What can we do on a rainy day in Orlando?Even in the Sunshine State it does rain sometimes! Especially when one of those tropical storms occasionally passes through during the summer months.

Well fortunately there is still plenty to do…..visit one of the superb shopping malls, catch the latest movie, or even spend some lazy time in your fabulous rental villa…..but what most people don’t think to do, is to visit one of Orlando’s fantastic Water Parks…

Well why not? It might be rainy, but it will still be warm and you are going to get wet anyway. As an added bonus the Water Parks will be very quiet on a rainy day - so almost no queues (or lines as they are called in the US)! On a hot summer day the queues for the rides can easily be 45 minutes long, on a rainy day they will be almost non-existent, so you can really make the most of your day.

So which Water Park to chose - here are four to consider….

The first and still the favourite for many people is Wet’n Wild, which originally opened in Orlando over 30 years ago. It is located close to Universal Studios who now own this sensational park. The scariest ride is Bomb Bay, where you climb up six stories to a small capsule. Once inside the operator flicks a lever and the floor falls away to a 78 degree free fall! There are several other extreme thrill rides and rides for the little ones, but one of the most fun rides is Disco H2O, which is a multi-person tube ride through a world of groovy disco lights and music.

The newest Water Park in Orlando is Aquatica, which opened in 2008. This one is owned by SeaWorld and not surprisingly is located right next to SeaWorld. It has a bit of a reputation for long queues, but not on a rainy day! All the parks have a ‘lazy river’ ride where you can float your way around the park on a tube. But Aquatica also has Roa’s Rapids, which is 3-4 times faster than an average river ride and has tides, whirlpools, geysers and waterfalls. It also has two huge side by side wave pools (a world first) which offer various combinations of ‘duelling’ waves and rolling surf, in Big Surf Shores and Cutback Cove. The park also boasts a thrilling ride (Dolphin Plunge) that takes you twisting and turning and shoots you in a transparent pipe through a dolphin pool - you are going too fast to really see the dolphins, but it is fun anyway!

Last but not least are the Disney’s water parks.

Blizzard Beach, which opened in 1996 and is themed around a ski resort. The flagship attraction is Summit Plummet which, with a freefall of 120 feet and speeds of up to 60 miles an hour, was the tallest and fastest freefall ride in the world until the opening of Insano in Brazil (135 feet). Not one for the faint hearted, but a great panoramic view of Orlando from the top! If you want to challenge the family to a race - try Toboggan Racers - where up to eight of you can race down a water slide over exhilarating dips. Dad usually wins in my experience!

Typhoon Lagoon another fantastic day out. You must try out Crush ‘n’ Gusher a truly thrilling watercoaster at this tropical paradise. Play in the worlds largest artificially created wave pool (2.75 million gallons) and enjoy the thrills and spills of the many rides. Or for a quieter life, take a relaxing float down Castaway Creek.

So which is the best Water Park in Orlando? Well they are all great fun, so try them for yourselves to decide. But go on a rainy day and don’t take your umbrella!

Thought we would mention some of the more unusual sights in Florida away from the regular attractions.

Publix Cake Water Tower – If your celebrating a birthday whilst in Florida - drive past the headquarters for the Publix grocery store chain in Lakeland, you will find a water tower in the shape of a giant birthday cake complete with candles that light up at night.

Upside Down House -Located on International Drive this is Central Florida’s only upside down attraction. It really is a head turner, particularly to those not expecting it to be there., inside it is an amusement park for the mind, featuring over 100 interactive exhibits for the entire family to experience. Spook Hill -Whilst visiting Lake Wales in Florida, close to the Bok tower is Spook Hill, one of the many gravity hills or magnetic hills which exist. Here is a place where the layout of the surrounding land produces the optical illusion that a very slight downhill slope appears to be an uphill slope. Thus, a car left out of gear will appear to be rolling uphill.

Worlds Smallest Police Station -If visiting the North of Florida, located just south of Tallahassee, is the smallest Police Station in the World. Historically when the town did not have a main police station, the police parked their vehicles outside the booth.

Live Mermaids - If you have never seen live mermaids before – pay a visit to Buccaneer Bay water park at Weeki Wachee Springs on the Gulf Coast of Florida. After taking a dip in the water park within the natural spring water, enter the underwater theatre where mermaids regularly perform their show.

Can you add to them?