Becoming a tourism mecca was years in the making. It started with nature-driven attractions and was jump-started by Walt Disney. Along the way have been alligators, mermaids, Mickey Mouse, Elvis, dinner theaters, Dolly Parton, the Holy Land and assorted entrepreneurs. Here are some industry highlights from the past 150 years.
• 1878: Silver Springs (and its glass-bottom boats) becomes the first commercial tourist attraction in Florida.
• 1910: Joyland, featuring swimming, waterslides, a dance hall, dock-and-picnic area, opens on Lake Ivanhoe in what would become the College Park neighborhood of Orlando.
• 1920s: A network of roads known as Dixie Highway connects Orlando and other Florida towns with northern cities.
• 1920: Hand Tourist Camp welcomes snowbirds and other visitors on 20 acres between Central and East South streets in downtown Orlando.
• 1923: Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens opens. It moved to its current location in Sanford in July 1975.
• April 1923: Orlando’s Tinker Field is dedicated. It played host to minor-league baseball for decades. In 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech from the pitcher’s mound.
• 1929: Bok Tower (aka The Singing Tower) is completed in Lake Wales.
• January 1936: Cypress Gardens springs up in Winter Haven. It starts as a botanical attraction and later develops a reputation for water skiing shows and Southern Belles.
• 1945: Midget City, a roadside attraction that features a tiny version of a town, opens in Longwood.
• 1947: Stunt swimmer Newt Perry develops Weeki Wachee Springs and its mermaid show.
• April 1948: Wigwam Village, a hotel consisting of 27 concrete tepee-shaped rooms, opens for business on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando. The units were razed in 1972 to make way for a Days Inn.
• 1949: Florida Wildlife Institute — later renamed Gatorland — opens, establishes gator wrestling as entertainment.
• 1956: Florida Citrus Tower opens in Clermont.
• March 1959: Busch Gardens opens in Tampa.
• 1960: Central Florida Museum opens in Loch Haven Park. Its name became Orlando Science Center in 1984.
• 1960: Tropical Wonderland, an animal attraction, opens in Titusville, eventually incorporating Olympic swimmer (and “Tarzan” actor) Johnny Weismuller into the business.
• February 1963: Six Gun Territory, an Old West/ghost town immersive experience with gunslingers, Pony Express riders, can-can dancers, (non-alcoholic) saloons and railroad engine re-creations, opens in Marion County. It lasted until late 1983.
• Nov. 15, 1965: Filmmaker Walt Disney holds a news conference at Cherry Plaza Hotel in downtown Orlando to announce his plans to build a resort on acreage in Orange and Osceola counties.
• 1967: Spaceport USA debuts in Brevard County. It became Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, operated by Delaware North Cos., in 1995.
• Oct. 1, 1971: Magic Kingdom, the first theme park at Walt Disney World, opens.
• 1972: Entrepreneur Bob Snow develops Church Street Station, a collection of nightclubs and entertainment venues, in downtown Orlando.
• Dec. 15, 1973: SeaWorld Orlando brings marine theme and animals to Orlando.
• February 1974: Circus World theme park begins operations in Davenport.
• March 1975: Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village opens. Its later names include Walt Disney World Village, Disney Village Marketplace, Downtown Disney and, starting in 2015, Disney Springs.
• June 1975: Stars Hall of Fame, a wax museum, debuts near the intersection of Interstate 4 and the Bee Line Expressway. The attraction, owned by Six Flags Inc., features 200 celebrity figures, but shut down in September 1984. (The space is purchased by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich to turn into a Place of Learning attraction.)
• 1976: Orange County Historical Museum opens in Loch Haven Park. In 2000, it moved into the former Orange County Courthouse (built in 1927) and was renamed Orange County Regional History Center.
• June 1976: River Country, Disney World’s first water park, opens.
• 1976: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich buys SeaWorld.
• March 13, 1977: SeaWorld founder George Millay creates Wet ‘n Wild water park on International Drive. Universal Orlando purchased the attraction in 1998.
• 1979: Fun N Wheels rolls out near International Drive.
• Oct. 1, 1982: Epcot, Disney World’s second park, debuts with futuristic and international themes.
• 1983: Xanadu: Home of the Future, a white, domed 15-room house that spotlights household tech, opens in Kissimmee. (It closed in 1996 and was demolished in 2005.)
• April 1983: Shakespeare’s Tavern opens in the refurbished Kress building on Church Street. Owner Robert Earl closes the dinner show in early 1986 and then opens both King Henry’s Feast and Mardi Gras, a jazzy cabaret, on I-Drive.
• September 1983: Medieval Times, a dinner show set in a castle from medieval times, opens in Kissimmee.
• January 1984: Elvis Presley Museum debuts in a shopping center on I-Drive. It later moved to Old Town in Kissimmee before closing in late 1993.
• Feb. 26, 1984: Grand opening held for Orange County Convention Center. It now features 2.1 million square feet of exhibition space.
• 1986: Old Town, a shopping and entertainment complex, opens in Kissimmee.
• April 1987: Boardwalk and Baseball theme park debuts on the site that was home to Circus World in Davenport. It closed in January 1990.
• Early 1988: Arabian Knights, a dinner show, opens in Kissimmee. Its run lasts through December 2013.
• May 1, 1989: Disney-MGM Studios opens. Its name changed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in January 2008.
• June 1, 1989: Typhoon Lagoon water park opens at Disney World.
• 1989: Anheuser-Busch buys SeaWorld.
• June 1990: Universal Studios Florida theme park opens.
• 1990: Magician Doug Henning announces plans to build Veda Land, a theme park based on magic, mysticism and transcendental meditation, in Osceola County. It never surfaces.
• Early 1991: Sleuth’s, a mystery-based dinner theater, opens. Its run ends in November 2025.
• November 1991: Terror on Church Street, a year-round haunt, opens in downtown Orlando. It closed in May 1999.
• August 1992: Capone’s Dinner & Show, a gangster-speakeasy themed experience, opens in Kissimmee. It relocated to Dezerland Park on I-Drive in 2025.
• 1992: Ripley’s Believe It or Not odditorium attraction comes to International Drive. A year later, Ripley Entertainment’s corporate headquarters moved from Toronto, Canada, to Orlando.
• October 1991: Fright Nights introduced at Universal Studios Florida. The next year, the event expanded, changed its name to Halloween Horror Nights.
• Late 1993: Florida Splendid China, a very downsized model featuring the Great Wall and more, opens. (It closes in December 2003).
• April 1, 1995: Blizzard Beach water park debuts at Disney.
• December 1995: American Gladiators Orlando Live, a dinner show featuring muscled competitors, opens in Kissimmee. It goes away in 1997.
• 1996: Skull Kingdom haunt opens near Wet ‘n Wild. It closed in 2006, and the skull-themed building was demolished in 2007.
• July 1996: Pirates Dinner Adventure opens on Carrier Drive near I-Drive.
• March 1997: Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex debuts (ESPN added to name in 2010).
• December 1997: Fun Spot opens near International Drive.
• March 1998: WonderWorks and its upside-down building begin to turn heads on International Drive.
• December 1998: Cirque du Soleil presents “La Nouba” at Downtown Disney theater. It runs through November 2021.
• Feb. 1999: Universal CityWalk entertainment and shopping complex opens
• May 1999: Islands of Adventure theme park opens at Universal Orlando.
• April 22, 1998: Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens on Earth Day.
• July 2000: Discovery Cove, SeaWorld’s day resort that offers swimming with dolphins, debuts.
• February 2001: Holy Land Experience, a Bible-based attraction eventually owned by Trinity Broadcasting Network, opens. Its high-profile, Roman-style auditorium opened in 2012. AdventHealth bought the property in 2021; its buildings were demolished in 2023.
• November 2001: River Country closes at Disney World.
• Spring 2003: Belz Enterprises launches Festival Bay Mall, which includes Cinemark Theater, Van’s Skatepark and stores on the north end of International Drive. In 2014, it morphed into Artegon Marketplace and incorporated stations for artisans. In 2018, it was purchased by South Florida developer Michael Dezer, who created Dezerland Park with go-karts, arcade, bowling, restaurants, indoor mini golf and Orlando Auto Museum.
• May 2003: Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede, a 1,100-seat dinner show, debuts on Vineland Avenue within sight of Interstate 4. It closes in January 2008.
• Nov. 6, 2006: Two pythons, two hatchling alligators and a dwarf crocodile die after a morning fire at Gatorland. Its gift shop and offices are destroyed and the trademark jaws entrance is damaged (and later restored).
• 2007: Fun Spot’s Kissimmee location opens.
• March 2008: Aquatica, SeaWorld’s water park, opens.
• 2008: Private equity firm Blackstone buys SeaWorld.
• 2009: After a series of ownership changes, Cypress Gardens closes after 70 years of operation.
• July 5, 2009: A collision between two monorail trains at Disney World resulted in the death of Austin Wuennenberg, a 21-year-old cast member who was piloting one.
• Feb. 24, 2010: SeaWorld whale trainer Dawn Brancheau, 40, dies after an orca named Tilikum pulls her into the water after a Dine With Shamu show.
• June 18, 2010: The world’s first Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens at Islands of Adventure. The immersive design and theme carry on into Universal Studios (2014) and Epic Universe (2025) as well as into Universal parks in California, Japan and China.
• Oct. 15, 2011: Legoland Florida debuts on the former site of Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven.
• 2013: SeaWorld Parks announces it will become a public company.
• June 2014: Plans for the world’s tallest roller coaster – 570 feet – are announced for land near I-Drive and Sand Lake Road. It has not been built.
• May 2015: Orlando Eye observation wheel opens at I-Drive 360 complex (now known as Icon Park). Daredevil Nik Wallenda does a high-wire walk to the top of the 400-foot structure. Other attractions at the complex include Madame Tussauds Orlando, Sea Life Orlando Aquarium and a skeleton museum.
• December 2015: Mango’s Tropical Cafe, a restaurant/nightlife destination, opens on International Drive.
• June 2013: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex adds Space Shuttle Atlantis to its exhibits.
• 2017: International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions trade group relocates from Alexandria, Virginia, to Orlando. Its new headquarters opens in September 2019.
• January 2017: Wet ‘n’ Wild closes.
• May 25, 2017: Volcano Bay water park debuts at Universal Orlando.
• June 2019: Island H2O Live Water Park opens near Margaritaville Orlando development in Kissimmee.
• September 2019: Disney Skyliner, a gondola-based transportation system, debuts. It connects two theme parks and a few Disney World resorts.
• March 2020: The tourism industry – including all seven Orlando theme parks – all but completely shuts down as a COVID pandemic precaution. They are empty between three and four months.
• March 1, 2021: Disney introduces Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a two-night immersive experience, near Hollywood Studios. It closes in September 2023.
• Nov. 18, 2021: “Drawn to Life,” a Cirque du Soleil production with Disney characters, premieres at Disney Springs.
• Feb. 22, 2022: Peppa Pig Theme Park opens as part of Legoland Florida Resort in Winter Haven.
• February 2024: SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment changes name to United Parks & Resorts.
• May 2025: Epic Universe, Orlando’s first new theme park in a generation, debuts.
• Sept. 17, 2025: Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, dies after becoming unresponsive on the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe.
• May 1, 2026: Blue Man Group plans opening night in its new Icon Park theater.
