Situated in central Florida and known for being home to Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Studios Orlando, Orlando provides activities for visitors of all descriptions, including wheelchair users. Not only do its major theme parks offer wheelchair accessibility to their attractions, but so also do many of Orlando's other attractions, including its extensive city park system.
Trails
Orange County, Florida, in which Orlando resides, has numerous trails available for biking and walking. Cady Way Trail, Little Econ Greenway and West Orange Trail all provide wheelchair access. The primary surface for these trails is asphalt, with lengths ranging from 6 to 22 miles. Little Econ Greenway connects to Cady Way Trail, while West Orange Trail, with its variety of surfaces, provides for biking, hiking, in-line skating and horseback riding.
Parks
Orlando has an extensive city park system, from community centers to neighborhood parks. Many of these parks are wheelchair accessible and provide a variety of activities from swimming to biking and walking paths. Most notable among Orlando’s city parks is Trotters Park, originally Ben White Raceway. While soccer, baseball and walking and biking facilities are available, Trotters Park’s primary acreage is dedicated to its equestrian facilities, where persons with disabilities can participate in therapeutic horseback riding and hippotherapy.
Outdoor Activities
Located in nearby Winter Haven, U Can Ski 2, a US Water Ski affiliated site, is a facility dedicated to teaching wheelchair users and other persons with disabilities how to water ski using adaptive equipment. A short drive from Orlando is Wekiwa Springs State Park which provides a number of activities, including a nature trail that is ADA accessible, swimming and snorkeling.
Camping
While many campgrounds and RV resorts in the Orlando area have wheelchair accessible facilities, such as bathrooms and shower rooms, few are truly accessible. With direct access to Disney World, Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground offers both campsites and cabins. The campsites have limited wheelchair accessibility, though electric carts are available, while several wheelchair-accessible cabins are available for rent. The resort itself provides horseback riding, bike and boat rentals and swimming. In its camping facilities, Wekiwa Springs State Park also has ADA accessible sites and restrooms with showers.
One-of-a-kind Experience
Discovery Cove is a distinctive attraction. At this park, wheelchair visitors can rent specially designed beach wheelchairs to access the park’s Serenity Bay beach, where they can relax on the beach or head into the water for swimming. What sets the experience apart is the opportunity for visitors to interact and even swim with the bottlenose dolphins who reside in the park’s lagoon.
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