ORLANDO, STILL THE BEST SHOW IN TOWN

ORLANDO, STILL THE BEST SHOW IN TOWN Story and photography by Eric Anderson
	When you leave the serenity of your Orlando hotel and drive perchance north you realize just as Dorothy got her epiphany of Oz: "We're not in Kansas, Toto," that you, too, have entered a new world. You pass teddy bears the size of dinosaurs, mansions built upside down, a McDonalds in the shape of a serving of French fries - and even after you hit the confusion of driving towards downtown on I 4 East you're still not safe from billboards that promise "The Thrill of Your Life!" and "You Have Three Seconds to be Terrified!"
	Not your bag? This makes you feel more like Alice in Wonderland? OK, head for Winter Park, with its old world Park Avenue and the Morse Museum's tribute to Tiffany glass, a delight to the senses like the Orlando Museum of Art, two miles to the south. But if you've been here before and already done this more classy stuff, Orlando is still the best show in town.
Any parent coming to a convention in this city will hear, no doubt, where the kids want to go: Disney! But those returning who already know more about Walt than his mother ever did will find fresh temptations in this ever-growing city. What doesn't change (fortunately because it's so close to the Convention Center) is the best hotel in town, the Orlando Peabody (1-800-PEABODY www.peabodyorlando.com). Everything you'd want to see in any direction is within a 20-minute drive.

In Downtown Disney itself, the major new attraction and best show in town is Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba (407-939-1298 www.cirquedusoleil.com). It's like a Where's Waldo picture where everything on the canvas is in idiosyncratic, frenetic motion. Nearby, in the Magic Kingdom, snarling engines mark the Richard Petty Driving Experience; one of whose options is a ride around the track, shotgun, with a racing driver. The cost, $89 seems high just to be scared in a car -- I can get a similar fright free riding with Corey, my teenage grandson.

Greater value despite the price lies in the upscale experience Sea World has added at Discovery Cove (877-434-7268 www.discoverycove.com). It's $229 for a special admission that includes amongst many extras letting you swim with dolphins, an encounter, like Circle du Soleil, your kids will remember all their lives.