area's top attractions...

The Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is the main park at Disney World, based on the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is organized around the central landmark of Cinderella Castle, with various "lands" arrayed around a central hub. The lands are, starting from the main entrance and going clockwise around Cinderella Castle: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Mickey's Toontown, and Tomorrowland.

The park is the oldest, most popular, and the most child-friendly, although many adults love it as well. Adult visitors who are looking for more thrills than nostalgia may want to visit Epcot or Hollywood Studios instead.

Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment paradise, geared primarily towards adults. Most of the entertainment activities are found on Downtown Disney Westside. The east side, known as Downtown Disney Marketplace, is made up largely of shops.

Disney's Boardwalk

Disney's Boardwalk, located next to Epcot, is a smaller collection of nightlife themed as a 1920's Eastern Seaboard boardwalk.

Epcot

Epcot is an "educational park." It is divided into two distinct areas, Future World and World Showcase. World Showcase is structured to showcase various international locations, especially in terms of food and/or trade goods. Future World is comprised of various "futuristic" attractions, many sponsored by various industrial concerns. Epcot may appeal more to adult visitors, but the park has made efforts to appeal to the entire family in recent years with the addition of more character greetings and Kidcot funstops which encourage the children to work on a craft and interact with the cast members who are representing their home countries.

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) opened in May 1989 as the third theme park of Walt Disney World. The park is themed around film and television, and features a variety of live shows and attractions based on some of the most iconic films from that era. Among the attractions are a few exceptional thrill rides, most notably The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (a 13-story-high vertical drop) and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (a horizontal launch, 0-60 in 2.8 seconds). The latest addition to the park is an interactive live stage show, based on the TV show American Idol.

Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom, a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is a wildlife discovery park, organized in a Magic Kingdom-like format, with different continents revolving around the central Tree of Life. It's a mix between a zoo and a theme park. Naturalistic animal exhibitions are interspersed, and sometimes integrated, with typical Disney rides. Among these are a jeep safari past live animal enclosures, a raft ride through the deforestation of a tropical rainforest, a time travel ride which includes close encounters with dinosaurs and the newest ride, "Expedition Everest", which is a roller coaster ride and includes an encounter with the Yeti. Animal Kingdom is more of a kid friendly theme park with many animals that would attract the attention of younger generations as well as Camp Minnie-Mickey, a special space for youngsters where they can meet all of their favorite characters.