Top Things To Do As a Family in Central Florida
Every weekend we search for something to go out and do as a family. Sometimes that’s easy but sometimes it leads to frustration. In this video we’ll share the top things to do as a family here in Central Florida. And NO, it isn’t the theme parks. Or is it?
Take a look at our roundup in our Central Florida video:
There are all kinds of things you can do in Central Florida as a family, but for this list we picked things not only based on popularity but what we all enjoyed doing as a family. It doesn’t always have to be something big and extravagant like a trip to Disney, some of our favorite times together are just going to a local park or spending an afternoon at the kid’s favorite playground. Disney is obviously one of the more popular things to do. Watch this video to see our first trip as a family.
One of our favorite things to do is anything that involves animals. That’s a pretty broad topic, but here are some of the things we’ve done that we all really enjoyed and think you might, too.
1. Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park.
This was our first time at the Tampa Zoo. It’s actually called Zoo Tampa instead of the Tampa Zoo, we thought that was interesting.
They have an Orangutan feeding that we were able to attend and highly recommend. The kids got to meet a couple of the Zoo characters walking around, they loved that and got some hugs. The Macaw’s Landing Cafe has some good options for lunch. We grabbed an early lunch and spent the afternoon walking the park. There is a wild Africa expedition safari ride you can get on, but the ride was full and the wait time was almost an hour when we went so we didn’t end up doing that. I think if you want to experience it, you should head straight there and try to be one of the first to board. Overall it was a great trip and we all had a lot of fun.
2. The Florida Aquarium
While we were in Tampa, we actually decided to go to The Florida Aquarium since it was a short drive from the zoo. If you’re in the area and have at least an hour to spend we highly recommend it. We got to see alligators, a huge Python, nearly lost the GoPro to a Roseate Spoonbill, lots of sea life like Lobsters, Stingrays, Sea Turtles, and Sharks! We got to touch a jellyfish too, that was cool. An hour was plenty of time to go through the full attraction and the kids liked it even more than the zoo! This was completely indoors so I think they enjoyed being out of the heat for awhile. It was a hot day and the sun wore them out at the zoo. But we had a great time at both places.
3. SeaWorld
Another great attraction with animals is SeaWorld in Orlando. It was voted the #1 Best Amusement Park in 2021 and it did not fail to impress. There was so much to do, we didn’t even ride any of the big rides and still filled the whole day. It was also packed! We missed out on a couple shows because they reached capacity. But we got to check out a lot too. A few of our favorites from there were the dolphin show, feeding the Sea Lions, and visiting the Penguins. The Penguin sanctuary is really cold, so be prepared for that and the wait time was around 25 minutes. But I think it was well worth it. The kids really enjoyed the Sesame Street Parade as well.
4. Uncle Donald’s Farm
One of our favorite things to do locally, is go to a family farm that’s open to the public. Uncle Donald’s Farm is located in Lady Lake, Florida and is like a mini-zoo. If you’ve ever been to a family farm, you’ll know exactly what to expect. If not, you’re in for a treat! You can feed a lot of the animals there like the sheep, goats, chickens, and ducks. They also have a hay ride where you can feed the cows! There is an area with other wildlife you can check out too that includes a Cougar, Deer, Tortoises, and other exotic animals.
5. Orlando Science Center
Next on the list that doesn’t necessarily involve animals is the Orlando Science Center. There’s so much for kids (and parents) to learn about and they have lots of cool hands-on activities for the little ones. The Dinosaur exhibit was awesome, Sawyer was so excited to see the T-Rex! You can spend an entire day here easily. There is a really nice cafeteria as well that offers a wide range of options so there’s something for everyone.
6. Showcase of Citrus in Clermont
And if you’re near Orlando, you have to go check out the Showcase of Citrus in Clermont. They have these huge Monster Truck tours you can go on and lots of fun things for the kids to do. There are multiple playgrounds, a hay ride, gem mining, a huge gift shop, and a feeding zoo. The Monster Truck tour was the highlight of this attraction. You have to try one of their famous citrus smoothies too. That was a great day :)
7. Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens
Another great place is the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Sanford FL. It’s in North Orlando and I think it’s probably one of the most underrated places for kids. It’s not a huge zoo, but that’s nice because you don’t have to spend the whole day walking around to see all the animals and they have some cool attractions you don’t find at other zoos like the ropes course, the playground area, and the splash pad. Sammy and Sawyer loved the splash pad. They could spend the whole day just being there.
When the weather is a little cooler, we recommend heading over to Dade City where you can check out Snowcat Ridge! Flordia’s only Alpine Snowpark. The kids loved this place. We had a lot of fun in the Artic Igloo and on the Snowy Slopes. The Family Snow Tubing was a blast. Your tickets get you access to the slopes for two hours or you can upgrade and get unlimited rides all day. They have food trucks on-site where you can have a nice lunch in the covered eating areas and watch everyone on the slopes. There is also an ice skating rink you can check out.
9. Lake Louisa State Park
We also love getting outdoors and exploring nature. Lake Louisa State Park is in Clermont so that’s a cool place to check out. You can camp out or they have cabins you can rent. They have places to park your RV, you can go boating, or kayaking. We found a little playground while we were exploring that the kids really enjoyed. There are also several nature trails you can go hiking on.
10. Silver Springs State Park
One of our favorite places to go is Silver Springs State Park near Ocala. It’s such a beautiful park with hiking trails and lots of outdoor activities. This park is probably most famous for it’s Glass Bottom Boat tours which we’ve gone on a few times. Here’s a video you can check out to see what that’s all about. There are also camp sites and you can go kayaking on the five-mile Silver River. This is a must if you’re in the area.
If you get a chance, be sure to visit one of the local Air Boat tours. We went to Tom & Jerry’s Airboat Tours and had so much fun! We booked an early tour, or so we thought, but it seems booking the very first tour may be your best chance of seeing the alligators. The tour guide said the gators were out a lot more in the morning compared to when we went, but we still had a lot of fun and got to see a couple alligators. Both kids fell asleep on the way back to the dock, something about the hum and vibration from the boat I think. It was a great experience.
12. The Florida Ridge
For those of you who stayed to the end, here’s a fun thing for the parents. You have to check out The Florida Ridge Airsports Park in Clewiston. We’ve been sky diving, bungee jumping, and hang gliding. Hang gliding was my favorite. There are a few different options to choose from, but I recommend going as high and for as long as you can. It’s such a cool experience. It’s actually very calm and relaxing, except for the tricks that can be a bit more exhilarating than just gliding but still a lot of fun. If you’re up for an adventure, go check it out!
We would love to hear about your favorite activities in wherever you call home as we are always looking for new tiny adventures we can go on. We look forward to reading your comments below.