From Fantasy to Free-falling: Orlando's New Summer Attractions

(NewsUSA) - It should come as no surprise that Florida remains a hot spot for summer travel - especially Orlando, home to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.

While it's true that families tend to flock to these familiar venues, (the city has been named one of Travelocity's "Coolest Places to Go in 2018 for Families" and AAA's "Top Domestic Summer Destination"), it is also so much more than the sum of these two theme parks.

So if you're considering a trip to Orlando, read on about how to score the best deals and some sights to see with the fam that you may not have known even existed. 

Attraction Tips & Deals 

The destination's only official visitor center, operated by Visit Orlando, offers deals, discounted tickets, unbiased expert advice and Insta-worthy photo ops for guests. 

Movies & Fantasy Worlds Come to Life 

Universal Studios Florida will put guests right in the middle of the action with the new Fast & Furious - Supercharged ride, based on the popular film franchise, where an after-race party turns into a high-speed race to escape a criminal cartel.

Disney's Hollywood Studios opens Toy Story Land on June 30, featuring two new attractions. The rides, Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Sauchers, will take visitors right into Andy's imagination as they join beloved characters on their adventures.

Madame Tussauds Orlando's "Justice League: A Call for Heroes," will give guests the "sidekick" experience to Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, and Ben Affleck's Batman.

Legoland Florida Resort found its niche when it debuted "The Great Lego Race," on March 23.

This thrill ride is the first virtual reality roller coaster experience designed for kids and features Lego minifigures, a rocket-powered surfboard, and an espresso-fueled scooter. 

Outdoor Adventures and Record-Setting Thrills 

SeaWorld Orlando debuts Infinity Falls this summer, a whitewater rapid-adventure raft ride through a lost jungle. The journey will send guests through fountains and waterfalls before dropping 40 feet - a world record for a river raft ride - into churning whitewater.

The Orlando Starflyer is the world's tallest swing ride, and opens on June 1. At 450-feet tall, the ride offers open-air views of the city for up to 24 guests at once, swinging them through the air at up to 60 miles an hour.

Just in time for their 20th Anniversary, Fun Spot America opened HeadRush 360, a spinning and swinging new attraction that takes riders 40 feet in the air - upside down.

And Orlando Watersports Complex is home to Central Florida's first Aquapark, which features a modular series of inflatable, interlocking climbing obstacles, pathways and slides for hours of fun.

For more information, visit VisitOrlando.com.