Orlando Family Activities

A theme-park ticket buys the rides. It does not buy the moment a six-year-old spots a gator’s eyes above the waterline from an airboat, or stands under the Saturn V, or watches a manatee drift past close enough to see its whiskers. Those are the days families still talk about years later, and most of them sit within an hour or two of the hotel. This site compares them for parents, starting from the youngest traveler rather than from the brochure.

Start with the drive, because it decides the day

Orlando’s family activities fall into three rings. The inner ring is close to the Disney and Kissimmee hotels (our guide to where to stay with kids compares them): Gatorland is 15 to 20 minutes away, and the Kissimmee airboat rides leave from the lakes a short drive south. The middle ring is roughly 45 minutes to an hour: LEGOLAND Florida in Winter Haven, Wild Florida on Lake Cypress (about 34 miles from Disney), and Blue Spring State Park to the north. The outer ring is a proper day trip: Kennedy Space Center is about 50 miles east, Crystal River about 85 miles northwest, and St. Augustine and Clearwater Beach closer to two hours.

The inner ring works as a half day with a nap in the middle. The outer ring works best as the only plan for that day, and on listings that include hotel pickup, as our family day trips from Orlando page sets out.

Match the activity to the youngest child

Ages decide more than prices do, and our complete guide to things to do in Orlando with kids sets the theme parks and the days beyond them side by side, or our Orlando theme parks compared guide weighs the ten parks against each other. When you’re ready to buy, our Orlando theme park tickets guide shows where each ticket is cheapest, and the best water parks in Orlando guide says which water parks are open on your dates. Peppa Pig Theme Park is aimed at ages 2 to 5, LEGOLAND Florida at 2 to 12, and Kennedy Space Center’s Planet Play at 2 to 12 as well. At the other end, the astronaut training simulators at Kennedy are for ages 10 and up, and the Gatorland zip line has no minimum age but needs riders at least 37 inches tall. Crystal River’s group swim tours generally take children from age 3, with under-3s restricted to private boats.

If you only read one page before booking, make it our Orlando activities by age guide, which sorts every option on this site by age, noise, heat, swimming and stroller use.

Plan around the heat and the calendar

From June to September, most of Orlando’s rain arrives, much of it as afternoon storms, and airboat operators say animals hide in the midday heat. That is why the morning is for outdoor plans and the afternoon is for air-conditioning, and our guide to indoor and rainy-day activities in Orlando lists the best stops. The fall and winter months change the picture. October brings the start of the dry season, November is the driest month of the year with average highs near 78°F, and from mid-November the manatees move into the warm springs. Crystal River’s sanctuary season runs November 15 to March 31.

Two weeks are worth avoiding if you can: Thanksgiving week and the stretch from Christmas to New Year are the busiest of the season. Kennedy Space Center also closes on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

What each kind of day out is best at

Wildlife and airboats are the most “Florida” thing you can do with children. The rides near Kissimmee run through the lakes and creeks that form the headwaters of the Everglades system, which is why so many are sold as Everglades tours even though Everglades National Park is about four hours south. Our airboat tours with kids page compares ride lengths, ear protection and pickup options, and the Everglades page explains exactly where the boats go.

Animal parks are the easiest half day. Gatorland has shows through the day, a splash park and a petting farm (see our full Gatorland guide with ticket prices, show times and add-ons), and Wild Florida combines a wildlife park, a drive-through safari in your own car and its own airboats. Our top pick for a first taste of both, the Wild Florida airboat ride and wildlife park ticket, is the date picker further up this page, and our breakdown of that ticket covers ride lengths, ear protection and what the park ticket includes.

Kennedy Space Center rewards school-age children most, though Planet Play keeps younger siblings busy. The bus tour to the Saturn V is included with admission and takes about four hours round trip, so it shapes the whole day. The details are in Kennedy Space Center with kids, our guide to Kennedy Space Center ticket prices covers every ticket type, and families without a car can compare the trip with transport from Orlando.

Manatee season is the reason to visit in winter. Crystal River is where you can swim with them, Blue Spring is the closest of the three and has a boardwalk for watching them, and Silver Springs adds glass-bottom boats and kayaking. Our manatee tours from Orlando page compares all three for children who can and cannot swim, and the Crystal River viewing cruise is the dry option for toddlers and grandparents.

For little ones, LEGOLAND Florida and Peppa Pig Theme Park sit side by side in Winter Haven, with separate tickets. For prices, Fastrack and every ride by height, see our LEGOLAND Florida ticket and ride guide. For storm days, International Drive has SEA LIFE, WonderWorks, the Museum of Illusions and indoor skydiving, all compared on our indoor family activities page, and our SEA LIFE Orlando ticket guide covers the aquarium on its own.

Budget for the extras, not just the ticket

The starting prices on this site are the listing prices shown on GetYourGuide. Parking, food and rentals come on top at most places, and for days that cost nothing our list of free things to do in Orlando with kids covers the parks, museum free days and Disney Springs. Kennedy Space Center charges $15 to park and rents strollers from $8, Gatorland does not allow outside food and rents strollers from $11, and ICON Park’s garage is free on its upper floors. Hotel-pickup tours cost more per person but take the parking, the driving and the navigation off your hands.

How we choose what to feature

Every activity on this site links to a public GetYourGuide listing, and each tour page sets out what is included, what is not, the meeting point and the practical catches for families. We link to GetYourGuide to book and earn a commission when you do, at no extra cost to you. Cancellation terms vary by listing, so check them in the calendar before you pay.

Ready to pick a day? Check dates and prices for our top family pick, or browse the full list of things to do in Orlando with kids besides Disney.