Hurricane Milton is prompting the closure of some of Florida’s biggest and most beloved tourist attractions, including all four of the main theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort.
Though located south-west of Orlando in inland Florida, Milton’s expected path across central Florida is forcing the resort to make a rare weather-related closure.
Walt Disney World will close its theme parks in stages beginning at 1pm local time on Wednesday (4am Thursday AEDT), the company said on its website.
Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will close at 1pm while Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney Springs shopping and entertainment complex will close at 2pm on Wednesday.
“It is likely the theme parks will remain closed on Thursday,” the company website said.
“We will consider opening Disney Springs on Thursday in the late afternoon, with limited offerings.”
In terms of lodging, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will temporarily close at 11am on Wednesday.
Status of other Florida attractions
Disney World isn’t the only tourism favourite expected to be affected by Milton’s projected path.
As of 5:30pm on Tuesday, this was the status of some other major attractions across the state.
In the possible crosshairs of Milton, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay was closed on Tuesday and is set to remain closed through Thursday.
Howl-O-Scream is cancelled for Thursday.
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Universal Studios Orlando
Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Universal CityWalk will be open until 2pm on Wednesday.
That closing time is subject to change based on forecast alterations, the park said on Tuesday afternoon.
All those venues will be closed on Thursday.
Universal Volcano Bay will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios is cancelled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Universal’s hotels are slated to remain operational.
SeaWorld Orlando is set to be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
Legoland Florida will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
Hotel operations are slated to continue with limited capacity.
Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral)
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, located on the Atlantic Coast, is closed for Wednesday and Thursday.
In extreme South Florida, Everglades National Park remains open, but services are limited.
Visitor centres are closed.
Emergency response will be extremely limited, the park warns.
Visit the above attractions’ websites for details on refunds of previously purchased tickets along with the latest closing and reopening information.
You should check ahead for any tourist destination in or near the expected path of Milton before heading out.
That includes all of Florida and possibly other south-eastern states such as Georgia and South Carolina.
