space rockets, an airboat ride and wonders created with Lego bricks

He Lake Eola Park It’s very busy. The warm and sunny day, which anticipates the arrival of summer in the United States, encourages tourists and locals to walk around the lake, visit the fair with numerous stands, play sports or eat something delicious in one of the park’s bars.

Three blocks from where we are is Orange Ave, the main avenue of Orlando. During the day and during the weekend there is little movement. But in the afternoon more and more people begin to arrive, attracted by the varied gastronomic offer. There, you can find dishes from all over the world, although the recommendation – as always – is to try local flavors.

Because in addition to hamburgers, pancakes and pizzas, the state of Florida also has its must-sees, such as mahi mahi and grouper fish, the delicious key lime pie and, for the most daring, alligator bites marinated.

Our stay in Orlando is brief, but it gives us time to see the most important points of the city and, of course, go shopping. The favorite place for tourists is the Premium Outlets, with all kinds of brands and very competitive prices.

“Many visitors are attracted by the Disney and Universal parks, but very few truly know the destination,” says Víctor, who is of Colombian origin, has lived in the United States for seven years and works in the tourism industry.

In addition to being home to the most famous amusement parks in the world, Orlando is the gateway to Central Floridaone of the three regions of the state, which we will visit for a week based on Winter Haven y Lakeland. The objective is to get to know its main attractions – other theme parks – and live different adventures in nature.

“Time for takeoff: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…” Right at that moment, the seats of the simulator Shuttle Launch Experience begin to move strongly, making our entire body vibrate intensely.

Thanks to the noises and images that surround us, we believe – for a few minutes – that we are astronauts fulfilling our first space mission.

This attraction of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex It is a full-scale replica of a shuttle in which the sensations of a launch are experienced and, according to some astronauts, it is very similar to what they really feel.

After five minutes the screens turn off, the doors open and a lady reminds us not to forget our belongings. We return to Earth.

We are 80 km from Orlando, in the rocket launch center of the NASA, and this theme park is part of the complex. A great opportunity to learn, through different attractions, all the advances in space exploration.

The park is divided into pavilions. The most recent is Gateway, which has an exhibition about the present and future of NASA. There are space capsules from Boeing and Blue Origin, the company of tycoon Jeff Bezos, which launched tourist trips to space. There are also four simulators, in which the visitor can feel like they are traveling to different planets.

The Atlantis building displays the Space shuttle of the same name: it went to space 33 times and was used to transport materials to expand the International Space Station.

One of the must-sees of the park is the tour bus, which arrives at the Apollo Saturn V Center, where you can see a real moon rocket and a lunar station, also real. But the most surprising thing is passing by the real – and truly gigantic – Vehicle Assembly Building, a place where prefabricated space vehicles are assembled.

Also from the bus window you can see the rocket take-off platform and the stands – several meters away – for the public who arrive to witness a royal launch. You can see them from the park, but to be closer, you have to pay.

We left the Moon, the stars and other planets and got into a van until Winter Haven -where we go to sleep-, a place that offers artistic and cultural experiences with multiple art galleries and important theaters, such as the Ritz and the Theater Winter Haven.

But we are here to tour the “other” theme parks. Peppa Pig Theme Park y Legoland Florida They are the most attractive for families with children. Best of all, they are next to each other and can be easily reached on foot.

The first is designed for boys 1 to 5 years and it has numerous attractions so that the little ones can spend the entire day discovering the world of Peppa Pig and her friends.

Among the most games extremes -adapted for the little ones- there is Daddy Pig’s roller coaster, Mr. Bull’s Hammer and the balloon ride. Among the most popular we must mention the dinosaur ride and the pirate ship ride.

There is also a cinema with short films of these cartoons, a water plaza, musical shows, sand areas to play in and a gift shop, among others.

In front, just a few meters away, is the entrance to Legoland, a park designed for children of up to 12 yearsalthough the older ones also have guaranteed fun.

Here, Lego creations surprise everyone. The most iconic landscapes of the United States are represented in the Miniland USA area. They used more than 32 million bricks Lego to recreate the skyscrapers of New York next to Central Park and the Statue of Liberty, the eccentric hotels of Las Vegas and the buildings of Washington DC and California.

Throughout the park you can see characters or animals made with these little bricks. Additionally, one of the newest attractions, Lego Ferrari Build & Race, features a life size Ferrari made with more than 400,000 Legos.

For those looking for a little excitement, there are three in the park roller coasters and simulators of different intensities.

For the little ones – or for the fearful – there are interactive tours, boarded tours and shows, among other attractions.

The complex also has a water parkthree own themed hotels -ideal for children-, souvenir shops and a dock from where boat excursions depart.

The journey continues towards Lakelandjust 14 miles from Winter Haven, so we decided to go a little out of the way for a more natural experience.

A great region advantage of Central Florida is that in a few kilometers one can go from being in a totally urban landscape and surrounded by many people to being in the middle of a lake full of alligators or in the countryside, surrounded by animals.

And that is exactly what we are looking for. That’s why we headed to Safari Wilderness Ranch, where we joined a walk to see animals that, although the vast majority originate from Africa, all the specimens that are in this place were born in different parts of the United States.

We have just started the safari, six ostriches They start running next to the vehicle (just like a dog barking at a car).

“Put your hands inside the truck, you don’t want to get stung,” warns the guide, while these animals stretch their necks and observe us closely.

Along the way we see everything: several lemurs, red antelopes, zebras, two cheetahs, llamas and Ankole-Watusi, a breed of cow with gigantic horns.

To continue discovering the animal world, we make another stop: Westgate River Ranch, a complex that offers different types of accommodation and endless activities such as archery, compressed air shooting and horseback riding.

But what excites us most is the navigation to observe alligatorsthe great star of destiny.

In Central Florida there are 550 lagos and there are several water activities in this region. But the one that stands out the most among visitors is the alligator watching.

“Put on your headphones and sit down. This is a aerobot. The difference with other boats is that it is propelled by an airplane propeller, so it makes a lot of noise,” explains the captain.

Also called hovercraft, they have a flat design and have no moving parts below the waterline. This allows for easy navigation in swamps and lagoons.

“Look to the right,” says the captain. A few meters away we see the first of the many specimens that will appear on this tour: a caiman of approximately three meters long; It is the largest of all those we found on this occasion.

The 45 minutes of navigation were spent searching for alligators, and we managed to discover several. Some inside the lake swimming -or floating-, others coming out of the water and we also see several on the shore, resting. quite a spectacle.

“Here they usually rest pups, but today there seems to be none,” says the captain as he stops the boat. Although we wait a few minutes, we have no luck. Nothing. A shame! “You’ll have to come back to see them,” he suggests.

And so it will be. We now have a reason to return to Central Florida, an ideal region to combine the best of the city with exotic adventures and, of course, theme parks. Until next time. w

By American Airlines to Orlando, via Miami, from US$1,115 round trip at the beginning of June.

● Courtyard Marriott Winter Haven. A room for two people, per night from US$159 (www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mcocw-courtyard-winter-haven).

● Terrace Hotel, Lake Land. A room for two people, per night from US$183 (www.hilton.com/en/hotels/tpateup-the-terrace-hotel-lakeland).

● Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex: Adult one-day pass, $75. Two-day pass, $89. Children, $10 less. (www.kennedyspacecenter.com).

● Peppa Pig Theme Park: one-day pass, US$104 adults and US$20 children. Includes admission to Legoland. (www.peppapigthemepark.com).

● Legoland Florida: one-day general admission: US$84 (www.legoland.com/florida).

● Safari Wilderness Ranch: two and a half hour safari, US$119 (safari wilderness.com).

● Westgate River Ranch: paseo en aerobote, US$ 45,95 (www.west gateresorts.com).

● Bok Tower Gardens: US$ 20 adultos, US$ 10 menores (boktower gardens.org).