When most people think about Orlando, they think theme parks. But I recently took a 4 day road trip to Central Florida and never stepped foot inside one of the mega theme parks. This action-packed vacation was filled with unique fun that we all enjoyed. Check out my top 8 must do’s on your next Orlando vacation!
1. Test your family’s teamwork skills at The Escape Game Orlando
Each game has multiple rooms to explore. Choose from a variety of themes and difficulties. This location offers a variety of escape room levels that are good for all ages. We tackled “The Playground” and with a little assistance the kids are proud to say we ESCAPED!
Address: 8145 International Dr #511, Orlando, FL 32819
The Escape Game Orlando Website
2. Release some creative energy at the Crayola Experience.
Kids can easily spend several hours embracing the world of color through a variety of art focused activity mixed with some indoor playground fun throughout all the creative exhibits that make up the 70,000 square foot center. Advance reservations are not needed.But if you Purchase your tickets online you will SAVE some money!
Address: 8001 S Orange Blossom Trl, Orlando, FL 32809
Crayola Experience Website
3. Get an inside view of all kinds of animals at SKELETONS Museum
This is listed as Central Florida’s largest natural history museum and displays over 450 REAL skeletons from all corners of the world. Opened in May 2015, this was one of the two skeleton museums in the United States rom birds, bats and reptiles to sharks, elephants and humans.
** UPDATE – this museum appears to be closed in Orlando, but the Oklahoma location is still open.
SKELETONS MUSEUM WEBSITE
4. Experience mysterious exhibits at Wonder Works
From feeling the force of hurricane winds, to riding a roller coaster simulator, WonderWorks is an amusement park for the mind with 28,000 square feet of “edu-tainment”. The attraction combines education and entertainment with more than 100 hands-on exhibits that challenge the mind and spark the imagination. You can easily spend a few hours here, which makes the perfect spot on a super hot or rainy day.
Address: 9067 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819
Wonder Works Orlando Website
5. Learn about underwater environments at SEALIFE.
This is a perfect sized aquarium to keep the little ones attention through all exhibits. And along the way there are play areas strategically placed. Plus it’s Florida’s only 360 degree ocean tunnel!
Address: 8449 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819
SEALIFE Orlando Website
6. Mingle with celebrities at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum,
I am sure you are familiar with this Museum chain for life-size wax replicas of famous Americans & historic icons in themed galleries. In Orlando it includes superhero celebs like Wonder Woman and Aquaman along with music superstars and sports icons!
Address: 8387 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819
Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum of Orlando
7. Get a high, relaxing scenic view of Orlando from The Wheel at Icon Park.
This 360 air conditioned ferris wheel style ride is great to take day or night for capturing a unique perspective of the city. This 400 ft tall giant ferris wheel is the focal point at ICON Parkand a great addition to any Orlando trip. I recommend riding it during the day as well as the night for two different city views!
The Wheel at Icon Park Website
8. Embrace your inner bravery by taking a ride on the world’s highest swings, the Star Flyer.
The World’s Tallest Stand-Alone Swing Ride” standing at 450 feet is the Star Flyer in Orlando, Florida. You glide through the air with double-seat swings, offering city views from 450 feet up! The perfect family thrill open every day from 10am-2am. Only me and Baeli were brave enough to take the flight!
Address: 8265 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819
Orlando Starflyer Website
And if you still need some Disney Magic mixed in to the trip, go grab a nice dinner at George Wine Bar at Disney Springs followed by a have a fun night of silly gift store shop hoping!
As you can see, there is no shortage of attractions in Orlando. So plan a unique family vacation with a road trip to Central Florida and make sure to check out these eight family-friendly spots. If you need suggestions on a place to stay while in Orlando, we have some favorites!
These are all cool places to visit with the ids. We will surely have fun this weekend.
These look fun and actually might be better. I will keep these in mind and go to them with my family. Thank you for sharing!
We have visited Wonderworks and the whole family had a blast! We will have to check out the others on our next trip to Orlando.
WOw, these places are unique. My kids will surely enjoy them. That view of Orlando from The Wheel at Icon Park is amazing!
Hhhhmmm….there is a lot of activities at these parks. I really like the idea of working my way through the Escape Game. Thank you for sharing
Awesome list! All of them look like places my family and I would love to visit. We’ve been to our local version of a few (crayola experience, sealife,legoland) but I’d love to see the ones in other states too.
When we lived in Orlando we would do a lot of the attractions like this instead of the theme parks. We also liked the Ripleys Believe it or Not building, that was always a fun one! We also love going back to take a stroll through UCF’s campus since it brings back memories for us as alumni and is just a gorgeous campus to visit.
Florida is on my bucket list! and I always think Mimi instead of Orlando- your blog is very useful as I too have a little family so I´ll be getting some tips from you soon1 Thank you!
Not sure how you find all these great places to visit in the Orlando area! Glad we have you to scope out the places and offer good recommendations.