THE LEDGER
| An artist's rendition of the Orlando Sea Life aquarium is seen during a news conference to unveil the I Drive 360 project that will contain The Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and Orlando Sea Life on International Drive in Orlando. (PROVIDED TO THE LEDGER) |
ORLANDO | The next major attraction in Orlando's tourist district contains the same DNA as Legoland Florida.
Merlin Entertainments Group, the corporate owner of the Legoland parks, gave media members a glimpse Wednesday morning of a partially constructed Ferris wheel that will be the most visible element of a three-pronged attraction scheduled to open next spring on South International Drive.
The wheel, the centerpiece of The Orlando Eye, will far surpass the tallest existing structure in Orlando with a height of 400 feet. The structure's white metal A-frame base already rises above the surrounding hotels and restaurants at 200 feet tall.
The Orlando Eye will occupy the largest portion of a complex that will also include the Sea Life Orlando Aquarium and Madame Tussauds Orlando, a wax museum.
Adrian Jones, General Manager of Legoland Florida and Vice President of Merlin Entertainments USA, was one of several speakers at Wednesday's media event.
"What this does is underline Merlin's commitment to the Central Florida region in terms of our investment, which we've already done with our Legoland Park and our Legoland Hotel, which also will open in 2015," Jones said.
The Orlando Eye is modeled on the London Eye, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It will have 30 air-conditioned capsules each with capacity for 15 guests. On clear days, the ride will offer views of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, Merlin spokeswoman Audrey Padgett said.
Madame Tussauds Orlando will be the 19th location worldwide in the venerable brand of wax museums. Sea Life Orlando Aquarium will be the 46th location in what is billed as the world's largest line of aquariums.
All three brands are owned by England-based Merlin, the world's second-largest attractions company.
Jones said it is unusual for Merlin to create three new attractions together at the same time. He said Orlando will become a "cluster city," as Merlin calls locations with more than one of its facilities.
The three connected attractions are set inside a major development called I-Drive 360. The project will have 250,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, said Chuck Whittall, President of Unicorp National Developments, the project's developer. The first restaurant, Yard House, opens next week. Other planned tenants include Tin Roof Bistro, Cowgirls Country Western Bar and Sugar Factory.
The property, just south of the junction of Sand Lake Road and International Drive, is surrounded by such tourist sites as Ripley's Believe It Or Not! and Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Shows. The attraction cluster is less than five minutes from the Orange County Convention Center, one of the nation's busiest, and Jones said Merlin expects the towering Ferris wheel to lure convention-goers to visit the complex.
Jones said Merlin will take advantage of the new cluster of attractions to draw more tourists to Legoland Florida in Winter Haven. The new complex will sell tickets to Legoland, and a shuttle bus to Legoland that now leaves from Orlando Premium Outlets will depart from behind The Orlando Eye.
With four Merlin attractions in Central Florida, the company will promote its Merlin Annual Pass USA, which offers admission to all the company's attractions in the country.
Combined with the opening of an on-site hotel at Legoland next year, the net effect will be more tourists viewing the park as a multi-day attraction, Jones said.
The Orlando Eye will be the tallest observational wheel on the east coast of North America, according to a Merlin press release. The hub is scheduled to be attached to the base next month and the wheel should be assembled by November, Whittall said.
The Orlando Eye will include a "4D" theater showing films depicting Florida scenes, an entertainment suite and a retail area. The feet of two of the eight towers supporting the base of the Ferris wheel extend inside the building, inside which workers were welding structures during a media tour Wednesday.
Sea Life Aquarium Orlando will have 350,000 gallons of water in a 12-foot-deep ocean tank. It will also have a 360-degree underwater tunnel, along with an interactive touch pool exhibit and a video theater.
Madame Tussauds is a chain of wax museums founded in London in the 1830s. The Orlando attraction will display more than 60 likenesses of celebrities and historical figures.
A stage for Wednesday's event stood near a fountain pool still under construction and surrounded by freshly planted palm trees. The speakers competed with the humming of electrical saws and the beeping of construction vehicles moving in reverse.
The gathering was attended by Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and officials from Visit Florida, the state's official tourism marketing agency, and Visit Orlando. Jacobs said the new attractions will help the Orlando area surpass its record total of 59 million tourists in 2013.
She recalled her experience of riding The London Eye while attending a convention in the city.
"I could not be more excited about what we are about to have here on I-Drive," Jacobs said. "My family can't wait to come back ... and see the finished product."
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