Florida ‘side B’ has Peppa Pig, Legoland and NASA park – 05/24/2023 – Tourism

Perhaps an unwary visitor thinks that going to Florida without going to Disney makes as much sense as paying for a buffet at a steakhouse and sticking to a salad. Little does he know that there are more things between the searing sun and Mickey’s house than our vain tourismology can imagine.

A throng of Latin American travelers, the state periodically summons influencers and journalists, including this one, to show the plethora of options. Some more, others less interesting for us Brazilians, who are very well served with natural beauties, thank you.

Some green areas, for example, are a waste, but let’s be honest: nobody here exchanged reais for dollars, a saltier conversion than the french fries that Americans devour non-stop, to see something that the homeland has in abundance.

The combination of nature, parks, shopping and history, however, is an interesting balance for those on a less obvious route through Florida. A tip that can be useful for newcomers in the area, but also for those who have been to Disney so many times and to the famous mega-malls that they risk winning a local statue. Made by Romero Britto, a beloved artist there.

And there’s still room for a more pulsating gastronomic scene than the hamburger and fried food festival, regional champions that earn a few more houses on the belt until the end of the trip.

First stop: outer space. One hour from Orlando, on Merritt Island, is the Kennedy Space Center, a park within the NASA complex. A tour, it should be said, with high doses of homemade patriotism.

Already at the opening, at 9 am, the national anthem welcomes everyone, and the Americans in line respond by singing with their hands on their chests. The soundtrack contributes to the feeling of being in one of those films in which the US saves the world, whether from ETs or from the Soviets. A Cold War revival.

Narratives aside, the attractions excite children and adults alike. In the historical department, you can see real rockets, like the carcass of Atlantis, the space shuttle that ran more than 200 million kilometers.

There are no zero gravity simulators, much to the disappointment of many people. Other simulators, however, deliver the immersive experience, like one that stages the moment of launch. It looks like a massage chair operating beyond its capacity, added to the screen that recreates the journey to the stars.
Even Marcos Pontes, the “Brazilian astronaut” who took a trip outside Earth in 2006 and landed years later on Esplanada Bolsonarista, appears in an institutional video.

Park admission costs from US$80.25 (R$394). For another US$ 50 (R$ 245), you can chat with an astronaut. Lucky ones will be able to sync their visit with the chance to witness a real rocket launch, also at an extra cost. Or you can burn that money with cones on the Milky Way (milky way) — let’s face it, good name for an ice cream parlor.

It is expensive to take a souvenir home. A plush planet that would not envy the products of São Paulo’s 25 de Março retailer costs more than US$ 20 (R$ 98), and a tie with the NASA logo costs US$ 30 (R$ 147).

Leaving the coast and entering the heart of the state, there are two theme parks, the neighboring Legoland and Peppa Pig Theme Park, in Winter Haven.

The second is more aimed at younger children, with moderate voltage toys. Anyone who is a parent knows the superpowers of the muddy puddle enthusiast pig, capable of absorbing the attention of the little viewer. Then just see an employee dressed as Peppa and run for the hug. The line is long, and tickets start at US$39 (R$191).

Also long are the many uncovered parts of the space, hit by a hurricane that tormented the region in 2022. From chipping, the sun asks for a lot of protection and unconditional adherence to the tourist uniform: cap or hat. Suggestion valid for all open-air walks.

A few steps away is a whole Lego universe, with roller coasters and other fun toys even for adults. Ninjago is an example: a little train that drives through a sensory experience in 3D in which you have to handle a little gun that shoots lasers at ninja rivals. From a distance it looks like a collective performance of “Ragatanga”, the dance popularized in the 2000s by the band Rouge.

To lower the heat, the park includes a separate paid aquatic complex, with a wave pool and water slides that laugh in the face of gravity.

The temperature in Florida, that is to say, is 8 or 80: either the carioca summer heat goes on or it becomes a popsicle in the interior spaces, with Siberian air conditioning. Caso da Terra da Imaginação, an invitation to create entire worlds with colored blocks. A sculpture of Albert Einstein’s face doubles as the hostess.

Miniland impresses: there are, sculpted in Lego and on an imposing scale, replicas of tourist attractions ranging from the casinos of Las Vegas to the headquarters of the White House.

At every step, a little shop that lives up to the maxim of the Brazilian dollarized in the US: “Whoever converts doesn’t have fun”. The meanest of treats will subtract R$50 from your wallet. The ticket, by the way, costs from US$ 84 (R$ 413). Anyone who wants to visit Peppa’s park on the same day pays from US$ 99 (R$ 486).

Does this Florida of days divided between parks and shopping sound familiar? There are places further off the tourist curve that are worth considering. Bok Tower is one of them, surrounded by gardens and history. Conceived by Edward Bok, a prestigious publisher who married the boss’s daughter and had access to a substantial fortune, the 60-metre tower was built in a green refuge covering 101 hectares (two-thirds of Ibirapuera Park), in Lake Wales. Its door reproduces excerpts from Genesis, the first of the biblical books.

Inside the building is a monumental chime that, according to Erica Smith, the space’s marketing director, can be used to play everything from Mozart to Lady Gaga. The instrument consists of 60 bells triggered by a keyboard.

Smith tells other curiosities while guiding the tour — tickets cost US$ 17 (R$ 83) for adults and US$ 5 (R$ 24) for children aged 5 to 12 years. Did you know that camellias like the ones there were Coco Chanel’s favorite flower, because they don’t exude fragrance? And that the carnivorous plants planted there have no teeth and use a sticky substance to devour mosquitoes?

There are other programs to explore nature, such as the Wilderness Ranch safari, in Lakeland, where it is possible to feed buffaloes or grapes to lemurs – that primate that, in the animation “Madagascar”, “shakes a lot, a lot”. Entry costs from US$125 (R$584) per vehicle.

For more adventurous spirits, one option is wakeboarding in one of the lakes. It takes dexterity—good luck trying to stand up on water skis—and some guts. The region is home to alligators who tend to be more afraid of humans than vice versa, but who comes across one on an empowered day?

Fried snacks with the meat of this reptile are on the menu at Harborside, one of the restaurants recommended for those who want to try the local cuisine. Closer to the coast is Dixie Crossroads, opened to serve NASA personnel with shrimp, crabs and lobsters. He’s already loosening his belt.