© Joao Canziani
With its bombast, over-the-top showmanship, and extravagant deployment of dreams as daily entertainment, Orlando may be the most quintessentially American city in America. It's also the most popular family destination on earth; almost 50 million people a year flood its theme parks and hotels in an endless pursuit of childhood fantasy (or regression). Though the vast majority orbits the big-ticket amusements furnished by Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Florida, and SeaWorld, there’s also a lesser-known, surprisingly sophisticated city rooted in Old Florida values for the few who seek it out.