Orlando Attractions Magazine

Let me start with some questions. Are you a big fan of theme parks? Do you take a vacation from time to time or spend a lot of time fantasizing about doing so? Like to know what's going on in the world of roller coasters, tourism and theme park rides? Are you a big fan of Disney parks or the city of Orlando? If you answered yes to even one of those questions, you should consider purchasing a subscription to Orlando Attractions Magazine. At the very least, take a spin past the magazine's online hub at http://www.attractionsmagazine.com/

The magazine just put out issue number three (of volume two) featuring the new American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios on its cover. Currently, the magazine is bi-monthly. (Which rather confusingly, in the publishing world, can mean every two months and not twice a month. So to clarify, you get six issues a year.) But the publication itself is so colorful, so full of interesting news, and is such an escapist piece of fun that I can only hope it turns into a monthly before it becomes winter in the mid-west again.

You can follow the magazine on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. You can also sign up for an email newsletter. At the website, you can view plenty of photos from around Orlando's various theme parks, browse recent news only posted online, watch videos filmed by members of the magazine staff, and you can even experience a free preview of the current issue. (The whole thing, not just a segment.)

I don't know about you, but all that screams "confidence" to me. Many magazines maintain a miniscule presence online, perhaps in an attempt to get you to subscribe to get to know them. So the fact that Orlando Attractions augments its print magazine with such a generous online presence is quite impressive.

I would highly recommend this magazine. For one thing, it seems to be written from a genuine fan perspective. This is a magazine for tourists, for theme park enthusiasts and movie geeks. It's accessible to anyone who has a love for these things and isn't reserved for trivia buffs or extreme fans only. (Though it is written with the attention to detail that people like that crave. I know, because I'm one of them.) Sometimes niche publications look promising, but don't deliver content-wise. This magazine absolutely does.

I also honestly think that aside from working as a sort of trade publication for people in the tourist industry in Orlando, it also works as a first of its kind. I can't think of another magazine that is a combination of extremely micro-focused (Orlando Theme Parks) and also having nobody to answer to. It's almost like tourism's equivalent of an academic journal.

What I mean is, the magazine doesn't have to write anything based on brand loyalty. It's not run by Universal or Disney, that I'm aware of, meaning you're more likely to get honest news and reviews from people who live right there in Orlando and experience these things firsthand on a regular basis. In other words, it's a real magazine and not an advertisement in disguise.

At the very least, do go and visit the website. But trying a year's subscription to this magazine is extremely low-risk, especially if you love theme parks.