Fly to Orlando

Nowhere on earth rivals Orlando for theme parks. Walt Disney World by itself spreads over 25,000 acres, with four theme parks, two water parks and dozens of resort hotels. Layer on LEGOLAND, SeaWorld, Universal Studios and a long list of smaller attractions, and a family can spend a full week here without seeing everything.

Disney's four parks, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and Magic Kingdom, can each easily take up a whole day. Universal Orlando Resort has Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter lives, and the new Epic Universe park adds a third choice. SeaWorld still draws crowds with its roller coasters and animal exhibits.

Away from the rides, Orlando has grown into a proper city. Mills 50 is now a serious food neighborhood, where Korean, Thai and Vietnamese kitchens sit next to fashionable cocktail bars. Just north of downtown, leafy Winter Park offers brick-paved streets, boutiques along Park Avenue and the Morse Museum, which holds the world's largest collection of Tiffany glass.

Orlando International (MCO) ranks among the biggest and smoothest-running airports in the US, with nonstop service from Europe and nearly every major American city. Brightline's new high-speed trains reach Miami in roughly three hours. Summer in Florida is hot, sticky and wet, yet the parks never close, and the shoulder seasons bring much smaller crowds.