Take a walk down I-Drive in Orlando to spot two of the grandest marvels that rule the skyline of the city, the Orlando Starflyer and The Wheel. And if that impresses you, just wait till you get to the home of these mind-blowing feats, the famous ICON Park in Orlando, Florida. Why not check out these incredible ICON Park Attractions for Families?
For more than half a decade, ICON Park has been inviting visitors to some of the most spectacular experiences that have ever existed. From the heights of The Wheel to the depths of SEA LIFE, from idle wax museums to virtual realities, guests of all ages and tastes can head down for an amazing time with their friends and family. Laugh, scream, pose, cheer, shop, dine, shout, game – prepare yourselves for entertainment like never before.
We’ve put together a complete list of must-try attractions at the park for the whole family. So keep reading to learn about all the things to do at ICON Park!
What is ICON Park
Inaugurated in 2015, this relatively new destination in Orlando is often described as an outdoor mall. But, it is so much more than that! ICON Park Orlando is a massive complex featuring a plethora of activities for the whole family: 50+ restaurants, funky bars, amusement park rides, boutique stores, and more. Whatever your interests or preferences, the park has something for you.
ICON Park Attractions for Families: Attractions For Teens
Orlando Starflyer
The Orlando Starflyer is the world’s tallest swing ride that combines pulse-pounding thrills with top-notch safety measures. With no height and weight limits, everyone is welcome to join the excitement! This is one of the best ICON Park Attractions for Families who are complete daredevils! Just strap in and get prepared to be swung around while suspended at an astounding height of 450 feet.
The Orlando Starflyer ICON Park can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour as it swings you around the colossal tower for about 4 minutes. The ride offers double seating so you can scream your head off alongside a friend or family member! Safety measures include double seatbelts and a harness that goes between your legs to fasten in your lap.
If fast rides and unreal views aren’t your thing, consider watching it from down below instead. The ride is installed with over 240,000 LED lights that bring it to life against the night sky, making it perfect to admire from a distance.
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
Grab a selfie with Taylor Swift, strike a pose with David Beckham, or swing into action with Shrek! Get a chance to see these stunning life-like statues of some of the most popular people of our time.
ICON Park Madame Tussauds is home to figures of Hollywood celebrities, leaders of the state, men and women of science, sports, and so much more. Teens and grown-ups alike will be tickled by the precision-crafted wax figures on display in their iconic poses, such as Neymar’s goal celebration and Jackie Chan’s kung fu stance!
Comic book fans, in particular, will love the Justice League exhibit. Suit up and summon the seas with Aquaman, unleash the Amazon in you with Wonder Woman, or if all else fails, join the shadows and pose next to everyone’s favorite caped crusader, Batman.
They also have a Daily Planet newsstand at the end stationed next to the paper’s favorite journalist, Clark Kent aka Superman.
7D Dark Ride Adventure
7D Dark Ride Adventure is a theatrical virtual reality gaming setup that features a collection of immersive experiences to choose from. Set in a dynamic motion 3D theater, fans of first-person shooter games are guaranteed to enjoy this one!
Once you’re strapped in, get ready to be immersed in your game with the help of special effects of every sort, from wind, light, sound, and motion, to smell and user interaction.
You’ll get to shoot down zombies, robots, and mad scientists in this shooter game that is like no other. While this ride is an easy favorite among teens, it can also be a great opportunity for the family to bond as the game accommodates teams of up to 10 members.
ICON Park Attractions for Families: Attractions For Kids
Carousel On The Promenade
Picture an ordinary merry-go-round. Now add to that more than 30 handcrafted models for riding around one of the grandest carousels in the world. Carousel On The Promenade is one of the newest additions to ICON Park that is sure to leave a sparkle in the eyes of your tots. Making it one of the best ICON Park attractions for families with young children.
Not a fan of horses? How about riding a reindeer? Or a rabbit? The distinctly vintage-themed models set about this 36-foot carousel include zebras, deers, and more.
Each animal represents models from carousels of times gone by, from around the world. Led by a Spillman Fairy Horse, a tribute to the original Fairy Horse from the 1800s, the Carousel On The Promenade even has a teal green sea dragon that is complete with majestic scales.
If your kids are too reluctant to let go of your hands, don’t worry, the carousel has no age limit so you are free to ride too. You can either stand beside the animal your child chooses or join them in one of the chariot seats that accommodate up to 4 people. The gentle ride is inclusive of all ages and abilities, making it a crowd favorite!
Pearl Express Train
Another big hit among park visitors with children is the Pearl Express Train. Hop on board the trackless electric train that looks and feels like an 18th-century steam engine with its bright-colored railroad cars. The train begins at The Wheelhouse and chugs around all day bringing smiles to children’s faces as well as adults!
Walking around all of ICON Park in the sweltering heat can get tiring, especially when with cranky little ones. Board the Pearl Express instead and choo-choo around the whole park for a quick and easy tour of the place.
Friendly ushers and attendants are available on board to help with your needs and capture your best moments during the trip. These snapshots can be purchased at the end of your trip as cherished keepsakes.
As with most other rides at the park, safety is ensured at every turn of the train. From anti-collision systems to hidden locks on all train doors, you and your loved ones are kept safe throughout the ride. So, kick back and unwind as you take in the park views.
In The Game
Wondering if there are any other things to do at ICON Park that’ll get the family up and moving? Well, then get your game face on and prepare to duel it out with your family, playing all your favorite games.
Located inside the Wheelhouse at ICON Park, In The Game is a one-of-a-kind gaming area that blends the fun of a classic arcade with technology to provide an incredibly immersive experience.
Get competitive and collect tickets with your loved ones at the arcade area that is complete with a handful of unique games and prizes for everyone. Enter the Mirror Maze and try finding your way out as you keep bumping into, well, yourself! You will also find the ICON Park Escape Room here at In The Game. Don your thinking caps and rummage through to find clues that can help you find a way out as you race against a timer. Heavily themed and designed with the best props, the Escape Room ICON Park puts your deduction skills to the test.
Virtual Reality games are another highlight of the arcade. Put on headsets as you play your way through 4 different VR games. A visit to the arcade can be a good choice to dodge the afternoon sun and also to create some amazing memories with your family over friendly games.
ICON Park Attractions For The Whole Family
The Wheel
When driving around town, The Wheel at ICON Park Orlando Florida is one sight you will definitely spot! This monumental loop in Orlando’s skyline stands at a height of 400 feet (the tallest on the East Coast) and serves as an “observation wheel” for taking in the city’s most iconic sights.
The Wheel has 30 pods for visitors to board, with a bench in the middle of each one for those who want to stretch out and relax. However, the best way to enjoy your 18-minute-long voyage through the clouds is to walk around and witness all of Orlando. From Big Sandlake, to other parks in the vicinity, to even the Kennedy Space Center, all is visible from the comfort of your air-conditioned capsule.
The skybox is fitted with interactive tablets that provide passengers with information on visible landmarks while allowing you to zoom in on them to get a better view. They also have a time-synced audio guide about the history of the sights. But if that sounds boring to you, connect your phone using Bluetooth and play your favorite tracks as you cruise through the sky.
Time your visit to ICON Park to end your day in The Wheel, to witness the sun on the horizon and the lights around the city come to life. When it comes to things to do at ICON Park, this is one you cannot miss.
SEA LIFE Aquarium
The ICON Park SEA LIFE Aquarium takes you into the heart of the sea and lets you spend time with the most colorful creatures on the planet without having to get wet! Home to Florida’s only 360-degree ocean tunnel, this aquarium has an amazing spread of exhibits and attractions.
Visit the Indian Ocean exhibit to see Joy, a zebra shark, and other animals that have been rescued by species survival programs. Need a pop of color for the family photo? Head to Jelly Wall and pose in front of the bioluminescent moon jelly habitat.
Your tiny tots will enjoy the small touch tank featuring starfish and anemones at the end of the walkthrough. The unique tactile experience gives them the chance to get up close with sea creatures they otherwise might not have ever seen. Sharks, turtles, schools of fish, octopuses, and even seahorses! The SEA LIFE Aquarium ICON Park also gives you a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium should you want to learn the ropes of maintaining one.
Museum Of Illusions
Get ready to fool your eyes and tickle your brains at the ICON Park Museum Of Illusions. Being one of the newer additions to the park, the “edutainment” spot boasts the title of being the largest of its kind in Florida, with an impressive list of more than 50 attractions.
Overcome conventional logic as you make your way through interactive immersions and wacky walkthrough hallways. Defy gravity and snap a photo of your bunch in an upside-down drawing room, or “go for a spin” in the vortex tunnel. If you’re a fan of Gulliver’s Travels, don your Lilliputian boots and head to the Ames Room.
The exhibits are categorized into 3: optical illusions to confuse your senses, photographic illusions to make you wonder how Photoshop isn’t involved, and interactive illusions to craft your own act of visual sorcery. With unbelievable experiences that make you question your very reality, the Museum Of Illusions will confuse you, delight you, and leave your family in splits. It’s one you don’t want to miss!
ICON Park Attractions for Families: FAQ
- Is ICON Park free?
Yes, entry into park premises is free for all. Admission into attractions and rides, however, requires visitors to purchase passes. Bundle passes are available for multiple rides at discounts so remember to check that out when you plan your visit.
- What are the ICON Park Orlando hours?
The park is open from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m., 365 days of the year. It should be noted that each attraction has its own working hours so be sure to update yourself on those. Most attractions, like The Wheel, are open all year round, except in conditions of extremely bad weather.
- Is The Wheel safe?
The pods on The Wheel are all climate-controlled and self-stabilizing. The Wheel takes 18 minutes to finish a rotation at an almost unnoticeable speed without any sudden jerks or stops. The ride is safe enough for visitors to comfortably walk around the pod and take in the 360-degree view without any worries.
- Does ICON Park have restaurants?
From Blake Shelton’s Ole Red (with frequent live music by the artist himself) to Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips, the list of ICON Park restaurants is nothing short of impressive. Among the 40 different dining and shopping options, Sugar Factory is popular among the little ones for their delectable treats and bites. For a “hotter” experience, try Uncle Julio’s Mexican food!
5. What hotels are close to ICON Park?
The Marriott Castle Hotel is nearby and on idrive, and only a mile away. (It is part of the Marriott Autograph collection, which you may of heard from this guide to Royalton Saint Lucia. They are a collection of international, independent hotels “carefully curated to leave a lasting imprint on guests.”