Did Lake Apopka last year and it was awesome. In 7 previous trips to Florida we'd only seen 1 wild gator. A baby in the water at Disney, by the steamboat. Apopka was a whole different thing, loved it.
And our timing never works out for a rocket launch. Eight times we've been and never been there at the right time :(
Is this the State park that has the world record of number of diff bird species spotted in one day?
I love the birds down there, when we stay at Fort Wilderness I pretend Mutual of Omaha Wild America on Sat morning is going on in my head while watching them. I seen some crazy shit.
Be warned it's absolutely nuts during the summer. If u really want to go u need to get there in line before dawn. Like 6am before dawn. It is really beautiful and lots of fun, just packed with tourists and kids during the summer
My Mother lives in the neighborhood across from Wekiva Springs and I have only seen one weekday morning where it wasn’t full this summer. I advise to go early even on a weekday! Have fun
If you're near Disney and want to do Disney things, Disney transportation is free and you can resort hop. All resorts have gift shops, quick service food, and areas to walk around with Disney photo ops.
Example trip:
1. Park at Disney Springs.
2. Walk to the far side near Saratoga Springs and take the boat to Port Orleans and Riverside.
3. Take the bus to Hollywood Studios.
4. Take the boat to Epcot (you can get off and explore Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Club)
5. Take the Skyliner to Art of Animation and Pop Century. Plenty of giant statues and themed buildings to walk around.
6. Bus to Magic Kingdom.
7. Monorail tour of Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary. There are also boats running from here to Polynesian and Grand Floridian.
8. Back at Magic Kingdom, take the boat to Fort Wilderness. You can walk thru the horse barn for free. If you time an evening ride correctly, you can see the MK fireworks while on the lake.
9. Bus back to Disney Springs.
Winter Summerland or Fantasia Mini golf are both owned by disney and on disney property. Its $19 per Adult, $12 per Child (Ages 3–9). Its fun and pretty reasonably priced.
Disney springs has a drone show at 9pm which is free to see.
Lake Louisa State Park is $5 a vehicle and has some pretty lakes and trails to do. Its about 35 minutes from Disney Springs.
You can camp out in a tent at Fort Wilderness for about $120 a night-ish. Even just one night could be fun!
You can see Disney fireworks from most of Lake Buena Vista and Windermere. You just need to figure out the show times.
> Disney springs has a drone show at 9pm which is free to see.
Oh? That sounds pretty cool.
We see the fireworks every night from the place we stay, one of the excellent perks (besides being free) of that place.
Nah, I just don't like the crowds at the parks and the resorts are nice.
The main thing to keep in mind is that buses do not run between resorts. If it's not on a Skyliner or the monorail, to go from hotel to hotel you have to change buses at a park or Disney Springs.
I didn't mention Animal Kingdom Lodge, which might be the nicest lobby. It's also probably the best spot if you need a quiet place to chill. Anyway, walk out the back of the lobby and there's a small outdoor area with a few wild animals.
If you're up for a small drive, the mermaids at https://weekiwachee.com/ are a nice time travel to old Florida exhibits.
>If you're up for a small drive, the mermaids at https://weekiwachee.com/ are a nice time travel to old Florida exhibits.
VERY high on the list. Totally want to check out the 50s-style kitsch.
Fort Wilderness can take up a whole evening depending on what time of year. We go during October and December for Halloween and Christmas decorations. We do get a sleigh ride or regular horse and carriage ride for about $75 (up to 4), but you can just walk around. They have a great outdoor movie setting with seating and put a little show on first. There are fire pits for smores.
You can also (other than on certain holidays) watch the fireworks show from the beach at the Polynesian - unless it’s changed in the past couple of years, they pipe in the music.
Okay so you’re dropping some SOLID knowledge here. Being annual pass holders my wife and I have found out something that I rarely see people talk about. The food at resorts. It’s so much better than 90% of in park offerings. The only edit I have here, I absolutely hate the busses. But, the Boardwalk area is fantastic. You know your stuff.
It's in Winter Park. A very nice area of shops and restaurants to walk around. There are a couple of ice cream shops and an old-school candy store the kids might like. Plus a big open park area they can run around, no playground though.
If you are on Park Ave, check out the Morse Museum which is the largest collection of Tiffany glass as well as a church Tiffany made in New York that was transported down here.
Most of the restaurants are expensive, but if you guys want pizza Pannullos is good and not too bank breaking. Not sure how old your kids are, but it's a nice place to spend an afternoon
No kidding expensive! We tend to grocery shop and make a lot of our own food. Place we stay has a kitchen, so we make good use of that. Saves a TON of money.
If you have a car then the Mead Botanical Garden is lovely, and completely free. Also if you have a car, don't mind spending a little money and like trash (like me) the world's largest McDonald's is in Orlando. They have pizza station
Not all of these are free, but are inexpensive. One of the many Springs, Gatorland (way cooler than it seems like it should be), beaches on either side of the state, go to Port Canaveral (put Fish Lips Port Canaveral into your GPS and there is plenty of free parking. You can go at about 4 on Saturday or Sunday and watch all of the ships sail away, have dinner at one of the restaurants and watch a launch if one is scheduled), Lakeland antique mall, Icon Park, Disney Springs, various state parks and that is just off the top of my head.
disney springs if you are stricly down in that area. if you have a car, go to winter garden or lake eola for the farmers markets, go to the beach (ormond has lots of free parking, daytona might have more kid-centered activites, NSB is an orlando staple)
We have a car, staying at grandparent's timeshare on Turkey Lake Road. This is our 9th trip to Orlando, we know the area pretty well.
Was thinking of checking out Lake Eola, but is there anything really to do other than look at the water?
the farmers market on sundays is great and you can easily spend an hour or two there looking at vendors and walking around the lake. theres often performers at the amphitheater too. the downtown orlando library is nearby as well and could be a great option.
Disney Springs has been mentioned a few times, I'd like to throw out Universal CityWalk as well- they have two really fun mini golf courses that are fairly cheap, a movie theater, Universal themed escape rooms, fun restaraunts. Also the Epic Universe Preview center just opened and it is gorgeous. An enormous scale replica of the upcoming park, with an app that lets you interact with the replica using AR. It's super cool.
Done the Citywalk mini-golf last year. And they are excellent. HOT, but excellent. No breeze down where they are... Universal escape room? Oh I see, a Jurassic World escape room, we love escape rooms. Seems be very poorly reviewed, though.
Oh yes, we're all quite excited for Epic Universe. We have to check out the preview centre, thanks for reminding me!
yeah, absolutely!! This is such a unique time in history for theme park fans, new parks of this scale are a once-in-20-years kind of thing. Definitely worth the stop even if you do nothing else in City Walk!
Living here for most my life and being married and going on dates weekly.
Disney springs and city walk at universal
Apopka-wildlife drive
Visit our public parks we have tons of beautiful parks in Orlando
(such as Dr Phillips community park or the greenwood urban wetlands)
Leu P Gardens, nice small little garden/park.
And lastly I recommend our natural springs nearby, Weikiva springs is probably the best one for this. It is not actually free but it’s super cheap around $6 per car you come in with. Plus it’s not far, maybe 20 or 30 mins north of Orlando. I love to going to the Publix or chipotle next to Weikiva springs and then going swimming and eating lunch there.
People already mentioned springs, and this is my top recommendation. Silver Glen Springs are the best in my opinion, make sure you go on a weekday and before 11am and bring googles. It’s a marvel that every visitor should see. To note, there is basically no cellphone signal in that area.
Another fantastic thing to do is to watch rocket launches from from cape cañaveral, and today in particular (June 25th), spaceX is sending the giant Falcon Heavy at 5pm. Check their website for details.
The best place to see the rockets in my opinion is from the bridge in Titusville.
Park here: Parrish Park Boat Ramp.
Bring snacks and make it into an awesome picnic.
Cocoa beach peer is also fantastic and parking is free after 5pm, we always go late to avoid the sun anyway.
Have fun!!!
There's a ton of great spots to go for a walk / hike, to name a few:
Orlando Wetlands Park
Tibet Butler Preserve
Lake Baldwin
Bill Frederick Park
Shingle Creek Trail
Hal Scott Preserve
There's also some great drives to take like the Apopka Wildlife Drive or the Merritt Island Wildlife Reserve. You can also spend very little money and go swimming at any of the springs or state parks. Spend a bit more and you can rent some kayaks for the day and go boat around - I recommend Weikwa Island or King's Landing for that.
I wouldn't really recommend places like Disney Springs or the City Walk because, though they are technically free to get into, they are pure money traps if you want to do anything once you're there.
Not really in Orlando, but if you drive down 520 about 40 miles you can do an air boat ride / wildlife tour down the saint John’s river. One of the most interesting ecosystems in the world imo.
I don’t live in Orlando. My brother lives in Clermont but when I was there, I went to the Florida Citrus Tower. You can see all of Clermont and some of Orlando in the distance. And they have a nice cafe and restaurant on the ground floor. I love it and miss it.
https://citrustower.com/
Stepping out of the house as a local seems to cost at least $50 a day so that’ll be tough. Even the beach isn’t free. But I’d do that. Or walk around Disney Springs? We just took our toddler to the FL mall which was pretty fun, they have the crayola experience and some arcade activities to do but it definitely wasn’t cheap.
Edit: I’ve said this in below comments and I’m tired of repeating myself lol. I think driving onto the beach at NSB is easiest and the best experience for someone coming from out of town, and that costs $20. Everyone can relax. You can go to cocoa for free, but you’ll have to haul all your beach stuff from a parking lot.
Someone who is visiting from out of town and not necessarily prepared for the beach would have a better experience driving onto the beach at NSB in my opinion. I just feel like Cocoa is much more of a commitment since you’d need to rent tents, chairs, etc and then haul it onto the beach.
Do you really “need” tents and chairs to go to the beach?
I take my kids all the time and it’s suntan lotion, towels and a bag of toys for the sand and a frisbee, boogie boards if that’s your thing.
There’s parking all up and down A1A for free, been doing it this way for about 30 years lol
With some overhead shade, in addition to your suggestions, you can bank another couple hours. Wear everybody out with another couple hours. Apply sunscreen after every “towel-dry”.
The beach can definitely be free. If you're talking about bringing food and gas, sure. However, they have a lot of lots that you don't have to pay for.
I think driving onto the beach is an easier experience for an out of towner so my comment about the beach not being free is in relation to NSB which costs $20.
Kelly Park is lovely. Bring a flotation device or rent tubes outside the park for floating down the creek. The water is around 72 degrees year round, so it feels amazing in summer!
There's a whole free section of shops and restaurants at universal that you can walk round without having to go into universal.
Same with Disney springs. Drone show will be on tonight there and that's free.
Don’t know how young the family is but there are wonderful parks and springs not too far from you like Wekiva Springs and Blue Springs.
Lake Eola Farmers Market.
Sanford Zoo.
Orlando Science Center.
Leu Gardens.
Free is difficult, but there are a lot of inexpensive activities for families.
Game Time has a few arcades in the Orlando area. If you go Thursday Nights or Saturday/Sunday mornings they have $15 for unlimited play.
Orange County Regional History Center is inexpensive, and has some interesting exhibits, afterwards you could walk over to Lake Eola and feed the swans.
Orlando Science Center is a little more expensive, but still much cheaper than Disney. I’ve heard good things about it.
The Winter Park Scenic Boat tour is inexpensive and fun. Before the tour you can grab a bite to eat on Park Ave in Winter Park and check out the area.
Orange County Regional History Center looks awesome. Saw it one night last year (closed) while downtown.
Did the boat tour years ago, SO HOT, but really an interesting tour.
Wekiwa and Wekiva Falls, and Blue Springs, theirs are also the beaches here. Take the family Ice skating, go karting(I-Drive), or to play mini golf. Spend a day doing each of your family members hobby/team-sport. Bike/Skate/Walk Wekiva trail. Go hiking on Black Bear wilderness trail, theirs so much wild life!
Go to a open resort pool or buy a pass and relax, (bonus points if it has beach access and water park experience!)
Theirs so much to do for so little in Orlando.
If you have free parking from staying at a Disney resort or have already paid earlier in the day, you can visit the other resorts. With kids, I'd suggest maybe parking at the TTC and walking or monorail-ing to the Polynesian and letting the kids play on the beach. Caribbean Beach Resort and Beach Club have beaches too that can be reached by Skyliner if you park at Hollywood Studios.
Even better, we have free accommodations at the grandparents' timeshare. Could do what someone else suggested and park at Disney Springs and bus it to the TTC.
If you want a Disney feeling experience, but don't want to spend the money, there are lots of things you can do on property without actually entering the parks. Disney Springs has been mentioned and it's definitely #1 on the list, but you can also go to Disney Boardwalk and explore the resorts there. You are also allowed to ride the skyliner to Hollywood Studios and other resorts from there.
Another option is to explore the monorail resorts at Magic Kingdom. You are able to ride the monorail to each resort (Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Polynesian) and can even ride the boat back and forth from the TTC/Magic Kingdom entrance. Note: for both MK resorts and Boardwalk resorts, you will need to park at Disney Springs and take the bus over in order to avoid paying for parking.
If you want to enter a park, but not pay theme park prices, there are always the water parks, which are a lot of fun, and quite a bit cheaper. You also have your choice of several mini-golf options.
You can even take a ride up to Universal to walk around City Walk (free parking after 6pm). Or even go to Sea World, which is a lot less expensive than Disney/Universal (they have $60 tickets on their site right now).
And if you just can't get over it and want to go to one of the Disney parks, there are time share presentations you can go on which will give you heavily discounted tickets. You just have to be good at saying no.
You can ride the skyliner without a hotel booking or a park ticket? Really? I'd totally do that.
We've thought about wandering around the Disney hotels, just to see what they're like. Grandparents have a timeshare we stay at for free, so there's never been a reason to check out the expensive accomodations. But why not?
not free, but Kennedy Space Center is far cheaper than disney and breath taking. Arcade monster is $20 per person and you get all you can play aracade games; usually far more than 100 games per location. Too hot to do too much outside stuff during the summer, but the beach towns to the East of Disney are great.
Falcon Heavy is launching today from Canaveral at 5:16. Drive over and catch that if you can. Hopefully the weather cooperates. If not u can chill at the beach and hit Fish Lips for some food
I like this [https://www.rocketlaunch.live/](https://www.rocketlaunch.live/) because it allows you to filter based on Carrier/Organization, Locations, or even specific launch vehicles by using the dropdown filter just above where the extended list begins.
This is the one I use to see SpaceX scheduled launches: [https://www.rocketlaunch.live/?filter=spacex](https://www.rocketlaunch.live/?filter=spacex)
I produced an immersive experience called Lonely Dog (lonelydogorlando.com). People seem to like it a lot because it has heart and soul and it’s not “corporate mouse-ified”
I’m out of town but if you are there this coming Sunday 6/30 or after that come ask for me and I’ll let you in for free! My name is Rob…
Please ask for me anyways and if I’m there I’ll walk you through it. If not, buy tix on Groupon they’re pretty affordable. It’s great for all ages. Check the Google reviews. Have fun in Orlando!
Other things that are free: walk around the center of winter park, and take a stroll around lake Eola!
Take a 45min drive to Daytona beach and hit the water , tons of stuff to do in surrounding areas , that’s the great thing about Florida , there’s a bunch of inexpensive things within an hour in any direction
I saw many people mention Disney Springs and you mentioned that you had been before. I have teenagers and they love to eat at Deluxe Burger there. It’s super yummy! The burgers are big, the fries are incredible and they have different sauces to dip your fries in and put on your burgers. You can sit inside or outside and listen to music and it’s counter service like Chick Fila so no tipping. My family has eating on there for dinner or our summer to do list. Spurge for dinner (it’s not ridiculous prices) and watch the drone show. Or you could eat dinner before and eat ice cream at Salt and Straw Ice Cream. How you been there? They have regular and exotic flavors.
I didn’t see anyone mention Old Town in Kissimmee. Great spot to walk around. Car shows every Saturday and Sunday? Includes admission to Fun Spot but you have to buy tickets for the rides. Mini Golf right next door too.
Go bioluminescent kayaking over near Titusville. There are several companies that do tours fairly inexpensive. However, the dates you're coming this year are terrible for the moon phase. The moon will be rising just before sunset and you need it to be really dark. But maybe next year will be better.
The I Ride Trolley will take you from one Outlet Mall to the other for $2 every time you get on or $6 for the whole day. Lots of great stops along the way …restaurants, ICON Park, Dave and Buster’s, WonderWorks (upside down building) , Ridley’s. Check it out here https://www.internationaldriveorlando.com/iride-trolley/
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And there’s a good one launching today at about 5pm. Falcon Heavy with a double booster landing.
I ddin't know this was happening and it scared the hell out of me (I live in brevard county)
There was one last year maybe? It scares the crap outta me as well around the indialantic area
Did Lake Apopka last year and it was awesome. In 7 previous trips to Florida we'd only seen 1 wild gator. A baby in the water at Disney, by the steamboat. Apopka was a whole different thing, loved it. And our timing never works out for a rocket launch. Eight times we've been and never been there at the right time :(
There’s one later today!
Falcon Heavy at that
Is this the State park that has the world record of number of diff bird species spotted in one day? I love the birds down there, when we stay at Fort Wilderness I pretend Mutual of Omaha Wild America on Sat morning is going on in my head while watching them. I seen some crazy shit.
Well shit I almost hit a gator by lake arriana last week.
Sanford is nice area. Also Orlando Wetlands Park if you liked Lake Apopka, but hiking with no shade.
> hiking with no shade You want me to die? I'm a chubby, middle-aged Canadian dad. Hiking in Florida with no shade? Dead.
Hiking in the shade when the wet bulb temp is in the 90s? Dead.
Not if the mosquitos don’t carry you off first!
Has anyone rode the apkoka wildlife trail on their bike? I want to do this but a little afraid of the gators
I walk this trail alone I'm a female , I just go around them . They don't bother with you
Until one does, gators are fast, don’t underestimate
I second lake apopka - love that place!
Wekiwa Springs... Not free, but very reasonable, especially in the heat.
That one has been on the list for a while, just have to make the time to go.
Be warned it's absolutely nuts during the summer. If u really want to go u need to get there in line before dawn. Like 6am before dawn. It is really beautiful and lots of fun, just packed with tourists and kids during the summer
This advice only really applies to the weekends. On a typical weekday, it's still pretty empty.
Even on a weekday?
Nah, weekdays not holidays you can roll up 8:30-9 and still get in for sure. Most of the time will be fine until 11-12 but more of a risk.
In 2024?
Yeah, I just went yesterday and got in at 9am no problem. It was filling up, but not capacity.
Good to know, thanks!
My Mother lives in the neighborhood across from Wekiva Springs and I have only seen one weekday morning where it wasn’t full this summer. I advise to go early even on a weekday! Have fun
When do the crowds start to die down? I work a 9 - 5, would love to go but I guess I'll wait until after summer.
Go right after work and you'll have time before the park closes at sunset. Fewer people at that time.
Get there really early
Go early early packs a bbq
If you're near Disney and want to do Disney things, Disney transportation is free and you can resort hop. All resorts have gift shops, quick service food, and areas to walk around with Disney photo ops. Example trip: 1. Park at Disney Springs. 2. Walk to the far side near Saratoga Springs and take the boat to Port Orleans and Riverside. 3. Take the bus to Hollywood Studios. 4. Take the boat to Epcot (you can get off and explore Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Club) 5. Take the Skyliner to Art of Animation and Pop Century. Plenty of giant statues and themed buildings to walk around. 6. Bus to Magic Kingdom. 7. Monorail tour of Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary. There are also boats running from here to Polynesian and Grand Floridian. 8. Back at Magic Kingdom, take the boat to Fort Wilderness. You can walk thru the horse barn for free. If you time an evening ride correctly, you can see the MK fireworks while on the lake. 9. Bus back to Disney Springs.
Dude... that is amazing. Are you a travel agent? We are 100% doing this.
Winter Summerland or Fantasia Mini golf are both owned by disney and on disney property. Its $19 per Adult, $12 per Child (Ages 3–9). Its fun and pretty reasonably priced. Disney springs has a drone show at 9pm which is free to see. Lake Louisa State Park is $5 a vehicle and has some pretty lakes and trails to do. Its about 35 minutes from Disney Springs. You can camp out in a tent at Fort Wilderness for about $120 a night-ish. Even just one night could be fun! You can see Disney fireworks from most of Lake Buena Vista and Windermere. You just need to figure out the show times.
> Disney springs has a drone show at 9pm which is free to see. Oh? That sounds pretty cool. We see the fireworks every night from the place we stay, one of the excellent perks (besides being free) of that place.
https://www.disneysprings.com/entertainment/disney-dreams-that-soar/
Yeah! It was worth seeing for sure
Nah, I just don't like the crowds at the parks and the resorts are nice. The main thing to keep in mind is that buses do not run between resorts. If it's not on a Skyliner or the monorail, to go from hotel to hotel you have to change buses at a park or Disney Springs. I didn't mention Animal Kingdom Lodge, which might be the nicest lobby. It's also probably the best spot if you need a quiet place to chill. Anyway, walk out the back of the lobby and there's a small outdoor area with a few wild animals. If you're up for a small drive, the mermaids at https://weekiwachee.com/ are a nice time travel to old Florida exhibits.
>If you're up for a small drive, the mermaids at https://weekiwachee.com/ are a nice time travel to old Florida exhibits. VERY high on the list. Totally want to check out the 50s-style kitsch.
Fort Wilderness can take up a whole evening depending on what time of year. We go during October and December for Halloween and Christmas decorations. We do get a sleigh ride or regular horse and carriage ride for about $75 (up to 4), but you can just walk around. They have a great outdoor movie setting with seating and put a little show on first. There are fire pits for smores.
You can also (other than on certain holidays) watch the fireworks show from the beach at the Polynesian - unless it’s changed in the past couple of years, they pipe in the music.
Okay so you’re dropping some SOLID knowledge here. Being annual pass holders my wife and I have found out something that I rarely see people talk about. The food at resorts. It’s so much better than 90% of in park offerings. The only edit I have here, I absolutely hate the busses. But, the Boardwalk area is fantastic. You know your stuff.
I second mead botanical garden then walk around park ave
Park Avenue?
It's in Winter Park. A very nice area of shops and restaurants to walk around. There are a couple of ice cream shops and an old-school candy store the kids might like. Plus a big open park area they can run around, no playground though.
You had me at ice cream ;)
Please, while you're here try Kelly's ice cream! It's some of the best we have to offer!
If you insist!
If you are on Park Ave, check out the Morse Museum which is the largest collection of Tiffany glass as well as a church Tiffany made in New York that was transported down here.
Most of the restaurants are expensive, but if you guys want pizza Pannullos is good and not too bank breaking. Not sure how old your kids are, but it's a nice place to spend an afternoon
No kidding expensive! We tend to grocery shop and make a lot of our own food. Place we stay has a kitchen, so we make good use of that. Saves a TON of money.
Park Ave is a must.
Also Rollins Art Museum is in that area of Winter Park and free
If you have a car then the Mead Botanical Garden is lovely, and completely free. Also if you have a car, don't mind spending a little money and like trash (like me) the world's largest McDonald's is in Orlando. They have pizza station
Oh yeah, we always see that massive McDonalds. Mead sounds cool, we'll put that on the list!
I live near Mead. It great for a daily walk (Amazing as my daily place) but not for a trip from Canada or even out of state.
Well we're coming anyway, not just for Mead ;)
Have a wonderful time. Mead is shady, so that part is great.
Not all of these are free, but are inexpensive. One of the many Springs, Gatorland (way cooler than it seems like it should be), beaches on either side of the state, go to Port Canaveral (put Fish Lips Port Canaveral into your GPS and there is plenty of free parking. You can go at about 4 on Saturday or Sunday and watch all of the ships sail away, have dinner at one of the restaurants and watch a launch if one is scheduled), Lakeland antique mall, Icon Park, Disney Springs, various state parks and that is just off the top of my head.
Gatorland is great. And super fun for adults and kids of all ages.
Awesome, thanks for the list!
For the price of Gatorland you can't beat it . Both son and daughter 3 and 7 both had tremendous fun .
disney springs if you are stricly down in that area. if you have a car, go to winter garden or lake eola for the farmers markets, go to the beach (ormond has lots of free parking, daytona might have more kid-centered activites, NSB is an orlando staple)
We have a car, staying at grandparent's timeshare on Turkey Lake Road. This is our 9th trip to Orlando, we know the area pretty well. Was thinking of checking out Lake Eola, but is there anything really to do other than look at the water?
the farmers market on sundays is great and you can easily spend an hour or two there looking at vendors and walking around the lake. theres often performers at the amphitheater too. the downtown orlando library is nearby as well and could be a great option.
Urgh, Sunday is arrival day, we'll be too late. And then gone the next Saturday.
No worries. Your teenage boys would be bored after 20 minutes.
They have paddle boats in pretty sure too
Out in the middle of the water with no shade? We'd die. Cook, then die.
Correct. Do not do them.
On Sundays there’s a farmers market there (:
Best “free things” to do and your first suggestion is a giant outdoor shopping mall
Disney Springs has been mentioned a few times, I'd like to throw out Universal CityWalk as well- they have two really fun mini golf courses that are fairly cheap, a movie theater, Universal themed escape rooms, fun restaraunts. Also the Epic Universe Preview center just opened and it is gorgeous. An enormous scale replica of the upcoming park, with an app that lets you interact with the replica using AR. It's super cool.
Citywalk, If you go after 6pm, parking is free or you get your parking fee back if you buy 2 or more movie tickets.
This only applies to 2 matinee movie tickets.
Done the Citywalk mini-golf last year. And they are excellent. HOT, but excellent. No breeze down where they are... Universal escape room? Oh I see, a Jurassic World escape room, we love escape rooms. Seems be very poorly reviewed, though. Oh yes, we're all quite excited for Epic Universe. We have to check out the preview centre, thanks for reminding me!
yeah, absolutely!! This is such a unique time in history for theme park fans, new parks of this scale are a once-in-20-years kind of thing. Definitely worth the stop even if you do nothing else in City Walk!
not free, but if you've got 25 cents you can feed the ducks at Lake Eola Park!
I'm sure I could dig up a quarter for the duckies
I can't remember if it's free or just cheap, but the winter park boat tour.
$20 for adults. $10 for kids.
Cheap, we did it a few years ago. Was very cool.
Living here for most my life and being married and going on dates weekly. Disney springs and city walk at universal Apopka-wildlife drive Visit our public parks we have tons of beautiful parks in Orlando (such as Dr Phillips community park or the greenwood urban wetlands) Leu P Gardens, nice small little garden/park. And lastly I recommend our natural springs nearby, Weikiva springs is probably the best one for this. It is not actually free but it’s super cheap around $6 per car you come in with. Plus it’s not far, maybe 20 or 30 mins north of Orlando. I love to going to the Publix or chipotle next to Weikiva springs and then going swimming and eating lunch there.
IMHO City Walk parking is awfully expensive, but is due to sharing with the parks
Like the parks. And springs... hopefully not too bad on a weekday morning.
People already mentioned springs, and this is my top recommendation. Silver Glen Springs are the best in my opinion, make sure you go on a weekday and before 11am and bring googles. It’s a marvel that every visitor should see. To note, there is basically no cellphone signal in that area. Another fantastic thing to do is to watch rocket launches from from cape cañaveral, and today in particular (June 25th), spaceX is sending the giant Falcon Heavy at 5pm. Check their website for details. The best place to see the rockets in my opinion is from the bridge in Titusville. Park here: Parrish Park Boat Ramp. Bring snacks and make it into an awesome picnic. Cocoa beach peer is also fantastic and parking is free after 5pm, we always go late to avoid the sun anyway. Have fun!!!
Damn great tips. Thank you!
We have been 100% unlucky with 8 previous trips, never there when there's a launch. One day... That is pretty much my #1 thing I haven't seen.
There's a ton of great spots to go for a walk / hike, to name a few: Orlando Wetlands Park Tibet Butler Preserve Lake Baldwin Bill Frederick Park Shingle Creek Trail Hal Scott Preserve There's also some great drives to take like the Apopka Wildlife Drive or the Merritt Island Wildlife Reserve. You can also spend very little money and go swimming at any of the springs or state parks. Spend a bit more and you can rent some kayaks for the day and go boat around - I recommend Weikwa Island or King's Landing for that. I wouldn't really recommend places like Disney Springs or the City Walk because, though they are technically free to get into, they are pure money traps if you want to do anything once you're there.
Excellent suggestions. I am liking the idea of doing more natural things as opposed to urban theme park money traps.
Not really in Orlando, but if you drive down 520 about 40 miles you can do an air boat ride / wildlife tour down the saint John’s river. One of the most interesting ecosystems in the world imo.
Go th Mount Dora, walk around, take boat ride.
Mount? Seriously? I thought Florida's highest peak was up a tree.
Actually you reminded me, go to Bok Tower Gardens.
Why can't you go up the tower? Such a tease...
True but it’s a beautiful park. Well worth a drive.
I don’t live in Orlando. My brother lives in Clermont but when I was there, I went to the Florida Citrus Tower. You can see all of Clermont and some of Orlando in the distance. And they have a nice cafe and restaurant on the ground floor. I love it and miss it. https://citrustower.com/
That looks awesome
Hope you enjoy whenever you get there
Well thanks! We certainly do, this will be our 9th trip. Obviously we like hanging out with you guys.
Well I’m from NYC but my brother and cousin live in Clermont & Orlando
Stepping out of the house as a local seems to cost at least $50 a day so that’ll be tough. Even the beach isn’t free. But I’d do that. Or walk around Disney Springs? We just took our toddler to the FL mall which was pretty fun, they have the crayola experience and some arcade activities to do but it definitely wasn’t cheap. Edit: I’ve said this in below comments and I’m tired of repeating myself lol. I think driving onto the beach at NSB is easiest and the best experience for someone coming from out of town, and that costs $20. Everyone can relax. You can go to cocoa for free, but you’ll have to haul all your beach stuff from a parking lot.
Beach isn’t free? Go to Cocoa
Well some beaches have parking so I see where he’s coming from 🤷🏽♂️
Someone who is visiting from out of town and not necessarily prepared for the beach would have a better experience driving onto the beach at NSB in my opinion. I just feel like Cocoa is much more of a commitment since you’d need to rent tents, chairs, etc and then haul it onto the beach.
Do you really “need” tents and chairs to go to the beach? I take my kids all the time and it’s suntan lotion, towels and a bag of toys for the sand and a frisbee, boogie boards if that’s your thing. There’s parking all up and down A1A for free, been doing it this way for about 30 years lol
With some overhead shade, in addition to your suggestions, you can bank another couple hours. Wear everybody out with another couple hours. Apply sunscreen after every “towel-dry”.
The beach can definitely be free. If you're talking about bringing food and gas, sure. However, they have a lot of lots that you don't have to pay for.
I think driving onto the beach is an easier experience for an out of towner so my comment about the beach not being free is in relation to NSB which costs $20.
There are absolutely a ton of free beaches. What are you talking about?
If u happen to have a handicap pass, driving on the beach is free at all the FL beaches I have been to.
Kelly Park at Rock Springs Blue Springs
Kelly Park is lovely. Bring a flotation device or rent tubes outside the park for floating down the creek. The water is around 72 degrees year round, so it feels amazing in summer!
Orlando Wetlands Park. Beautiful park, trails, tons of birds and gators to see. About 45min from Disney area in a town called Christmas.
Interesting. Been enjoying doing some non-tech type things like this.
Black Hammock. They are on a lake with many gators, they have airboat rides and a restaurant. Try some Gator Bites!
Will check it out, thanks
There's a whole free section of shops and restaurants at universal that you can walk round without having to go into universal. Same with Disney springs. Drone show will be on tonight there and that's free.
Done them tons. But the drone show is new, at least to us. Have to put that on the list.
Yeah it only started mid may this year
Adding to this, lots of great free live music at Disney springs
Don’t know how young the family is but there are wonderful parks and springs not too far from you like Wekiva Springs and Blue Springs. Lake Eola Farmers Market. Sanford Zoo. Orlando Science Center. Leu Gardens.
Teenage boys, 14 and 17. But they're open to random things.
If they're into video games there are a lot of arcades such as Arcade Monster or Player 1 before 8pm.
That's interesting. Kids are teen boys, they are gamers, but PC games. An arcade would be different for sure. And air-conditioned!
Yup and I know Player One has a bar (don’t know about Arcade Monster)
just to add. Leu Gardens is free on the 1st Monday of every month. Otherwise it's $15 for adults and $10 for kids.
Free is difficult, but there are a lot of inexpensive activities for families. Game Time has a few arcades in the Orlando area. If you go Thursday Nights or Saturday/Sunday mornings they have $15 for unlimited play. Orange County Regional History Center is inexpensive, and has some interesting exhibits, afterwards you could walk over to Lake Eola and feed the swans. Orlando Science Center is a little more expensive, but still much cheaper than Disney. I’ve heard good things about it. The Winter Park Scenic Boat tour is inexpensive and fun. Before the tour you can grab a bite to eat on Park Ave in Winter Park and check out the area.
Orange County Regional History Center looks awesome. Saw it one night last year (closed) while downtown. Did the boat tour years ago, SO HOT, but really an interesting tour.
The heat is brutal this year. Hydrate.
Dude, we're Canadian, we have to be careful not to catch fire. There's heat and then there's Florida.
Yes and this is beyond heat. I am not kidding. This year is different .
History Center is awesome. I like to visit, grab dinner and then catch a show at SAK.
Wekiwa and Wekiva Falls, and Blue Springs, theirs are also the beaches here. Take the family Ice skating, go karting(I-Drive), or to play mini golf. Spend a day doing each of your family members hobby/team-sport. Bike/Skate/Walk Wekiva trail. Go hiking on Black Bear wilderness trail, theirs so much wild life! Go to a open resort pool or buy a pass and relax, (bonus points if it has beach access and water park experience!) Theirs so much to do for so little in Orlando.
If you have free parking from staying at a Disney resort or have already paid earlier in the day, you can visit the other resorts. With kids, I'd suggest maybe parking at the TTC and walking or monorail-ing to the Polynesian and letting the kids play on the beach. Caribbean Beach Resort and Beach Club have beaches too that can be reached by Skyliner if you park at Hollywood Studios.
Even better, we have free accommodations at the grandparents' timeshare. Could do what someone else suggested and park at Disney Springs and bus it to the TTC.
If you want a Disney feeling experience, but don't want to spend the money, there are lots of things you can do on property without actually entering the parks. Disney Springs has been mentioned and it's definitely #1 on the list, but you can also go to Disney Boardwalk and explore the resorts there. You are also allowed to ride the skyliner to Hollywood Studios and other resorts from there. Another option is to explore the monorail resorts at Magic Kingdom. You are able to ride the monorail to each resort (Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Polynesian) and can even ride the boat back and forth from the TTC/Magic Kingdom entrance. Note: for both MK resorts and Boardwalk resorts, you will need to park at Disney Springs and take the bus over in order to avoid paying for parking. If you want to enter a park, but not pay theme park prices, there are always the water parks, which are a lot of fun, and quite a bit cheaper. You also have your choice of several mini-golf options. You can even take a ride up to Universal to walk around City Walk (free parking after 6pm). Or even go to Sea World, which is a lot less expensive than Disney/Universal (they have $60 tickets on their site right now). And if you just can't get over it and want to go to one of the Disney parks, there are time share presentations you can go on which will give you heavily discounted tickets. You just have to be good at saying no.
You can ride the skyliner without a hotel booking or a park ticket? Really? I'd totally do that. We've thought about wandering around the Disney hotels, just to see what they're like. Grandparents have a timeshare we stay at for free, so there's never been a reason to check out the expensive accomodations. But why not?
not free, but Kennedy Space Center is far cheaper than disney and breath taking. Arcade monster is $20 per person and you get all you can play aracade games; usually far more than 100 games per location. Too hot to do too much outside stuff during the summer, but the beach towns to the East of Disney are great.
Went to Kennedy years ago, that place was amazing. Now we just need to be there when there's a launch scheduled...
Falcon Heavy is launching today from Canaveral at 5:16. Drive over and catch that if you can. Hopefully the weather cooperates. If not u can chill at the beach and hit Fish Lips for some food
Is there a website that shows launch schedules by date and time?
I like this [https://www.rocketlaunch.live/](https://www.rocketlaunch.live/) because it allows you to filter based on Carrier/Organization, Locations, or even specific launch vehicles by using the dropdown filter just above where the extended list begins. This is the one I use to see SpaceX scheduled launches: [https://www.rocketlaunch.live/?filter=spacex](https://www.rocketlaunch.live/?filter=spacex)
Bro, I'm in Toronto... even tho I do drive fast, I can't make it 2000km in the next 4 hours!
lol u can do it!!
I know it is not free but Gatorland is a must see if you can swing it.
Been there, loved it
Jungle adventure is superior. Catch me outside 😂
Airboat tours are something that are fun and out of the ordinary. Some let you hold and take pictures with alligators. 🐊
Did a swamp boat tour a few years back. Held gators at the mini-golf place on I-Drive.
Citrus Showcase out in Clermont is pretty entertaining; some "Old Florida" feel for entertainment!
And that tower looks pretty cool
Wekiwa Springs is awesome, but gotta show up early.
Rocks Springs in Kelly Park. It's a full day of fun.
Rocks Springs in Kelly Park. It's a full day of fun.
So. Many. Springs.
Rock Springs is special because they have the most ginormous horse flies you've ever seen!!
I've been to Northern Ontario. I've hit those ones with a paddle... they laughed at me.
LOL!
I produced an immersive experience called Lonely Dog (lonelydogorlando.com). People seem to like it a lot because it has heart and soul and it’s not “corporate mouse-ified” I’m out of town but if you are there this coming Sunday 6/30 or after that come ask for me and I’ll let you in for free! My name is Rob…
That looks wild. We'll be there July 14-21, not for a bit yet. But that looks worth checking out.
Please ask for me anyways and if I’m there I’ll walk you through it. If not, buy tix on Groupon they’re pretty affordable. It’s great for all ages. Check the Google reviews. Have fun in Orlando! Other things that are free: walk around the center of winter park, and take a stroll around lake Eola!
Thanks!
disney springs (with boat rental) gatorland (has a water play area) old town in Kissimmee Universal CityWalk typhoon lagoon
Take a 45min drive to Daytona beach and hit the water , tons of stuff to do in surrounding areas , that’s the great thing about Florida , there’s a bunch of inexpensive things within an hour in any direction
True enough, we've never headed up to Daytona.
Rocket launch today at 5.15pm. Going to be a big rocket too.
Enjoy, I'm 2000km away and can't see it so good.
U didn't miss anything. Even the sonic boom sucked
Experience that Florida ☀️ sun!
I saw many people mention Disney Springs and you mentioned that you had been before. I have teenagers and they love to eat at Deluxe Burger there. It’s super yummy! The burgers are big, the fries are incredible and they have different sauces to dip your fries in and put on your burgers. You can sit inside or outside and listen to music and it’s counter service like Chick Fila so no tipping. My family has eating on there for dinner or our summer to do list. Spurge for dinner (it’s not ridiculous prices) and watch the drone show. Or you could eat dinner before and eat ice cream at Salt and Straw Ice Cream. How you been there? They have regular and exotic flavors.
Get a sunburn.
Ginger wife and blond son, that's a given.
I didn’t see anyone mention Old Town in Kissimmee. Great spot to walk around. Car shows every Saturday and Sunday? Includes admission to Fun Spot but you have to buy tickets for the rides. Mini Golf right next door too.
Have your own. Mini golf invitational.
Bok Tower Gardens is having their Wawa summer free days. Several days during the summer you have to register for it but it’s completely free.
good luck
We have a lot of decent hiking. Black Bear Wilderness Area has a lot of good wildlife, and it isn't terribly long, 7-8 miles.
The Environmental Center, south of Sanford and north of Longwood. It's also referred to as Soldiers Creek.
I’m looking forward to seeing the drone show at Disney springs soon
Orlando Wetlands Park. Great wildlife. Nice boardwalk nature trail
Universal City walk is kinda cheap. But it's really fun for those who like to eat! I love the Chocolate Factory!
You can drive to St. Augustine for the day. It’s beautiful, nice beaches, cool boutique shops, and lots of history.
Go bioluminescent kayaking over near Titusville. There are several companies that do tours fairly inexpensive. However, the dates you're coming this year are terrible for the moon phase. The moon will be rising just before sunset and you need it to be really dark. But maybe next year will be better.
We'll be back other times, I will certainly make a note of that, sounds amazing
The I Ride Trolley will take you from one Outlet Mall to the other for $2 every time you get on or $6 for the whole day. Lots of great stops along the way …restaurants, ICON Park, Dave and Buster’s, WonderWorks (upside down building) , Ridley’s. Check it out here https://www.internationaldriveorlando.com/iride-trolley/