Orlando, Florida, has much more to offer than just great theme parks. Apart from activities such as swimming, bicycling and hiking, which are free and fun for the whole family, there are many fascinating places to visit during your holidays to Florida. They vary from a vertical skydiving tunnel and a science center, to an alligator farm, a replica of the Titanic and the space center where you can meet a real astronaut who has been into space.

The Orlando Science Center is aimed at a fun way of educating children in science, but will entertain even the most jaded adult as well. Apart from touring exhibits, the permanent exhibits include DinoDigs, which takes you back to the world of dinosaurs; NatureWorks, featuring reptiles; KidsTown for the littlest ones and Science Park, featuring electricity, magnetism, sound waves and lasers.

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At Gatorland, you can observe a breeding marsh with crocodiles and alligators from an elevated board walk. An aviary and a petting zoo will entertain even the smallest children and the Upclose Encounters Show brings you into contact with reptiles, snakes and many other animals. Mobile interactive shows bring the cute and cuddly animals to the public.

Watch huge alligators jump several feet into the air to retrieve the food held by intrepid trainers during the Jumparoo Show. Alligator wrestlers sit astride a gator’s back, rolling it over and subduing it easily. Children under three enter for free; those three to twelve pay $14.99; adults cost $22.99. Wheelchairs and strollers are available to hire for between $10 and $20.

Kennedy Space Center could entertain the family for an entire day. Visit the Apollo/Saturn V Center for a close-up of rockets of the past; experience the authentic sights and sounds of the Shuttle Launch Simulation Facility; step into the interactive space flight simulators and G-force trainer at the Astronaut Hall of Fame, or go on a guided tour showing how the space station operates from day to day.

The five-storey IMAX 3D screen drops you right inside an orbiting shuttle and you experience a space walk. The NASA Rocket Garden contains actual old rockets and the Children’s Play Dome has moon rock walls to climb and tunnels to crawl through. Children under three enter for free; those up to eleven have to pay $33; adults pay $43 and other entry prices to certain activities vary from $15 to $21.

At Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, you can experience things that seem unbelievable, inexplicable and definitely one of a kind. The Odditorium seems to be sinking into a sink hole; a large section of the Berlin Wall stands beside an actual shrunken human skull; an Egyptian mummy and a tribute to the world’s tallest man compete with an early model Rolls Royce car built out of more than a million match sticks.

Whether you are interested in a dinosaur egg or a freak of nature, the literally hundreds of exhibitions will boggle the mind. Children under four pay nothing; for those up to twelve the online price is $9.99 plus tax; adults pay $16.99 plus tax. Groups of more than ten get a discounted price.

If you want to experience skydiving without actually having to jump out of an airplane, visit iFly (previously Skyventure). Wearing a helmet, goggles and a flight suit, anybody from the age of three can ride a column of air zooming up at 120 miles per hour, after a short training session.

Professional skydivers use the tunnel for practice sessions due to how realistic the experience is. You need no previous experience to ride the air column. There are various packages available, depending on how many times you use the tunnel. Prices start at $45.

You can walk down the Grand Staircase in the Titanic, or at least an authentic replica. At Titanic: The Experience, actors in period costume portray real life characters from the ill-fated ship. The luxurious state rooms, strolls on the Promenade Deck and stories told by the other “passengers” give you a real-life experience of the atmosphere on the ship.

Actual memorabilia from the ship are on view, along with the costume worn by Leonardo DiCaprio in the “Titanic” movie. An underwater eight foot long replica of the ship is displayed as she is on the bottom of the ocean today. As of February 2010, children three to eleven pay $12,95, seniors of 55 and older $19.75 and adults, $21.95.

The Outta Control Dinner Show in the city center combines magic with comedy in an audience participation show, with food such as pizza, popcorn and dessert served continuously at your table. Improvisation, impersonation and mind-boggling magic tricks keep the whole family entertained for 90 minutes.

It is recommended that you make reservations for Outta Control in order to guarantee seating space. Children under four go in for free; ages four to twelve and seniors pay $16.99 and adults cost $24.99. Group information is available on request.

Other entertainment includes the NASCAR Daytona 500 Experience for fans of fast cars; Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf; the beautiful stallions of the Arabian Nights Dinner Show; the Scenic Boat Tour; and the shark swimming with the Epcot Divequest.