For over 50 years, Disney World has ruled Florida tourism like an uncontested heavyweight champion.
Walt Disney’s empire built its fortune on the assumption that families would always choose fantasy castles over real American history.
But NASA’s Kennedy Space Center crushed Disney with one stunning achievement that left Mickey Mouse in the dust.
Florida’s space center claims America’s top spot
Tripadvisor published its 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards last week.¹
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Merritt Island didn’t just beat Disney World’s Magic Kingdom — it claimed the number one spot as America’s top tourist attraction.
The space center also secured third place globally, trailing only Barcelona’s Basílica de la Sagrada Familia and Paris’s Eiffel Tower.²
Disney executives are probably reaching for the antacids after learning their crown jewel attractions didn’t even crack the top 25.
Universal Studios, which just opened its billion-dollar Epic Universe theme park, also got completely shut out of the rankings.
Fifty years of Disney dominance just ended with a single rankings report.
Over 15,000 five-star reviews
Kennedy Space Center racked up over 15,000 five-star reviews from visitors who described their experience as an “awe-inspiring family activity.”³
The contrast couldn’t be starker: real American history versus cartoon make-believe.
While Disney keeps jacking up prices and pushing woke politics, space enthusiasts discovered something better — authentic American achievement worth celebrating.
“With such a huge selection of travel activities and excursions available on the platform, Tripadvisor helps travelers find the experiences that turn a trip into a lifelong memory,” Tripadvisor President Kristen Dalton explained.⁴
The space center offers something Disney’s fantasy worlds can’t match: authentic American history and cutting-edge innovation happening in real time.
Visitors get to walk through the Apollo/Saturn V Center, experience the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, and witness actual rocket launches from an active NASA facility.
Try explaining that value proposition to parents who just dropped $150 per person for a day at Magic Kingdom.
Florida’s other attractions embarrass Disney’s absence
The statewide results make Disney’s failure even more humiliating.
Two other Florida attractions also made the national top 10: Stetson Mansion in DeLand ranked fifth, and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo claimed sixth place.⁵
Meanwhile, Disney’s supposedly world-class theme parks couldn’t even secure a participation trophy in the rankings.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Disney, which has been hemorrhaging goodwill with families over woke politics and skyrocketing prices.
Parents want their kids to learn about Neil Armstrong, not transgender princesses.
Space Coast wins the tourism game
Kennedy Space Center sits on Florida’s Space Coast, offering visitors access to genuine space exploration history.
Meanwhile, Disney’s creative team focuses on rebooting old movies with woke messaging.
Families can witness actual rocket launches at Kennedy Space Center.
At Disney World, they get a two-hour wait for a three-minute ride.
The space center celebrates American astronauts who planted our flag on the lunar surface.
Disney pushes social justice themes through Mickey Mouse cartoons.
When forced to choose between authentic American achievement and corporate woke entertainment, families picked the real deal.
Mickey Mouse never had a chance against Neil Armstrong.
¹ Michelle Vecerina, “Florida’s Kennedy Space Center ranks third globally, tops U.S. attractions by Tripadvisor,” Florida News, July 28, 2025.
² Tripadvisor, “Tripadvisor Reveals This Year’s Top-Rated Travel Experiences Worldwide with Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things To Do,” PRNewswire, July 22, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Vecerina, “Florida’s Kennedy Space Center ranks third globally.”
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Author: rgcory
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