Non-Disney Orlando Trip with Kids

March 11, 2025 12:38 PM

I'm heading to the Orlando area for one week later this month with kids (age 4 and 6) and some older adults (age 65+) . Where can we go that is not a theme park?

I'd like to find some nearby places that would occupy our crew for either the morning or the afternoon, without being too draining on the younger or older contingent. In an ideal world we'd visit nature reserves and farmers markets, pick oranges, and do other chill outdoor activities. What can you recommend?

posted by stripesandplaid to Travel & Transportation around Orlando, FL (10 answers total)

I'm guessing your crew's not interested in the same gay bars as this asker, but
https://ask.metafilter.com/384822/What-to-do-in-Orlando-no-theme-parks-popular-museums-etc
just popped up earlier this week with some suggestions.
posted by adekllny at 12:43 PM on March 11 [2 favorites]

It looks like Wekiwa Springs is instituting a day use reservation, so you might want to see if there's any reservations left.
posted by gregr at 1:20 PM on March 11

40 minutes to the best beaches.
posted by Czjewel at 5:56 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

When we took our 6 year old, we had a great day away from the parks at the science museum and he had an even better partial day at the Crayola Experience . It is very "not cheap", but a day at Discovery Cove was a 180 degree change from Disney or Universal and felt like 1000 miles away from the hustle of the standard theme parks (). And a final shoutout for the magic show we saw at the Wonderworks The food wasn't good, but the show had the kid amazed and he talked about it for weeks.
posted by dpaul at 7:06 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

Kennedy Space Center is nearby, and it's super cool. Very well done, and awe inspiring.

Highly recommended.
posted by DrumsIntheDeep at 9:39 PM on March 11 [2 favorites]

I like to go to Turkey Lake Park whenever I’m in town. They have a pool and some small trails and a pretty chill lake with covered pavilions you can rent and I think horses and stuff. Also Blue Spring State Park is awesome (not sure if there are manatees there this time of year though). Also there’s a really cool wildlife drive/tour at Lake Apopka.
posted by flamk at 10:15 PM on March 11

Winter Park is a small city very close to Orlando. You can spend a pretty nice day there just walking the downtown. There are a ton of little parks and playgrounds, and galleries and shops for the older folks, and on weekends there are often festivals and such -- check the events calendar. Rollins College -- alma mater of Mr. Rogers -- is nearby and the campus is open to the public. (Last time I was there, the library had a lobby exhibit on his time there.) They're on spring break right now but looks like there are some small music concerts and other events in the second half of the month.
posted by martin q blank at 6:45 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]

oh and one tip from this Floridian - stay off I-4 as much as possible, and especially at any time even close to a rush hour. the areas around Disney are hell, and on the stretch that winds through Orlando proper, there are often fender-benders and the resulting logjams will add a half-hour to any trip you're taking.
posted by martin q blank at 6:50 AM on March 12

DeLand is a funky little college town about 45 minutes from Orlando. We've visited it several times over the years (to see our student there) and always had a good time. They do a weekend evening market thing which is a lot of fun, and lots of larger events on their main street.
posted by jquinby at 8:44 AM on March 12

I happened to stumble on this Web site and remembered your question. Granted there's only 20 "things to do" and some are Disney but I figured it might help to at least take a quick look:

Things To Do (by Country and City)
posted by forthright at 1:11 PM on March 12 [1 favorite]