I-Drive 360

«A place so nice, we visited twice!»
My wife and I visited I-​Drive 360, which includes the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds, and the Sea Life Aquarium, as the main attractions. We also noted many dining options, as well as retail shopping. One surprise, which worked out well for our second visit was SKELETONS: Animals Unveiled. We took our daughter and her best friend; and, we all had a great time!

We’ve been here twice and definitely loved the place. It has a giant ferris wheel and places inside like a wax museum and a aquarium exhibit (can’t recall what its called) but definitely worth a visit. I Drive has pretty much everything around it walking distance. From all the restaurants you could possibly want to eat at to souvenir stores to shop. They have a really big parking garage that people can park at for free like at disney springs for people to park their car and walk to places. There is also trolleys that people take if they prefer not to walk and taxis that can pick up people. Although we do prefer to walk to places instead. We came here just to see the place again and to walk over to fridays to watch the warriors/​cavaliers game (which I will review later). This place is a must visit if you’re in the area and would like to see the scenery from up above the ferris wheel.

This is a really fun little plaza in the heart of International Drive.
Parking here is easy, with a free parking garage attached to the plaza.
There are all kinds of things here, and in the immediate area. We started with some of the small shops. There’s a flip-​flop shop, a candy store, a gift shop, a small Walgreens, etc. There is also a skeleton museum with a wide variety of different skeletons and a cool gift shop.
The indoor part of the plaza houses several small eateries, Madame Tussaud’s, a small, but cool, aquarium and the entrance to the Orlando Eye, a sort of bionic ferris wheel.
You can spend hours just investigating this little plaza. There are a number of discount tickets online for the indoor attractions.
The surrounding neighborhood has a lot of great restaurants from Brazilian to pizza.
Overall, this is a terrific place to see some new things and have a lot of fun.

I had the most amazing time I stopped here a few hours before heading to the airport to return home. It’s a breath taking view. It’s worth the 25.00 they give u a 4D show before allowing you on the Ferris wheel. They also have the wax museum and sea life aquarium which u can do bundles for 35 or 3 for 45 which I believe was an amazing deal but I was only able to do the Ferris wheel. If your in Florida and in the area you must check this location out!

Very cool area, with really neat shops & GREAT dining. Happening little place. They even have a turf/​grass area. Has complimentary valet & also close self parking in rear or facility.

This is another lifestyle entertainment spot on International Drive, not unlike Pointe Orlando and Disney Springs /​Universal CityWalk elsewhere. It opened less than a year from this writing, so many stores are still being set up. But what they have is tremendous — several dining options, including one of two Shake Shacks in Orlando; a redemption arcade; an exhibit about animal skeletons and the main attractions — a wax museum, indoor aquarium and a 400-​foot-​tall observation wheel. These three attractions are $ 25 each or can be bundled together for close to $ 50 overall before taxes per person. This is a worthy competitor to the many attractions in Orlando competing for your dollar and business.

It’s a shopping/​restaurant place w/​A.) a huge ferris wheel as its focal point, and B.) lots of parking. Hey, for a suburbanite like me, that’s all I need, right? Easy parking, shopping, food, and a view. A star for each.

The new i drive complex is very nice. All the new restaurants and stores around the ferris wheel are a great addition to international drive. The ferris wheel is huge and really nice. It would have been nice if it was on disney property so you could see all the parks and fireworks from the wheel but its nice here too. I have not been to the aquarium but have heard it is very nice. The wax museum is similiear to other ones but if its your first time then its a really cool experience.
The complex is a must see if your staying in the area, even if you dont want to go to the aquarium or ferris wheel the area is great to shop and go to one of the many nice restaurants in the area.

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.
The whole experience was great. Granted the «pre-​show» movie was a bit corny and self-​promoting, but…
Even though there was a bit of a crowd, we had our own «pod» and enjoyed the trip around. We went at night, which was fun — but I almost think that daytime would be better.
This is not as big as the High Roller in Vegas, which I have also ridden, but it sure seems pretty high!
We had a blast! Watch for coupons and 2-​for-​1 deals that make the ride very reasonable.

This is the main building for the Orlando Eye area. It has the Entrance to the wax museum, the actual Orlando Eye area, food court and the sea life museum.
Not very crowded the day I went there. But I did notice that there is a lots of places on the outside various shops and restaurants to eat at.
I will be checking out this area and updating my reviews later.

MINI THEME PARK CONTAINING THE ESSENTIALS
This new area is a cool little place to waste some time. The restaurants present have little variety – a ‘low-​priced’ (Shake Shack), a pub (Yard House), sports bar (Buffalo Wild Wings) with little international flair (one Japanese and one Italian). Scattered around are tiny shops (very tourist-​centric) and even a little arcade.
NOT THE BEST FOR JUST WALKING AROUND… UNLESS FOR THAT PICTURE
Unlike Disney Springs or Old Town the 360 complex itself isn’t entertaining in itself unless you’re purposely there to eat, shop, or go to one of the attractions. The big exception are selfies with that Orlando Eye Ferris Wheel. Thankfully the neighboring parking lot is also free and it located a short walk away from other popular places along I-​Drive. I wish there was a bit more to look at without spending a dime – the layout and cleanliness of this area is very inviting; not just another mish-​mashed I-​drive plaza with soon-​to-​be-​doomed stores.
STILL BUILDING IT UP
During our visit a couple spaces were still being built out (an ice cream shop) and there’s a small space of grass in front of the attractions building. I see that space as well as the space in the attractions’ lobby getting better utilized as I-​Drive 360 strengthens its own identity.

This latest hot spot on International Drive continues to grow in size and attendance!
The main attractions, the world famous Madame Tussaud’s, Sea Life and the Orlando Eye are supported by surrounding restaurants, bars and other sights. All you need for the entire day is in one place and it would easily take you more than one day to do everything. The scenery & sights of the grounds and attractions during the day and night are incredible.
It’s all accessible on International Drive and is a stop on the bus. Garage as well as valet parking is complimentary.

Once this complex is fully finished, the tourist trap will be complete and us Orlandoans will be able to take advantage of the restaurants and bars. The main building at I-​Drive 360 consists of The Orlando Eye, Sea Life Aquarium and Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. It also offers a food court filled with generic food joints that I’ve never heard of. It resembles a food court you find in malls but don’t expect to find popular chains.
If you plan to visit the attractions, go online and purchase the combo tickets and you will save a lot of money. If you buy each attraction separately, be prepared to pay almost triple and in my opinion, it’s not worth it. I found Madame Tussaud’s to be the highlight of the three attractions but it’s one of those things that once you do it, there’s no need to do it again. If you are not from Orlando, you will probably find the Orlando Eye intriguing because of the views but don’t expect to be blown away by exotic scenery.
I-​Drive 360 will definitely be a money maker for the city of Orlando, and for us locals that’s a good thing because it makes our city more prosperous. International Drive is the epicenter for tourists so I can see why they chose to build all these attractions in this location. Over time, I can see traffic becoming a nightmare in this area. If you want to avoid traffic jams, take Universal Blvd instead of I-​Drive. Universal runs behind all of the attractions and restaurants of I-​Drive and it’s usually traffic free.

So glad that I was able to check out this new little mecca of fun in the heart of International Drive where it is already booming with action.
Here, there are restaurants, shopping, a bar, a place for bands to show off their music, an arcade, Madame Tussauds, Sea Life, The Orlando Eye, an ice cream place, a sweets place coming soon, a french restaurant coming soon, a Skeleton attraction, and a Spanish Tapas restaurant. I can’t forget, there Is a free parking garage.
There’s a lot of stuff to see here, and so far it is coming together nicely. It doesn’t look empty whatsoever, but you can tell there is more to come. That makes me super excited about this place. Check it out, & don’t forget your selfie stick! You will need it:-) Come at night too. It is pretty with the Orlando Eye lit up in the background.

4 stars for now, but they are still building so I had to leave room to grow!
I-​Drive 360 reminds me of a day on the boardwalk. It is a fun way to spend a few hours. A great alternative to the theme parks and with free parking! Located here is the Eye of Orlando, Sea Life aquarium, Ripleys Believe it or not (a Wacky Museum), Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, Skeletons (a museum of skeletons), an arcade, several restaurants and a few shops. The best part is they are just getting started! Coming soon, more restaurants and more shops. We had a blast visiting a few of the attractions and walking the well landscaped walkway of the cleanest part of Orlando. Its currently about 2 blocks and I only hope it continues to grow. I can’t wait to see what they add next!

I-​Drive 360 is a breathe of fresh air for the Orlando attractions/​tourist scene, literally. It’s also fairly cheap as a ticket for just one attraction is $ 25! Also, free parking and complimentary valet, sweet. The plaza also includes various restaurants and shops.
There are three main attractions that are the focus point of the plaza and that is The Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and Sea Life Aquarium. There is also a food court in the main lobby and each attraction has it’s own individual gift shop with the addition of a LEGOLAND booth where you can purchase tickets and get information (I believe Sea Life is owned by LEGOLAND).
The Orlando Eye: The experience starts with a 5 minute 4D experience video that kind of takes you around Orlando and gives you an idea of what Orlando is all about. It’s actually a pretty cool video and the 4D effect is really cool too. After that you go in front of a green screen where they’ll take two pictures of you (they’ll add these to do a nice book at the end of the attraction that you can buy for $ 35). You then get into the air conditioned capsule, it does have a bench in the middle if you’d like to sit, and it lifts you up 400ft. in the air. It takes about 20 minutes to go all the way around, but it is a beautiful view of the entire city. I plan on going back during the sunset or at night when the whole city is lit. It’s a pretty amazing experience!
Madame Tussauds: The wax museum is a pretty cool experience and it takes you into several journeys throughout the entire attraction. Like in the eye, you do go through a green screen to purchase that picture book at the end, except this one is of you on an airboat (?), don’t know why! You get to meet your favorite people, alive or dead. It includes historic figures like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., athletes like Serena Williams and Tiger Woods, and everyone’s favorite celebrities like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. It’s a pretty great experience to see these life like wax figures and thinking you’re actually interacting with the person. At times it feels like at any moment they’re going to blink and come to life, it’s kind of creepy. Especially those eyes. It’s great.
Sea Life Aquarium: I don’t attend aquariums nor places where animals are kept in captivity for any reason. However, as the ticket for this was included in the package, in order for it to be discounted, I went ahead and I checked it out. Again, you go on a green screen, take a picture of you in a submarine. Then you begin your underwater adventure. It includes various tanks with a lot of fish from all of the oceans of the world. It also includes information on all the animals at the tank, if they’re endangered, how to help them, etc. They take pride in their seahorse breeding program and they’re rescuing and helping of animals. It was an overall good experience and I can see kids enjoying this attraction for sure. However, like I said, I don’t support captivity and I will not be attending again. I will make sure to purchase the two attraction tickets for the future.
Overall, this is great new location for the family to spend their day! We spent almost 3 hours there and I didn’t even eat! There is also a bone museum, which I didn’t get to see! That’s something I will have to come back and do in the future! Check this place out! :)

Pretty neat entertainment complex with Merlin attractions: Orlando Eye, Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum, and Sea Life Aquarium along with Skeletons Animals Unveiled. Also includes a couple of restaurants and shops. The first thing to note is the HUGE parking garage that is also FREE! Way to go! For such a big complex everything was very organized. Even though Orlando Eye, Madam Tussaud’s, and Sea Life shared a lobby we really didn’t wait around for much of anything.
On our visit we went to Sea Life Aquarium and the Orlando Eye. I loved Sea Life! (see separate review) The Orlando Eye was neat, but I would definitely suggest going at night to see thing all lit up. During the day you can see a lot, but there isnt anything super interesting to see. Does that make sense? I would have enjoyed being able to see more (like the parks) due to things being lit up.
I purchased combo tickets through AAA that got us into all three attractions for $ 26 per person (Sea Life is usually $ 25 per person on its own). Its a great deal and you have 30 days to use it. Only down side was when we went to Sea Life we were told we had to pick a date and time for Orlando Eye right then, but could go to Madam Tussaud’s any time during the 30 days. Since my friend was only in town for the weekend we ended up using our Orlando Eye pass right then when we would have rather used it at night.

This area has come together nicely with a few more attractions still in the works.
I like the complex for many reasons, but I really like how easy it is to park here. At other venues such as Pointe Orlando they have a garage, but it is not free unless you visit a participating venue and get validation. The I-​Drive 360 garage is simply free and it is one less hassle to deal with getting that parking ticket validated. This also makes the traffic flow better in and out of the garage and they even have free valet parking. After you leave the garage, it is impressive how close it is to the main entrance of the Eye and you are right in the middle of everything.
The Orlando Eye is the big attraction here. If you visit Orlando, most likely you will see the 400ft Eye. You can even see it from Disney, so it will make many visitors to Orlando curious. Madam Tussauds, and Sea Life are in close proximity literally with the entrances all under one roof and discounted rates for visiting multiple attractions. There is also a small food court or multiple dining options right outside as well.
I like how the Eye is far back enough that there is enough room to enjoy the view and take great pictures. This is a great place to spend half of a day visiting a few unique Orlando attractions and having lunch or dinner.

This entertainment complex encompasses a few attractions and restaurants. The focal points are the Merlin attractions: Orlando Eye, Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum, and Sea Life Aquarium along with Skeletons Animals Unveiled, a cool animal skeleton museum and gift shop, and an arcade.
There are already a few restaurants open like Yard House and Tin Roof. They’re also building a Shake Shack, Cowgirls, Sugar Factory, and others.
We had a chance to visit the Orlando Eye (
), Sea Life (
), Yard House, and the Skeleton gift shop (as the museum wasn’t open yet).
The Orlando Eye was a great way to see Orlando and some awesome photo ops and Sea Life was a great way to spend an hour in air conditioning checking out some of my favorite ocean creatures. I can already tell the Skeleton gift shop is going to be a favorite of my nieces. Some unique items in there!
Really looking forward to when this place fully opens with all the cool restaurants. I can totally picture a Unilocal event inside the Orlando Eye lobby *wink wink, nudge nudge*

This latest entertainment complex in Orlando officially opens May 4 but the attractions located here are already complete and a pre-​opening sneak peak let me get a good look at what they offer.
The focal point is The Orlando Eye, a giant observation wheel (largest in North America, I believe) that carries passengers in fully enclosed gondolas. These are outfitted with a small center seat but the best views will be enjoyed by walking around and getting your bearings from the narration that adds to the experience. Aside from the floor and the rooftop you are surrounded by floor-​to-​ceiling unobstructed views. It moves slowly enough to allow everyone to take plenty of photos and videos as the gondola glides to the 400-​foot highest point before making its way around back down to the ground.
I felt like I was floating. It would be spectacular to time a ride when the sun sets or when fireworks are filling the sky with bursts of color. You can pay a little extra to take some champagne along or pay a lot more than the standard ride fee to have a private gondola ride.
The ride pretty much stays in motion so you walk on board as it slowly approaches. Think ski lifts that give you just enough time to be strategically positioned before they scoop you up and take you away.
Madame Tussauds Orlando is admittedly my first visit to a wax museum. The life-​like, and life-​sized, figures take some getting used to. I kept waiting for one to speak or move. They are exceptionally crafted. And there are some fun moments when you can pose with Andy Warhol, fly with ET or hang with Tom Hanks in the gift shop. Sections are themed and the attention to detail is impressive.
SEA LIFE Orlando is a fun, fascinating and interactive way to become one with the underwater world. There is a touch tank but there are also some really well designed ways to go over, under and even into the watery environments showcased here. I really enjoy aquariums and applaud the ways they help us to understand sustainability and other vital practices.
There are lots and lots of places to eat, drink and enjoy nightlife throughout the footprint. Many were still under construction but several of the names are familiar brands so I know what they represent. The layout is easily walkable and puts everything within close proximity. And the multi-​level parking garage that is directly next to this complex is not only close but free!