Orlando's most dynamic destination is International Drive, or better known as "I-Drive." But this is not your mother’s I-Drive – it is changing! Visitors will find endless fun in the I-Drive area including six of the world's most famous theme parks; SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Aquatica - SeaWorld's Waterpark, Wet ‘n Wild, Universal Studios, and Islands of Adventure. The area abounds with restaurants, dinner shows, shopping experiences, mega entertainment complexes, and smaller family style attractions. New venues are opening all the time.

For returning visitors as well as those coming to the area for the first time, there is a huge selection of new experiences. The much anticipated I-Drive 360, Orlando’s new $200 million entertainment destination and home to the Orlando Eye is open. The Orlando Eye’s 400-foot, iconic observation wheel is the centerpiece of this themed complex featuring a dynamic blend of attractions, restaurants, clubs and shops.

The Orlando Eye is equipped with 30-6,600-pound capsules, each capsule holding 15 people, reaching a maximum wheel-capacity of 450 people at one time. The wheel, providing 360-degree views, will continuously load and unload passengers as it rotates. Also, the capsules are air-conditioned and include audio effects for riders throughout the 20-minute experience.

Orlando Crossings International Drive is now open with more than $2.5 million in renovations and redevelopment on North International Drive. With more than 15 stores and restaurants, the shopping complex also offers a post office, full service concierge, and money exchange. The complex will be anchored by I-Drive’s first full-scale supermarket.

Several new venues are open at Pointe Orlando adjacent to the $14 million, 226,502-square-foot Hollywood Plaza parking complex to include 9,000 square feet of ground-level retail space and a 10,257-square-foot, glass-enclosed rooftop restaurant.

The North I-Drive Improvement Project has opened with a new 1.5-mile stretch that includes improvements for pedestrian safety in the area and helps to relieve traffic congestion. The project incorporates a series of Improvements that include the construction of an exclusive lane for buses and right turns, new bike lanes, new 10-foot wide sidewalks and streetscape elements.

Artegon, Festival Bay's transformation into the new, $70 million, 1.1 million-square-foot mall has opened. The Artegon Marketplace Orlando is a new shopping concept for the region described as being inspired by the world’s famous marketplaces. The Village at Artegon Marketplace houses 165 artisanal shops and stores where local craftspeople sell and demonstrate their products and services. Artegon Marketplace Orlando is anchored by Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Ron Jon Surf Shop, Cinemark Theaters, and Sheplers Western Stores.

Coming Soon!

Loews Hotels & Resorts plans a 1,000-room hotel to Universal Orlando Resort by summer 2016. Loews Sapphire Falls Resort will be the fifth hotel at Universal Orlando. The resort will have a Caribbean theme and 131,000 square feet of meeting space, and will also include 77 suites.

The iconic McDonald's restaurant on the northwest corner of International Drive and Sand Lake Road is being rebuilt and transformed into the new "World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's." The almost 19,000-square-foot restaurant has welcomed millions of guests from all over the world since opening in 1976. Completion of the restaurant is scheduled for spring 2016.

StarFlyer at Vue 360, the "largest of its kind," is coming to I-Drive and features a chair swing ride that will stand 420 feet tall. The StarFlyer will include 12 double-seat swing chairs, sending up to 24 riders spinning more than 400 feet in the air. Completion is expected to be late 2016.

Skyfall, the world's largest drop ride attached to a support structure, will stand at more than 460 feet and join the 570-foot-tall Skyscraper coaster at the $250 million Skyplex development. The Skyfall ride will be part of the Skyscraper tower and will drop at speeds of 90 miles per hour. The complex includes a 495,000-square-foot combination of upscale arcading, simulators, rock climbing, bars, restaurants and retail stores. At the top of the Skyscraper guests will experience a restaurant and lounge, an observation deck, and the region's tallest glass elevators that will provide views of Orlando and the surrounding area. The attraction is scheduled to open in 2017.

iSquare Mall+Hotel is an upscale, multi-level mall with international retailers, along with a 26-story hotel, spa, an indoor ice skating rink, a 100,000-square-foot convention center, a 500-seat live performance theater, and a rooftop observation deck with rotating restaurant. There will be phased openings, but fully operational by summer 2017.

I-Drive's overhead pedestrian bridge is scheduled for completion in 2017. The 410-foot enclosed pedestrian bridge that will connect the plaza outside the Hyatt Regency Orlando to the Orange County Convention Center, just across from the Linda Chapin Theater. The bridge will also have an escalator leading from the hotel plaza to bridge, and will follow the path of the existing crosswalk, but will be above International Drive.