Old School Orlando-area "Tourist Traps"

[tissandtully]

Hey there,

I thought I'd bring up some nostalgia for the locals around here as well as though who did a lot of traveling around the Orlando / Kissimmee area in the 90's. What are your most remembered or infamously remembered "tourist traps"? Places that once you got in you asked yourself, "How much did I pay for this?"

Clearly the one I remember most and this is big because I was only about 12 when my family went there, Xanadu - The Home of The Future off 192 in Kissimmee. The building on the outside was all this "Futuristic" foam type material, I always referred to it as the smurf-house. I think the icing on the cake and the point when I realized we'd been duped was when one of the presentations said "In the future, every house will have a device that can boil water in 30 seconds - a device called a Microwave." This was in the 90's.

So come one, let's get "tourist trap" nostalgic.

 

[Nemo14]

The sign for Xanadu is still there, but the building is not. Every time we go by it, we both say "Xanadu: Home of the Future!" Shell World was always fun too - free necklace!

 

[tissandtully]

The sign for Xanadu is still there, but the building is not. Every time we go by it, we both say "Xanadu: Home of the Future!" Shell World was always fun too - free necklace!

That's funny. I haven't been down in that area for a long time, I used to be around there a lot since my grandmother was part of historic Kissimmee community. She's still alive too, kicking it at 100 years old!

Speaking of tourist traps, I don't consider it one though, Gatorland. My grandmother was best friends with Pearl Godwin, who started Gatorland with her husband. I went there so many times as a child, I'm sure it's changed a lot as well.

 

[momof1princess]

We spent this morning in Weeki Wachee, my grandparents took me when I was a child and my four year old loved it too!

 

[mcurtiss]

i recall going to Gatorland and Monkey Jungle as a kid, though I don't remember if those were in orlando or not. Is there a Parrot one as well?

 

[wdwmom2+1]

We used to do all the stuff along 192 in kissimee Our favorites were all the go cart places, mini golf. Of course we did old town and gosh darn I miss shell world we even tried to go by last visit sad to see it gone we did go a couple times to church street to the haunted house there.. and then along I-4 area (international drive) weve done wonderworks, ripley's , titanic, and miss the old FAO store they had there!! never did gator land and I know there is a farm place around there some friends of ours always hit up but we had never been

 

[donsullivan]

i recall going to Gatorland and Monkey Jungle as a kid, though I don't remember if those were in orlando or not. Is there a Parrot one as well?

Gatorland is about 10 mile east of Disney World and is still very much there and active. It's a few miles south of 417 on Orange Blossom Trail.

 

[NiarrNDisney]

Not super old but I have gone to Ripley's a few times, once in the early 90's and again in 00.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

You'd have to go back a little further for me. I was "local" from '81 thru '91-ish. I remember things like Stars Hall of Fame and Mystery Fun House. We were HBJ annual passholders in the mid-80s. I recall going to Circus World when I was really little but have a lot of memories of going to Boardwalk & Baseball.

 

[wdwstateofmind]

Most tourist traps that have survived are on the west coast such as Wichee Watchee Springs and what not...

 

[danpam1024]

Holy Land- I always thought it was kind of weird for a theme park.

 

[MrsCoker]

i recall going to Gatorland and Monkey Jungle as a kid, though I don't remember if those were in orlando or not. Is there a Parrot one as well?

Monkey and Parrot Jungles are both in South Florida. )

 

[disney4life2008]

Holy Land- I always thought it was kind of weird for a theme park.

I remember Holy Land and wasnt there a chinese theme park. I remember my family going there and once a very long time ago

 

[MrsCoker]

I remember Holy Land and wasnt there a chinese theme park. I remember my family going there and once a very long time ago

Splendid China

 

[MOXOMUMD]

Splendid China

I wish I could have visited before it was demolished.

 

[cheezbat]

I wish I could have visited before it was demolished.

Was it demolished? I thought it just closed and much of it is still sitting back there...

 

[MOXOMUMD]

Was it demolished? I thought it just closed and much of it is still sitting back there...

Much of it has been demolished and left to sit in piles of rubble.

 

[PhilharMagician]

Don't forget Cypress gardens of the past or the water ski capital of the world as it was once called which opened back in like the late 30's. I remember seeing the water ski show and was amazed. Then they lost there guests to the theme parks to the North and tried to add rides to bring people back. It was too little too late and sold off and reopened to be LEGOLAND.

Haven't been to Gatorland since the early 90's. I am shocked it has survived the changes in the Orlando area

 

[Hakunamatata]

Don't forget Cypress gardens of the past or the water ski capital of the world as it was once called which opened back in like the late 30's. I remember seeing the water ski show and was amazed. Then they lost there guests to the theme parks to the North and tried to add rides to bring people back. It was too little too late and sold off and reopened to be LEGOLAND.

Haven't been to Gatorland since the early 90's. I am shocked it has survived the changes in the Orlando area

I remember going there as a kid and having to get my picture taken with all the southern belles. Lord it was hot and humid.

 

[englanddg]

Boardwalk and Baseball...it was like ESPN Zone at Disney, but more fun. It was also the spring training camp for the Kansas City Royals.