Get the scoop on more than 25 brand-new reasons to visit Orlando in 2022, including fresh adventures, dining options, places to stay and much more.
Updated Oct. 17, 2022
Have you heard the news? Orlando is set to welcome an amazing array of wondrous experiences in 2022, including a brand-new theme park, an acoustically perfect theater, fresh dining options, and a hotly anticipated theme park hotel property that will transport you to a galaxy far, far away — among other wonders you won’t want to miss. Check out our guide to the newest reasons to visit Orlando and make plans now to experience it all for yourself!
Learn more: What’s New in Orlando
New Experiences Beyond Orlando’s Theme Parks
Discover fresh experiences beyond Orlando’s legendary theme parks, including can’t-miss attractions and incredible new ways to celebrate the arts!
Steinmetz Hall
This long-awaited aural wonder opened at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in the heart of downtown Orlando on Jan. 14, 2022. The facility has earned an N1 sound rating — the lowest level at which humans can detect sound — which means you’ll be able to hear performances like never before … literally! Steinmetz Hall opened with a two-week Grand Celebration featuring performances by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, superstars such as Jennifer Hudson and Lyle Lovett, and the best Orlando’s performing arts scene has to offer, with much more on tap for 2022 and beyond.
Learn more: Orlando Arts & Entertainment
Cirque du Soleil — Drawn to Life
New at Disney Springs® at Walt Disney World® Resort, Cirque du Soleil — Drawn to Life presents a combination of Disney animation and awe-inspiring performances, including 10 unique acrobatic acts. What’s more, it’s the first-ever collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Disney!
Save on discount tickets: Cirque du Soleil — Drawn to Life
Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex
Starting June 15, 2022, at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, this 50,000-square-foot, multi-level attraction will feature a showcase of NASA and commercial spacecraft hardware with immersive displays, as well as a “journey” through space, unique launch viewing opportunities and more. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is on Florida’s east coast, about an hour from our main tourism districts.
Learn more: Day Trips From Orlando
Art²
Also known as “Art Squared,” this urban park is coming to downtown Orlando in 2022. Utilizing a 2-story shipping container structure, the park will incorporate a cafe, art gallery, stage, seating, digital video walls and a gift shop, as well as an artificial turf courtyard, a concrete patio, picnic tables, hammocks, and two food truck spaces.
Learn more: Downtown Orlando
New Places to Stay in Orlando
With more than 450 hotels and resorts to choose from, plus vacation home and condo rentals, you’ll always find perfect accommodations in Orlando — especially once you factor in new options opening in 2022. They join other fresh properties that debuted earlier in 2021, including AC Hotel by Marriott Orlando Downtown.
Learn more: Stay With Confidence in Orlando
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
The Force is with you now that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser has opened at Walt Disney World® Resort. After booking your stay, you’ll “board” the starship Halcyon for an all-inclusive experience that will make you a part of the immersive Star Wars galaxy. Choose your path, learn to wield a lightsaber, and travel to Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu, where your journey continues at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®.
Learn more: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Lake Nona Wave Hotel
Having arrived in December 2021, Lake Nona Wave Hotel is a leading-edge property featuring 216 guest rooms, 16 one-bedroom suites and two penthouse suites. Enjoy three restaurants and bars; tech-forward amenities such as voice-automated in-room controls; a focus on holistic wellbeing including access to the world’s first Chopra Mind-Body Zone located at the nearby Lake Nona Performance Club; over 400 pieces of art; and a 50,000-square-foot sculpture garden.
Learn more: Lake Nona
Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
Walt Disney World Swan Reserve is a 14-story, 349-room hotel tower that opened at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in late 2021. The property — just a short walk to Disney’s Hollywood Studios® and EPCOT® — features meeting rooms with rooftop terraces, a restaurant, full-service health club, 90-foot-long pool, and more.
ette Hotel Orlando
This Tuscan-inspired, 126-room ette Hotel Orlando is now open near Walt Disney World. Focusing on wellness as an alcohol-free property, the hotel offers culinary experiences in partnership with Michelin Star Chef Akira Back, along with The Spa at ette, with services for everyone from the modern minimalist to the unruly naturalist.
New Places to Eat & Drink in Orlando
Many high-profile eateries have recently opened in Orlando and more are on the way
Learn more: Eat & Drink in Orlando
Four Flamingos, A Richard Blais Florida Kitchen
New at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress close to Walt Disney World, Four Flamingos from Top Chefs: All-Stars winner Richard Blais features cuisine inspired by tropical flavors and ingredients from Florida, including native fruits, vegetables, seafood and more.
AVA MediterrAegean
A new Mediterranean restaurant and lounge, AVA MediterrAegean opened in early 2022 on Park Avenue in Winter Park.
Learn more: Winter Park
New Restaurants at ICON Park®
In the second half of 2021, ICON Park welcomed Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, marking the celebrity chef’s first restaurant venture in Orlando … and hopefully not the last! The legendary Key West saloon Sloppy Joe’s debuted in December 2021, offering live music and island-inspired food and libations. In August 2022, Brother Jimmy’s BBQ joined the dining lineup with North Carolina-style barbecue.
Learn more: Top Orlando Chefs
New Restaurants at Pointe Orlando
Located on International Drive, Pointe Orlando will welcome Kavas Tacos + Tequila and JoJo’s Shake Bar in 2022. Kavas features a menu paying tribute to Mexico’s rich culinary history, featuring savory comfort food, fresh tableside experiences, and recipes hand-crafted from the freshest ingredients. A Chicago original, JoJo’s offers over-the-top sweets and old-school diner ambience with a modern-day vibe.
Learn more: Pointe Orlando
The Milkhouse
New to downtown Orlando’s Milk District, this unique dining space houses some of Central Florida’s most notable food and beverage brands, including The Ravenous Pig Brewing Co., Foxtail Coffee Co. and Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream.
Learn more: Orlando Neighborhoods
New York Beer Project
Built to resemble a 1900s-era indoor beer garden in New York’s Lower East Side, will open in 2022 in Winter Garden just a short drive from Walt Disney World. The venue will feature a gastropub, indoor beer garden, tap room, brewery, sidewalk bistro, and three New York City-themed event spaces.
Learn more: Winter Garden
Cafe-Boutique PIANO
Coming to Winter Park’s historic Hannibal Square in 2022, this restaurant will feature European cuisine and nightly live piano shows.
Learn more: Orlando History
The Hall on the Yard
Part of downtown Orlando’s Ivanhoe Village, this new, full-service food hall delivers nine diverse culinary offerings, five curated event spaces, and three premium cocktail bars in an eclectic environment.
Learn more: Ivanhoe Village Main Street
The BANDBOX — Orlando
Central Florida’s first alcohol-free speakeasy, cocktail lounge and collectibles/vintage shop will open in June 2022 at Ivanhoe Village in downtown Orlando.
New Experiences at Orlando’s Theme Parks
See what’s coming to Orlando’s open-air theme parks in 2022, including fresh attractions, shows and more — not to mention a whole new theme park.
WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort
The World’s Most Magical Celebration at Walt Disney World Resort continues in full swing all through 2022 and into early 2023. Come be immersed in shimmering EARidescence and experience special touches, from embellishments on Cinderella Castle to decor throughout the theme parks and beyond. The 50th Anniversary celebration features new experiences at all four theme parks and beyond, including Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction at EPCOT® and new nighttime spectaculars courtesy of Disney Enchantment at Magic Kingdom® Park and Harmonious at EPCOT. And, there’s more on the way including the newly enhanced “Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire” stage show and the return of the “Festival of Fantasy” parade!
Save on discount tickets: WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Now open, the first “other-world” pavilion at EPCOT features a thrilling, family-friendly chase through time and space. Matching the grandiosity and fun of the blockbuster films, it’s the first coaster at EPCOT, the first Disney coaster with a reverse launch, the longest fully enclosed coaster at any Disney theme park, the first Disney Omnicoaster … and a whole lot of fun.
Learn more: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
Coming in 2022, this exciting stage show will invite you to discover the familiar tale of Nemo and friends from a whole new point of view at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park.
SeaWorld® Orlando
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has new experiences coming to SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica® Orlando in 2022!
Save on discount tickets: SeaWorld Orlando
Ice Breaker
SeaWorld Orlando’s first launch coaster features four airtime-filled launches, both backwards and forwards, culminating in a reverse launch into the steepest beyond-vertical drop in Florida — a 93-foot-tall spike with a 100-degree angle!
Reef Plunge
This new water slide at Aquatica Orlando gives you the chance to zoom past a vibrant array of marine life that includes Commerson’s dolphins, leopard sharks and a variety of other aquatic wonders.
LEGOLAND® Florida Resort
Fans of Peppa Pig and pirates won’t want to miss the fresh additions coming to LEGOLAND Florida Resort, starting with an all-new theme park.
Save on discount tickets: LEGOLAND Florida Resort
Peppa Pig Theme Park
Already the Theme Park Capital of the World, the Orlando area added another jewel to its crown with the Feb. 24, 2022, debut of the world’s first Peppa Pig Theme Park! The standalone park features multiple rides, interactive attractions, fun live shows, themed playscapes and water play areas, among other reasons to visit.
Universal Orlando Resort
In summer 2021, Universal Orlando Resort added a brand-new ride that thrill-seekers and dinosaur fans alike will not want to miss!
Jurassic World VelociCoaster
Based on the blockbuster movie franchise, this new species of coaster has arrived at Universal’s Islands of Adventure! Spanning more than 4,700 feet of track, it is now Florida’s fastest and tallest launch coaster, featuring a story that expands what you’ve seen on the big screen. It also boasts a series of intense maneuvers that will catapult you up to 70 mph and 155 feet in the air with the swiftest of prehistoric predators, including two pulse-pounding launches and a 360-degree barrel roll, a zero-gravity inverted stall, and going airborne during the towering “Top Hat,” propelling you 155 feet in the air before an 80-degree drop. Brave the hunt!
But Wait … There’s More!
It’s not just Orlando’s theme parks, attractions, restaurants and accommodations that get better with each passing year. We also work hard behind the scenes to be one of the nation’s most forward-thinking destinations — and one of the easiest to visit.
Terminal C at Orlando International Airport
Marking the largest construction project in the facility’s history, work is well underway on Terminal C, aka the South Terminal Complex, a $3.82 billion, multi-year project at Orlando International Airport (MCO). In addition to new shops, restaurants and lounge facilities, Terminal C will add 15 gates and high-tech features such as interactive digital media, a state-of-the-art radio frequency baggage system, and the Intermodal Terminal Facility (ITF), which is designed to accommodate up to three train systems including the forthcoming Brightline high-speed rail with service to Miami.
Learn more: Flights to Orlando
In April, MCO announced that Terminal C will officially open on Sept. 19, 2022, with eight international airlines, followed by JetBlue on Sept. 26 and Hawaiian Airlines on Sept. 28.
4Roots Farm Campus
Founder of 4 Rivers Restaurant Group, John Rivers, will open the first phase of the 4Roots Farm Campus in late 2022. When complete, the 18-acre urban farm, located in The Packing District west of Orlando’s College Park neighborhood, will include classrooms, a community green space, a farm-to-table restaurant, and more than 49,000 square feet of greenhouses and a diverse range of growing systems focused on innovation, sustainability and education.
I-4 Express
Part of Orlando’s section of Interstate 4 (I-4), the new I-4 Express option consists of tolled lanes, two in each direction, between Kirkman Road (State Road 435) and State Road 434. In addition to helping to reduce roadway congestion, the new express lanes contribute to economic development opportunities along this vital transportation corridor. Perhaps most importantly, they provide more efficient traveling options for commuters and visitors to Orlando.
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