Are you looking for things to do in Orlando with your family? Look no further than ICON Park! This fantastic entertainment destination has something for everyone, from thrilling rides and beautiful city views to great food and shopping locations. Check out my ICON Park Tips For Families for all you need to know before you visit!
First opened in 2015, this relatively new destination is often described as an outdoor mall, but is so much more.
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. Read on to make your trip to this Orlando landmark worthwhile and memorable!
ICON Park Tips For Families: Where is ICON Park?
Table of Contents - Click to View
Just off I-4, ICON park is located in the heart of International Drive or I-drive in Orlando. The open-air complex is situated near Universal Boulevard and the Beachline. It is also just a hop, skip, and jump from all of Orlando’s major theme parks.
A 10-minute drive will take you to either Seaworld in the south or Universal Studios in the north, and a 15-minute drive will get you to Disney World.
The exact address of ICON Park is 8375 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819.
How Do I Get To ICON Park?
If you’re coming from the West, take the I-4 East toward Orlando and exit on 74A/Sand Lake road. Taking a right will bring you onto Sand Lake Rd. and another onto International Drive. Take a left U-Turn after 3 miles on I drive and you’ll arrive at ICON Park. If you’re coming from the East, you will need to take I-4 West toward Tampa.
The I-Ride Trolley is a great way to get around if you don’t want to drive or rent a car when in Orlando. The trolley stop 14 on the northbound Red Line or the trolley stop G9 on the southbound Green Line will lead you right to ICON Park.
What Are ICON Park’s Opening Hours?
ICON Park is open 365 days, rain or shine. The park opens at 10 a.m., but the hours of operation vary during the week and differ for each attraction, shop, and eatery.
The Wheel
Monday & Tuesday: 1 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday: 1 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday: 12 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m.
SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium and Madame Tussauds Orlando
Monday – Thursday and Sunday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
The last admission is an hour before closing time.
Museum of Illusions
Everyday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Opening hours for the Museum of Illusions are subject to change. Please check the website for the latest hours.
In The Game/7D Dark Ride
Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Friday – Sunday: 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.
ICON Park Tips For Families: How Much Time Do I Need at ICON Park?
We highly recommend spending a full day in ICON Park if you want to make the most of your visit. The park has an array of activities and attractions for all age groups, making it a perfect destination for you and your family.
The well-planned layout of the park is easy to navigate and is also suitable for shorter visits. So, it entirely depends on your itinerary and interests. We suggest spending at least five hours here so you have enough time to enjoy most of the attractions and amenities.
Where Can I Park at ICON Park?
There are plenty of parking options available at ICON Park, and you can also find all the information you need on its official website.
ICON Park provides free parking in its seven-story covered parking structure on the property. It also offers complimentary valet services. In addition to this, you can also find metered street parking around ICON Park. Talk about convenience! We recommend getting there early to snag a spot.
ICON Park Tips For Families: About The Park Play Pass (What it Includes)
The Park Play Pass is an all-inclusive ticket for ICON Park at a discounted rate. It is ideal for first-time visitors looking to enjoy all the park’s major attractions. The well-rounded Park Play Pass guarantees something of interest for each member of the family.
You can purchase the pass in advance so you don’t have to worry about tickets when you get there. At one low price, you can plan your whole day and be assured that all the big-ticket items will be covered!
Each Park Play Pass costs about $75 and includes access to these 7 ‘ICONic’ attractions:
- A ride on The Wheel
- A ride on the Pearl Express Train
- Madame Tussauds Orlando
- SEA LIFE Aquarium
- 7D Dark Ride Adventure
- A $5 Plat Card at In The Game Arcade
- Museum of Illusions
It also offers exclusive deals on dining and shopping at selected outlets and eateries within the park.
What Attractions Are at ICON Park?
From a gigantic observation wheel and an aquarium that’s perfect for exploring the underwater world to an array of restaurants, ICON Park will leave you with memories that you and your kids will cherish forever.
Fun fact: USA Today named ICON Park as the ‘#1 Attraction in Orlando For Tots, Teens & In-Betweens!‘.
Attractions For Toddlers at ICON Park
SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium
Orlando is home to some of the best aquariums in the country, like SeaWorld Orlando and EPCOT’s Living Seas Pavilion. The SEA LIFE Aquarium at ICON Park is a great place to experience underwater life, with exhibits that include everything from sharks to sea turtles.
Relatively affordable and lots of fun, the aquarium has multiple themed exhibits with each room showcasing a different part of the world. It also houses Florida’s only 360° Ocean Tunnel to witness the lives of sharks, stingrays, and jellies.
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!
To enhance this experience, for a few extra bucks, you also have the option to book a 30-minute Behind The Scenes Tour. With a bird’s eye view of the ocean tanks, and the opportunity to feed the fish and other animals, you get a glimpse into the life of an aquarist.
Carousel On The Promenade
The newest attraction at the outdoor promenade is a gorgeous, hand-crafted carousel. The 36-foot moving piece of art has intricate carvings and 30 animal figurines for sitting on. The animals include sea dragons, rabbits, zebras, reindeer, horses, and more! It also has two chariot benches to cater to guests of all ages and people with disabilities. Adults can ride for free when they pay for their kids. It is an absolute treat for toddlers!
Pearl Express Train
The Pearl Express takes your tiny tots choo-chooing all around the perimeter of the Park. Take in all the beautiful sights and hustle-bustle of the park from within the technicolored coaches of this train. Departing from in front of The Wheelhouse, the train plies on throughout the day, delighting children and adults!
ICON Park Tips For Families: Attractions Best For Tweens & Teens at ICON Park
7D Dark Ride Adventure
ICON Park offers an adventurous ride of a lifetime for your older, adrenaline-seeking pre-teens and teenagers. 7D Dark Ride Adventure is a highly immersive, first-person shooter simulation. It uses seven dimensions including, but not limited to, light, sound, smell, and wind, to suck you in!
It also makes a great bonding experience for families as it can accommodate groups of up to 10 people. All you need is a little bravery to gun down robots, mad scientists, zombies, and more!
Museum of Illusions
With more than 50 different exhibits and an abundance of photo ops, visiting The Museum of Illusions Orlando is a one-of-a-kind activity that is perfect for Instagram-obsessed teens.
Do your kids want a surreal photo of themselves climbing a mammoth rock wall, or maybe they want to blow themselves up into giants? Perhaps they would have each other’s heads floating on a platter instead! Let them have their pick or do them all as a family! It’s up to you.
Not only is this quirky and brain-bending experience entertaining, but it’s also educational. The incomprehensible illusions are created using the principles of math, science, and psychology, making it an experience that is equally as fun as it is enriching.
Attractions For All The Family at ICON Park
The Wheel
ICON Park’s signature attraction, The Wheel, stands over 400 feet tall and offers breath-taking aerial views of the entire city of Orlando.
This observation wheel, formerly known as the Orlando Eye, is anything but your average Joe Ferris wheel. Made from 3,000,000 pounds of steel, the marvelous feat of structural engineering is the highest moving sky bar on the east coast. Every one of its air-conditioned moving pods is large enough for 15 people to stand, sit, stretch out, and even walk around for comfortable viewing.
The ride lasts 18 minutes, covers 57 miles of viewing distance, and moves at less than a mile per hour. The digital screen inside each capsule aids passengers in locating all the fan-favorite destinations of Orlando, all the while providing you with history and information about them as well.
Nighttime in Orlando is a dazzling display of lights, colors, and fireworks. Riding The Wheel at night and timing your ride with the Disney World fireworks will make this experience even more special.
Madame Tussauds Orlando
Love taking silly selfies with the family? Just imagine what fun it’ll be taking funny pictures with your favorite celebrities! Madame Tussauds Orlando has something to offer for every family member, no matter your age.
From wax figurines of Kung Fu Panda and members of the Justice League for little ones, the who’s who of Hollywood and the music industry for the adolescents, historical figures for the intellectuals, and late-night comics for the adults, the museum offers endless photo opportunities and fun-filled family time.
ICON Park Tips For Families: Must-do’s at ICON Park
Apart from the super popular and crowd-pleasing attractions mentioned above, ICON park has an array of charming leisure activities and some novelty experiences that will make your visit here all the more unforgettable.
Family Fun at In The Game Arcade City
With over 100 games to choose from, In the Game is a fantastic place to spend the afternoon with the entire family. In addition to the classic vintage arcade games that never go out of style, the attraction also has updated experiences like an escape room, a mirror maze, laser tag, and a VR game with four different scenarios to choose from.
Shopping Galore at ICON Park
The Shopping Galore at ICON Park is also not to be missed. This shopping district features a number of boutique stores and various gift shops, ranging from souvenir shops to high-end retailers.
ICON Park can be an enjoyable shopping destination. The Wheelhouse giftshop and 360 Gifts stock affordable souvenirs to take back home. The park is also home to a Build-a-Bear workshop that your kids will absolutely love.
Grab a Snack or a Meal at ICON Park
ICON Park is home to several eateries with cuisines from around the world. From Uncle Julio’s Mexican Restaurant and Tapa Toro for Spanish food to Mikado for authentic ramen and iCafe de Paris for scrumptious French crepes, you have a lot to choose from.
They even have casual food-court-style options at The Wheelhouse Market Food Hall.
Sugar Factory
This is the ultimate treat for the sweet-toothed! In addition to decadent burgers and milkshakes, the Sugar Factory has signature treats that will appeal to even the pickiest eater! You can choose from celebrity-endorsed couture pops or decedent ice cream sandwiches.
The King Kong Sundae is a mammoth of a dessert that features 16 scoops of ice cream, tasty toppings, and sparklers! It wouldn’t be a visit to ICON Park without visiting the Sugar Factory, especially when you have kids.
Themed or One-of-a-kind Experiences at ICON
Santa Workshop Experience
ICON Park offers an annual, well-organized, free-of-crowds-and-meandering-lines Christmas experience for you and your kids. Beginning in November, the holiday festivities transform the entire park into a winter wonderland, and the Santa Workshop Experience continues until Christmas Eve. You have the chance to choose your Santa in advance on the website and get a perfect photo of your little ones with jolly old St. Nick.
Gender Reveal at The Wheel
Apart from various parties and gatherings you can host here, ICON Park offers an unusual yet endearing celebration. Expectant parents can opt for an offbeat and innovative way to reveal their baby’s gender at The Wheel. Guests gathered on the central lawn will be treated to a spectacular pink and blue light show courtesy of The Wheel, until it ultimately reveals the gender of your baby!
If you have enjoyed this post and found it useful, here are some ways you can say thanks and support Visiting Orlando With Kids
1. Click here to buy me a virtual coffee (thank you so much!)
2. Join our VISITING ORLANDO WITH KIDS FACEBOOK GROUP here which includes lots of ideas & tips for things to do, places to visit in and around Orlando.
3. Click here to sign up for the latest family travel tips, guides and competitions.
3. Share this post with your friends.
4. Follow Visiting Orlando With Kids on the following platforms for exclusive content :
Thank you for your support as always.