From Reign of Kong to Mako, 2016 was a banner year for new theme park attractions in the Orlando area. Here are our favorite new attractions to open this past year in Central Florida. – Ken Storey

Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Islands of Adventure July saw the return of the King to Orlando. This new Kong ride features tons of cutting edge tech including a trackless ride system, massive 3D screens and larger than life animatronics. With fire, massive doors, tons of foliage, and authentic looking rockwork the façade for Reign of Kong is easily one of the most impressive ever built in Orlando. This is the first significant addition to Islands of Adventure since Hogsmeade opened in 2010. Photo via relsonsalles/Instagram
Frozen Ever After at Epcot Frozen Ever After brought the fictional Arendelle to World Showcase and ushered in a new era for Epcot. Keeping many of the aspects of the previous ride, including the part where the boats travel backward, the technological wonder Frozen Ever After proved popular enough for many Epcot fans to finally ‘let if go’ regarding the closure of Maelstrom. Photo via drivalli/Instagram
Mako at SWO Orlando became even more of a coaster enthusiasts must visit when Mako opened at SeaWorld Orlando in early June. Mako clocks in as Orlando’s tallest, fastest, and longest coaster. The hypercoaster also saw an update to the Sharks area of the park including the waterfront. Stretching 200 ft. in the air Mako also means SeaWorld is more visible than ever from I-Drive Photo via themeparkslover /Instagram
Heroes & Legends at KSC Heroes & Legends is the new home for the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, but this is much more than a static museum. Designed by Falcon’s Creative Group, who typically work with major theme parks, the new attraction includes numerous space memorabilia, such as the Gemini 9 capsule and Redstone rocket, but the centerpiece of the museum is an omnidirectional 3D theater that helps tell the history of the space program using cutting edge special effects. Dozens of interactive displays mean this attraction could easily fill an entire day at the Space Center. Photo via coolmompicks/Instagram
Starbright Holidays – An Intel Collaboration at Disney Springs Disney Springs has been busy with new offerings throughout the year, but the one of the most important is the Intel-powered Christmas drone show that was unexpectedly announced in November. The show ran twice a night and included 300 drones. Starbright Holidays – An Intel Collaboration is the largest drone show in U.S. history and ushers the next chapter for nighttime entertainment. Photo via baddrinkdecisionswithdustin /Instagram
Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen at CityWalk Orlando CityWalk Orlando finished out a major, multi-year overhaul that saw tons of new restaurants with a fantastic temple to chocolate. Toothsome’s opened in September and the boozy milkshakes quickly became a must-try. The mason jar filled shakes weren’t the first in the over-the-top milkshake trend in Orlando (that likely can be credited to Sugar Factory) but they seem to be the most talk about shakes. Milkshake toppings include everything from a piece of Key Lime Pie to a full banana covered in chocolate. Photo via dancekyle/Instagram
Nighttime Safari at DAK With special lighting, brand new animals and a whole new script Kilimanjaro Safaris took on an entirely new life when the nighttime safaris began in May. The safari seemed to underwhelm many due to limited visibility even with the jumbotron like lighting that is used to simulate a sunset glow. Disney used the nighttime safari updates to add Spotted Hyenas and African Wild Dogs to the safari. Photo via disphotoblog /Instagram
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular at DHS Flame throwers, video projections, and tons of special effects brought iconic scenes from Star Wars to Hollywood Studios in a larger than life nighttime show that is the most elaborate fireworks display in park history. The show ends with a massive light beam, visible from miles around, shooting straight into the air. Photo via elizabethwomt/Instagram
Zombie Outbreak on I-Drive The zombie craze continued in 2016 with Walking Dead making yet another appearance at Halloween Horror Nights but over on I-Drive we got our first permanent zombie attraction. The Zombie Outbreak laser tag attraction is similar to ones that Busch Gardens has been doing for the past few years at Howl-O-Scream but with a more elaborate maze and much more personal experience. By the end of the year, we’ve seen other zombie laser tag arena announced, but Zombie Outbreak was one of the first local companies to take the gamble on zombies outside of October. Photo via erikwhitford/Instagram
Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire After a decade with the same stage show the Magic Kingdom finally got an all new show this summer when Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire debuted. The new 23-minute show was the first place the updated Mickey and Minnie made their North American debut. Louis the alligator also saw a brand new look for the show, the first time he’s had an articulated head. Many of the more recent Disney characters, such as Rapunzel and Tiana, are included in the new show. Of course, Frozen is featured prominently in the new show. Photo via esliethemermaid/Instagram
Disney Springs Town Center When it opened in May, the Disney Springs Town Center was the final major piece in an overhaul that more than doubled the size of Disney’s shopping district. The massive new Town Center took over three years to construct and brought with it numerous new to Orlando brands including Uniqlo and Superdry. The Town Center opening also meant the opening of the much needed 1,000 space Lime garage. Photo via geeterdonee/Instagram
Hello Kitty at USF Hello Kitty is global phenomena like few others and Orlando got in on the popularity when the Sanrio Hello Kitty Shop opened at Universal Studios Orlando in February (grand opening was just over a month later). Kicking out the Lucy – A Tribute attraction Hello Kitty is small but is filled with tons of merchandise, snacks, and even a meet-and-greet. A highlight of the new shop is the snack bar where you can buy exclusive Hello Kitty sweets.
Tree of Life Nighttime Awakenings at Animal Kingdom While River of Light, which was originally supposed to open in Summer of 2016, has yet to see public performances another significant aspect of the new nighttime offerings at Animal Kingdom did begin this summer. The Tree of Life Nighttime Awakenings projection mapping show brings the stories of the animals found on the Tree of Life to life multiple times every night. The entire tree feels alive with special effect lights located both around and on the branches of the tree. Photo via irwsmom /Instagram
Destination Mars at KSC The temporary exhibit at Kennedy Space Center was only open a few months, but it made major waves in the local news when it opened this fall. Buzz Aldrin, numerous scientist from the Jet Propulsion Lab and researchers from Microsoft, were all on site for the ribbon cutting of the exhibit that showcased real technology NASA uses to explore the Mars surface. This is also one of the first tourist attractions ever to use Microsoft’s augment reality HoloLens goggles. Photo via jordan_english14/Instagram
Trin-I-Tee Mini Golf at Holy Land Experience Originally planned for a late 2015 opening the Trin-I-Tee 9-hole mini golf adds a fun, kid-friendly activity to the mostly educational attraction. Holes include Jericho, the parting of the Red Sea, and one hole that takes players into Jonah’s whale. The course found in the Smile of a Child kids area, pre-existing mixed sets with new cartoon-like ones. When announced the mini golf course went viral with everyone from international news media to golf magazines talking about the new attraction. Photo via mickaelge/Instagram
Ferris Wheel at Old Town Years after the former iconic Ferris wheel was dismantled Old Town has brought a new eight-story tall wheel. The new wheel is decked out in color-changing LED lights, and hot air balloon styled gondolas. Currently, the wheel overlooks mostly a construction site but soon a brand new multi-story entrance sign, styled after an old-school jukebox, will sit near the Ferris wheel.
PizzeRizzo opens at DHS Few mourned the loss of Pizza Planet when it closed in January 2016 but even those who did seem to come around when a Muppets themed pizza joint was confirmed for the space. In an area of the park now known as Muppets Courtyard, PizzeRizzo opened in November. The two-story restaurant has a ton of subtle and not so subtle Muppets gags throughout it. ‘Owner’ Rizzo the Rat is even featured in a huge animated neon sign on the roof of the pizza joint. Photo via omgiri /Instagram
Sugar Factory at I-Drive 360 From Vegas to Manila to Dubai Sugar Factory has become the hot spot for teens and celebrities alike. When the Orlando location opened in March Kylie Jenner used the event to debut a new navy blue haircut. Between the blue hair and thousands of fans who mobbed I-Drive 360 to see Kylie helped make the grand opening an international celebrity news story. Since the huge grand opening, the dessert-focused restaurant has seen smaller crowds but is still a favorite spot for many teens. The Twitter account for the Orlando story only featured two ‘celebrities’ before going silent on June 22. Michael Campion of Fuller House and Kyng David of the Baha Men both were photographed at the Orlando location. Photo via sugarfactoryorlando/Instagram
Cobra’s Curse at BGT Though not in Orlando, Cobra’s Curse at Busch Gardens is still worth mentioning. This family powered spin coaster brings a huge, new icon to Busch Gardens that’s visible from the surrounding roads. The queue, which features live snakes, is also one of the best-themed ones in all of Florida. An elevator style lift, a lifthill you ride up facing backwards and an underpass where the coaster passes under the steam train makes this spinning coaster truly one-of-a-kind. Photo via orlandoparaviagem/Instagram
Daytona Rising The Daytona International Speedway has been under a constant stream of updates since it first broke ground in 1959, but in 2013 a massive $400 “reimagining” of the speedway began. After three years of work the project finally wrapped up earlier this year. The speedway now has 101,500 wider and more comfortable seats, three times the amount of concessions as before, and twice as many restrooms. Gone are the days of hiking up endless staircase on the way to your nosebleed seats, now elevators and escalators crisscross the stands. The entrance ‘injectors’ make the speedway practically a theme park with water features, inactive exhibits and over the top displays. A full-size Space Shuttle replica sits in one near the largest Toyota logo in the United States. Massive 30 ft. wide video screens show a live stream of social media updates from fans at the speedway and in another ‘injector’ a huge screen hangs above guests in an area that simulates the four seasons. Photo via talladegasupers /Instagram
Sapphire Falls at Universal Orlando Opening in July, Sapphire Falls brings 1,000 more rooms to Universal Orlando. The Caribbean-themed resort features the largest pool in Universal Orlando history and a bar with over 75 different specialty rums. Forever changing the skyline of the tourist district this new resort filled in the last major empty plot at Universal Orlando. The water system at Universal was also expanded allowing this new resort to be serviced by the water taxis. This is the first, and likely will be the only, expansion of the water system since it was finalized in the late 1990s. Photo via themeparkpoet/Instagram
VR on Freedom Flyer at Fun Spot After two years since it first debuted for media, Fun Spot finally has opened to the public. Opening in mid-December the new virtual reality experience on the Freedom Flyer suspended family coaster. This is the first permeant VR experience on a Florida coaster. The custom built interactive experience includes a storyline featuring the Freedom Flyer himself. Photo via waynerand/Instagram
KidsTown at OSC KidsTown has been one of the most popular exhibits at the Orlando Science Center, and in 2016 we saw the new and improved KidsTown open. Moving up to the second floor the new $5 million, 11,000 sq. ft. exhibit has seven interactive zones including an updated version of the Orange Grove that was so popular in the former KidsTown. A climbing area, a water play area and, for the first time at the Orlando Science Center, an area for infants. KidsTown also signaled a shift in Central Florida demographics with it being the first permeant exhibit to have signage in both English and Spanish. Photo via amber.brownell /Instagram
Epic McD’s on I-Drive The wonderfully tacky but extremely dated World’s Largest Entertainment McDonald’s on the corner of I-Drive and Sand Lake Road was well past the need for an update so it was torn down and new even more impressive McDonald’s was built just next door. The new 48 ft. tall Epic McDonald’s clocks in at 18,716 sq. ft. includes the world’s largest Playplace, an impressive 2,000 sq. ft. arcade, an animatronic Mac Tonight, and a brick oven where they prepare made to order pizzas. The unique gourmet menu had the burritos cut from it but the pasta, omelets, waffles, and other items are still included. Outside a 30-foot tall an illuminated Ronald McDonald acts as a siren calling in tourists from I-Drive.