Get ready to explore what's becoming one of the most visited hot spots in the nation: Orlando's International Drive.

Our exclusive special, Eye on I-Drive: The Evolution of International Drive, airs each day this weekend:

  • Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 10 at 4 p.m.

South of downtown Orlando, International Drive, known locally as simply "I-Drive," stretches 10.5 miles, with Universal Orlando Resort to the west, SeaWorld to the south, and Walt Disney World just a few miles away.

The Big Picture

By David Bodden, Reporter

Orlando is known as the theme park Mecca, and it's setting records. More than 62 million visitors came to the City Beautiful in 2014, making Orlando the most visited tourist testination in the nation.

The reason for the boom, according to Visit Orlando, is evolution and expansion. Last year, Universal Orlando opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley, and Disney completed the final piece of New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom: The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Orlando's latest attraction, the 400-foot-tall Orlando Eye, opened to the public Monday, along with the rest of the I-Drive 360 entertainment complex.

Developers with their eye on I-Drive are looking to go up, around and all out to become the next premiere entertainment destination.

The "If you build it, they will come" frame of mind is proving to be a winning business plan for entrepreneurs, and visitors will reap the benefits. Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh said International Drive is becoming a destination with its own identity.

"No other county in the world has seven theme parks, 84,000 hotel rooms, 14,000 time share units that get sold on a weekly basis," Singh said.

Gone are many of the failing businesses and restaurants, replaced by new attractions waiting to draw tourists and locals alike.

Singh said all of those visitors are the key to I-Drive's success and the draw for new investors to make their impact on our area.

"We've just crossed the $1.5 billion mark of new construction," Singh said. "A significant portion of that is right here in Orange county."

From new eateries to fun, family-style recreation, I-Drive is looking to change its identity. Singh said he hasn't seen a renaissance like this before in his career.

"This is very unique. It is very complex, but I think it is very instrumental in the resurgence of the entire area," Singh said, adding the potential for growth seems endless.

"A tremendous amount of retail space," Singh continued. "Most people don't realize that if you take the Mall at Millenia, Fashion Square Mall, West Oaks Mall and Florida Mall and combine them all, they still would not compare to the square footage of retail space we have here on I-Drive."

I-Drive NASCAR, new NASCAR Indoor Kart Racing track is just one of many businesses hoping to pull in new costumers.

Alejandro Pezzini, chief operating officer of the AMP Group, is a developer whose humble beginnings in a perfume store have grown to two shopping centers on I-Drive, including a soon-to-open, Latin-inspired grocery store and the 65,000-square-foot I-Drive NASCAR indoor kart racetrack.

"We've created over 350 jobs over the last few years, not including construction jobs within our properties," Pezzini said.

Creating those jobs is the beginning of creating a solid infrastructure for the growth of I-Drive, and another example of that growth is the towering Orlando Eye.

A ride on the Orlando Eye

By Allison Walker, Entertainment Reporter/Anchor

The Orlando Eye is now spinning, and what a grand opening.

On April 30, daredevil Nik Wallenda walked on top of the spinning, 400-foot-high observation wheel, without safety gear or even a balancing pole.

The Orlando Eye is the largest observation wheel of its kind on the East Coast, and it's quickly becoming the driving force behind I-Drive's evolution.

Locals can see the City Beautiful like never before, from 400 feet above International Drive.

Your 30-minute journey begins with a few photo ops in front of green screens.

Grab your 3-D glasses, and you're watching an inspiring, 4-minute "4-D" film celebrating Central Florida and imagination.

A few steps outside, and your charriot awaits.

"It's going to be a crazy experience," said Ryan Culley, of Orlando as he waited to board the Orlando Eye.

"Crazy" is not the intent. Designers said the experience is a tranquil escape, something even "The Bachelor" Sean Lowe and his new wife, Catherine, were loving.

"Yeah, it'll be real romantic," the former Bachelor and his new bride agreed.

Inside each Orlando Eye capsule are Bose speakers, and the music is much like what you would get at a spa.

At 400 feet up, you can see Hogwarts Castle and the Incredible Hulk roller coaster at Universal Orlando, and the Sky Tower and Kraken at SeaWorld. You can even see how much acrage Walt Disney World spans with landmarks like the Characters in Flight hot air balloon at Downtown Disney, Spaceship Earth over Epcot, and Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom.

On a clear day, you can even see all the way to the Space Coast, where the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center towers above the horizon.

On the Orlando Eye, you are moving at a mere 1 mph in a first-of-its-kind gondola, a prototype, according to Merlin Entertainments Technical Advisor Kevin Dyer.

"We've had to get over a lot of design issues," Dyer said. "The main one was the cabin stability."

No matter what you and up to 14 others do in one of the capsules, you'll hardly feel that you're in motion.

At night, the Orlando Eye lights up I-Drive with 64,000 LED lights. The wheel's lights can display millions of colors, and like the Amway Center and Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando, the Orlando Eye can be lit up differently for holidays — for example, red, white and blue for the Fourth of July — and other special occasions — like purple in support of Orlando City Soccer, or pink for breast cancer awareness.

What else is at I-Drive 360?

By Virginia Johnson, Entertainment Reporter

The Orlando Eye is just one of a spectrum of new attractions opening at I-Drive 360, from celebrity sightings to flesh-eating bugs.

Madame Tussauds

Now starring Jimmy Fallon, Madame Tussauds is known worldwide. It features lifelike wax figures of A-list celebrities and world-renowned history makers.

There are seven themed rooms at Madame Tussauds Orlando. One is dedicated to Florida celebrities known for their achievements in the Sunshine State, from Juan Ponce de Leon, the first European explorer to land in Florida more than 500 years ago, to Neil Armstrong in a replica of the spacesuit he wore when he landed on the moon. There's even a helmet for guests to try on and take photos.

The Florida room even has a wax figure of a man who helped turn Orlando into the theme park capital of the world, Walt Disney.

Guests are encouraged to touch and get up close to the wax figures inside Madame Tussauds, which studio manager Andres Lopez said leads to some interesting finds at the end of the day.

"Our guests get really excited, so we find lipstick on their cheeks," Lopez said. "They are wax and makeup, so some small scratches we can fix on the floor."

The staff does touch-ups to the figures each morning, including makeup, hair and, according to Lopez, sometimes even replacing an ear or two.

Madame Tussauds is open 365 days a year right under the Orlando Eye at I-Drive 360.

Skeletons: Animals Unveiled!

Skletons is a one-of-a-kind museum that opened in April at the I-Drive 360 complex.

Guests can explore over 400 real skeletons of a variety of animal species, including humans.

The museum is also home to flesh-eating beetles, which museum operators say help get the job done.

SeaLife Orlando

You can also explore the waters of the world at the Sea Life Orlando aquarium at I-Drive 360. Go underwater and check out some pretty cool creatures, and even come face-to-face with sharks.here at i-drive 360. Go underwater and check out some pretty cool creatures and come face-to-face with sharks.

Water: It's our playground, our source for fun, food and even fossil fuels. But for the sea creatures at Sea Life, it's simply home.

"We have about 5,000 different fish and 450 species, so it's a very diverse collection," said Sea Life's curator, Steve Blair.

We got a behind-the-scenes look as aquarium workers filled the tanks and immersed themselves in last-minute preps for the fine fish that will live there.

Sea Life has 32 different habitats, many of which are interactive, offering children and adults a like a little learning through fun.

"There are a lot of pop-ups, things that children can crawl up inside and actually be immersed in the habitat," said Blair.

All the major waters of the Earth are covered at Sea Life.

"This is the 180-degree tunnel in the Atlantic section, and it's home to about 1,000 fish, so it's packed with atlantic species," Blair said, giving us a tour of the aquarium.

The Pacific and Indian oceans are also covered, in addition to another body of water closer to home: The Florida Everglades.

"The Everglades, the headwaters is right here at Shingle Creek — literally a couple miles from here," Blair said. "I don't know if all the people that live in Orlando realize that the water usage here, and the way they use water in this area in Central Florida, directly affects the Everglades."

There are also touch tanks for animals like sea urchins, starfish and rays. The animals at Sea Life represent the beauty of our wet world, and the staff hope this learning through fun model will help to preserve our oceans for generations to come.

Smaller Attractions in the Land of Giant Theme Parks

By Scott Fais, Feature Reporter

With the surge of new energy and new attractions in I-Drive, those who have been around for awhile are strategizing on how to say relevant.

California developer George Millay is credited with putting International Drive on the map with SeaWorld in 1973 and Wet 'n Wild in 1977.

At the north end of I-Drive, another man has made a name for himself. In the land of giant theme parks, Fun Spot owner John Arie proves his vision is — as he puts it — "HUGE!"

John Arie Sr.'s backyard overlooks International Drive. You may know his son, John Jr., from his famous TV commercial tagline, "It's huge!"

Yet you may not know how the elder John, an Oviedo native, got his start.

"At the Lil 500, in Maitland," Arie Sr. recalled.

While attending Seminole Junior College — now known as Seminole State College — Arie learned the value of making a dollar on wheels.

While the mustache came and went — "I had a mustache up until three years ago," the now clean-shaven Arie clarified — so did the parks Arie owned in Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, and Ocean City, Maryland.

Spinning back the hands of time, one of the half-dozen parks Arie owned and sold, the now-shuttered Fun 'n Wheels, will become home to the new SkyPlex.

"We don't worry about our competition," Arie said. "The more we have down here, the better off we're all going to be."

Not ones to rest, Arie and his son expanded their Fun Spot location on I-Drive from 5 acres to 15 acres, opening three new thrill rides in 2013.

To keep maintenance costs low, Arie had White Lightning built with a steel structure that looks like a wooden track. Plus, Arie manufactures his own railings used at the park.

Keeping finances on the upswing, several new additions thrilled riders elsewhere before coming to I-Drive, and there are more attractions on the way.

"We are still looking at water parks," Arie said. "We are leaning toward a dark ride with an 'Old Florida' theme, and if the attendance continues to grow, we're going to put in another roller coaster."

Fun Spot has only 15 more acres to develop, yet you only have to take one look in the bottom of the patio spa at the Arie home to see Fun Spot is on the map to stay.

The Arie family owns 25 acres of untouched land between Fun Spot and the nearby outlet mall.

Where to shop and eat on I-Drive

By Virginia Johnson, Entertainment Reporter

Now, let's talk 124 acres — that's how much of I-Drive is filled with shopping.

That's 5.4 million square feet of shop-till-you-drop, everthing from T-shirt and sourvenir shops to two outlet malls on the north and south side of I-Drive.

Last year saw the opening of the Artegon Marketplace, the revamped shopping center at the former site of the Festival Bay Mall.

At the Premium Outlets, you can find brand names for less. Pointe Orlando is another place filled with shops, along with an i-max movie theater -- plus, some of the best dining.

With over 340 restaurants along International Drive, you can get pretty much whatever you want to eat.

Want Chinese food? Check. Thai? Totally. Brazilian? But of course. They have everything — even Ethiopian.

After all, it is called International Drive.

Whatever your taste, whatever your budget, there is something for you on I-Drive, where hundreds of restaurants, eateries and cafes line the 11-mile road, all vying for visitors and fighting to stay sharp in a competitive atmosphere.

They all stack up together for that rule of economics: Business begets business.

Chefs have been performing at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse on I-Drive for more than 25 years.

"I think that's our real advantage — our people, how we are able to make it come together all at once, in front of your eyes," said Kobe's general manager, Truong Le.

For about $30, you can watch a meal come together, each chef with his own personal style.

Le said it's the employees that make Kobe special, and their tight-knit group relishes the I-Drive competition.

"It makes us feel motivated to do better, to make sure that we can compete with all the big guys out here, being that we are a family restaurant," Le said.

"When are you ever going to get a chance to be able to be playing arm to arm with the big boys?" said Nicholas Olivieri, of the nearby Funky Monkey Bistro and Bar.

The original Funky Monkey is in downtown Orlando, but Olivieri said he jumped at the opportunity to open a second location on I-Drive.

"It's all chains — everything," he explained. "Most everything along I-Drive is corporate business, and it would be nice to have something that was independent, representative of Orlando and Central Florida and not something that can be found anywhere."

Olivieri said the unique sign outside the Funky Monkey draws in diners.

"They want to get their picture taken with the monkey behind them," he explained.

And then they see the wide range of menu choices, like pistachio-crusted, in-house smoked mozarella salad with Asian pears.

"Sushi, steak, seasfood, wine, liquor — we have a little bit of everything," Olivieri said. "If you want a giant tomahawk steak for $68, we've got that. But if you want a burger for $12, we've got that, too."

At the Fruity Waffle, Erica Garcia says the strategy is to offer something different in the fast food realm.

"You know the regular place — they sell burgers, fries," Garcia said.

The Fruity Waffle's niche: Quesdadillas and smoothies — a hit with Latin Americans — and waffles, popular with Europeans.

"A salty waffle with fruit, with ice cream," Garcia said. "'Wow,' people say. 'Oh, my God, this place is amazing,' because it's not regular."

The tiny space and tiny menu keep the prices tiny, too. Everything at the Fruity Waffle is under $10.

Specialty items are also working for another sweet spot.

"Everything here that we bake is freshly made, from scratch," said Hector Correa, of the Cupcake Lounge.

Correa is mixing up a batch of peanut butter cupcakes at the Cupcake Lounge. He'll cook dozen of cupcakes every day in flavors like strawberry, raspberry, chocolate Oreo and red velvet.

"We got pastries, we got little fruit here to eat, salads, sandwiches," Correa said.

There's nothing over $5 at the Cupcake Lounge, and thanks to I-Drive foot traffic, there's almost always someone passing by the shop.

"It's a nice place just to hang out grab something sweet to eat, drink a tea and relax," Correa said.

Restaurant managers say there are three types of diners: Conventioners with expense accounts looking to impress, tourists looking for a break from the parks, and regulars who show up year-round.

And don't count out fast food. Even McDonald's is an attraction on International Drive.

The World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's is getting a major overhaul to its famous "french fry box" architecture.

Oerther Foods Inc., which owns and operates 25 McDonald's locations around Central Florida, said the restaurant on I-Drive at Sand Lake Road will be transformed into a new, state-of-the-art entertainment facility set to open in the spring of 2016.

The new facility will be built next to the current, "french-fry box" restaurant, allowing it to remain open during construction.

I-Drive's night life

By Allison Walker, Entertainment Reporter/Anchor

The evolution of International Drive means the night life had better be fresh, fierce and hotter than ever.

The developers of this first club claim it's going to be one of the most popular nighclubs in the entire country.

Mango's, already a staple of Miami, is coming soon to I-Drive. Not just a live music club, Mango's is a nonstop series of shows never seen or heard before in Central Florida.

When Mango's opens in Orlando, the massive space will have a bunch of rooms with wildly different themes. The main floor during the day will be fit for family and kids.

But when the sun sets, adults get to play.

"This is a huge margarita that you have to have, because it's four drinks in one," said Raul Acosta, Mango's vice president of operations. "Everyone will look at you when you have this."

If you can believe it, Mango's used to be an apartment building. So, from the voodoo room to the Mojito room, the Orlando club — if you can imagine — is going to be about four times the size at the Miami Beach location.

Just south of Mango's Orlando location is a different kind of live music joint: The Tin Roof, near the base of the Orlando Eye.

Whether you're eying the signature drinks or rock star noshes, locals have their own reason for playing here.

"There's beer," said Grant Ramsay, of Casselberry. "It's buzzing. The whole town is just buzzing from it. It's awesome."

"It's a great place to bar hop, becuse you can literally just walk down the street and hit up different places," a Tin Roof patron told us.

Places like Cowgirls Rockbar next door, but it's not ready just yet.

McFadden's Irish pub, though, is open, and we had to clear the dance floor to show you just how huge it is inside.

"This place is going to be in-and-out insane," said Shawn "DJ Redline" Hoff.

"They have entertainment that the rest of I-Drive doesn't have." said Andy Davis, of Orlando.

A few miles north, at Artegon Marketplace, is an even bigger venue: Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill, where country music meets the Orlando float — and moonshine.

As live music plays, you can either dance or just take a load off.

All but two of the hot spots mentioned above are already rockin'. Cowgirls Rockbar is scheduled to open later in May, while Mango's is shooting for a soft opening in July.

There are some other big openings still ahead for I-Drive, where the skyline is not expected to stay stagnant for long.

Race for the Sky

By Scott Fais, Feature Reporter

While the Orlando Eye is the newest beacon on the I-Drive skyline, even taller attractions will continue the "race for the sky" in the coming years.

To preview what to expect in the years to come, we traveled to Las Vegas where for a preview of what we'll find in Orlando in the future.

An abandoned lot on I-Drive, just north of the Orlando Eye, is Joshua Wallack's field of dreams.

"It still has the go-kart track, and this was the arcade back in the day," said Wallack, a Miami-based developer who relocated to Central Florida to create the SkyPlex.

"You will escalator up three floors to the SkyPlaza promenade, and you'll see the SkyScraper and SkyFall coming down," Wallack explained.

The SkyPlex will feature a 570-foot-tall tower with an observation deck, a rotating restaurant, a drop ride and the world's tallest roller coaster, at 500 feet.

"We have absolutely spared no expense in creating one of the most dynamic and exhilarating roller coasters in the world," Wallack said.
 
To get a look at what's ahead, we head not to an Orlando theme park, or metropolis like New York or Paris, but rather west, to Las Vegas.

At 1,149 feet tall, the Stratosphere is the United States' tallest free-standing observation tower with thrill rides.

"Oh, no, I have butterflies in my stomach," said Jake, from South Korea, preparing to ride the Stratosphere's drop ride. "Like, oh my God, I cannot explain what I am feeling now."

I can relate. Needing nerves of steel is essential, according to ride engineering Manager Jeff Gonzales.

"It plays off your fear of heights; it adds to it," he said.

Wallack says his drop ride, SkyFall, will keep 16 riders on the edge of their seats.

"You're going to get up to 460 feet, and it's just going to stop, and it's going to hold you there and build anticipation," Wallack explained. "Then it's just a freefall, 90 mph back down."

SkyFall is based on Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, which opened in 2014 at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.

Looking to just take in the view? SkyPlex will also offer an observation platform, where visitors can gaze at the horizon and snap photos.

Hungry for more? Wallack says he Wallack says can fix that in Orlando.

"It has a rotating dining room," he said. "We're looking to do a really high-end, hot concept up there."

The Stratosphere's rotating "Top of the World" restaurant makes a complete revolution every 70 minutes.

In Vegas, lunch is around $50 per person, while dinner approaches $100.

And then there's the Polercoaster. To figure out what that will be like, we take the drive from the Stratosphere to the famed Circus Circus Casino, where El Loco, the model for SkyPlex's biggest star, is under a pink-colored glass dome.

"The 90-degree drop, that's the reason you ride it in the first place," said roller coaster guru Chad Busta.

The inspiration for the SkyScraper is now open inside the Adventuredome in Vegas.

"It's really a unique, different roller coaster," said Tom Nolan, the Adventuredome's vice president of operations. "The small vehicles really change and enhance the ride."

MGM Resorts International contracted with roller coaster designer S&S-Sansei to build El Loco.

"It's a 90-degree, straight down drop," said Nolan. ""The outward turn, the barrel roil, and then they go upside-down back into the station. I am really proud of the ride."

The track formation closely mirrors Wallack's record-breaking vision.

"We will invert you upside down at 500 feet in the air," Wallack said.

The future is riding on it. I joined Busta at the Adventuredome for a spin.

"They just hang you there," Busta said. "Instead of putting you through it real fast, they go, 'Woop! We're going to hang you there for a bit before we drop you again.'"

Picture this: Busta is ready to get into line now for the SkyPlex.

"When is this going to be open?" he asked. "I will be there to ride that ride."

Wallack said Busta will need to wait another two to three years to climb aboard SkyScraper, and the first trip on the ride is already spoken for.

"As far as the test pilot, my dad is the test pilot," Wallack revealed.

So, there are still lots to come to Orlando, and we will continue to keep our Eye on I-Drive.

More I-Drive News

See the latest on the Orlando Eye and other coming attractions on International Drive.