ORLANDO: FUN FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES
Children just want to have fun, and the good news is that there’s no way to avoid it during a visit to Orlando. Central Florida is one giant goodie bag filled with the world’s most popular theme parks, world-class water parks, a diverse mix of smaller attractions and plenty of natural resources to bring out the curiosity in children and their families.
Here’s a guide highlighting your best bets to entertain children of different ages:
- five-and-under
- five to eight-year-olds, and
- eight to 12-year-olds
Cypress Gardens Adventure Park – Little ones will love the historic park’s expansion, which now includes an entire section of rides designed just for them. They’ll also be enthralled with the ski and ice skating shows the park offers. Make sure they stop by the all-new Splash Island water park!
Disney-MGM Studios – Most preschoolers have the inside scoop on Disney television’s pop stars Bear in the Big Blue House and Rolie Polie Olie. The kids will go crazy when they see their TV friends live and up-close at the park’s Playhouse Disney attraction. After taking in more shows like Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage and Jim Henson’s MuppetVision 3-D, they can burn off energy at Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground.
Gatorland – Children can’t help but gawk as gator wranglers and snake handlers show off some of Central Florida’s finest reptiles. There’s wet fun for young children at Lilly’s Pad play area, and a train ride through the swamp is always a thrill.
Green Meadows Petting Farm – It’s an animal farm that’s people-friendly, where piglets, chicks, ponies and other critters share their scenic, sprawling home with all who enter. A guided tour includes fun in the pigpen, a chance to milk a cow, pony and train rides, chick cuddling and more one-on-one with farm animals. In October, visit the pumpkin patch.
Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando – Even if the kids don’t like green eggs and ham, they won’t want to miss Seuss Landing, where water play is Seuss-themed and attractions include The Cat in the Hat ride and Caro-Seuss-el. Elsewhere, dinosaurs rule at Camp Jurassic, a playland of prehistoric proportion with caves and climbers, slides and lava pits.
Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort – Fantasyland is pure magic, with enough kiddie rides and attractions based on classic Disney films to make a child’s dreams come true. At Mickey’s Toontown Fair, stop for photos and autographs with Mickey Mouse and his famous friends, then board the train and ride to Frontierland, where kids can run free and explore Tom Sawyer Island.
Orlando Science Center – Little ones can spend hours in KidTown farming faux oranges and exploring the underground. Other popular features are an indoor nature habitat, the BodyZone (where kids enter through a giant mouth) and the Power Station.
SeaWorld Orlando – Marine mammals, with their underwater antics and comic turns, tickle youngsters’ funny bones. The seal and walrus high jinks at “Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island” are good for lots of laughs; and Shamu, the killer whale, makes a big splash during day and nighttime shows. Kids can pet dolphins and stingrays; and they’ll navigate an exciting course through the wet, wonderful Shamu’s Happy Harbor playground.
For Kids 5 - 8
Central Florida Zoo – Hundreds of rare and endangered animals are on display including cheetahs, elephants, leopards and baboons at this educational zoological park. Kids will enjoy seeing animals they’ve only been able to read about and explore hands-on exhibits. A miniature train circles the zoo and makes for a fun way to tour the park.
DeLeon Springs State Park – Children can make their own pancakes and add chocolate-chip, nut and fruit toppings at the park’s Old Spanish Sugar Mill Grill & Griddle House. Afterward, outdoor fun includes a dip in the natural spring, a canoe ride or a nature walk through a floodplain forest.
Dinosaur World – With more than 150 life-size dinosaurs located on its grounds, this attraction is always a hit. Familes can examine fossils and learn why dinosaur remains are not found in Florida.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Exotic animals from Africa and Asia make their home in this theme park that’s “not-a-zoo.” Families can enjoy the realistic, wild-animal Kilimanjaro Safari and ride Asian rapids together during the Kali River Rapids raft ride.
Fun Spot Action Park – Bumper cars and boats, arcade games and parent-driven go-karts keep the action flowing in an indoor-outdoor party-like atmosphere. Eight-year-olds who are 50 inches (152.4 centimeters) or taller can even drive their own go-kart on the beginner track.
Historic Bok Sanctuary – This picturesque park atop one of Florida’s tallest hills is crowned with a Gothic bell tower that rings daily with carillon music. Children’s activities are tied to nature: tile rubbing posts featuring plants and animals, an arbor tunnel and sandbox.
Kissimmee Rodeo – Cowboys and cowgirls still rule in Central Florida, and nearly every Friday night they show off their riding, roping and other skills at the Kissimmee Sports Arena. Kids ages nine and younger can enter the ring and run for the ribbon on one of the calves’ tails during the calf scramble.
Lego Imagination Center at Downtown Disney Marketplace – Building is perfect kid play, and this outdoor LEGO playground gives children buckets of colorful bricks to get started. Guarded by friendly dinosaurs and a huge sea serpent built of LEGO bricks, this play station lets kids explore their creativity at no cost to parents.
Old Town – Take plenty of classic kids’ rides, mix with the aromas of popcorn and cotton candy, then toss in a rousing game of family Laser Tag, and it’s the perfect recipe for an amusement-park winner. A Ferris wheel, go-kart rides and other treats ramp up the fun.
Universal Studios Florida – Shrek and his motley crew take families on a wild adventure in the studios’ Shrek 4-D; meanwhile, everyone’s favorite little genius blasts off for more film-based fantasy in Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast. Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse (kiddie) Coaster is a wild ride for coaster novices and it’s a free-for-all with sponge-ball cannons at Curious George Goes to Town play area.
WonderWorks – Science was never so fun as it is here, where families voluntarily sit through an earthquake, ride a virtual glider above the Grand Canyon and play a keyboard with their feet á la Tom Hanks in the movie, “Big.” LazerWorks on the third floor offers super-sized laser-tag fun.
For Kids 8 - 12
Blue Spring State Park – Every winter, endangered Florida manatees flock to the warm Blue Spring waters, and park rangers keep track of them so well they can tell children who’s who. The park features an informative film and Q&A session about manatees; hikes and picnicking make for a great day in the outdoors.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay – Roller coasters, flume rides and wild animals headline this popular theme park near Florida’s west coast. The park’s thousands of critters include white Bengal tigers, giraffes, zebras and elephants; and the Rhino Rally safari offers a good view with built-in thrill factors.
DisneyQuest at Downtown Disney West Side – A five-story interactive, indoor theme park with virtual rides and attractions solves many a rainy-day vacation concerns. Kids can battle cartoon villains and pirates, design their own roller coaster and ride it in a simulator, become an animator, ride a magic carpet and become a human pinball.
Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort – High-octane action pumps up the thrills for kids who don’t mind G-forces on the Mission: SPACE shuttle launch to Mars. Test Track bumps and races through the rigors of auto testing with a high-speed finale. Kids studying world geography will appreciate pavilions of 11 countries around World Showcase.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex – Just to stand beneath the 36-story Saturn V moon rocket invites awe, and it’s a blast walking through re-creations of modules used as part of the International Space Station. IMAX films offer in-your-face, outer-space experiences; and astronauts who’ve completed missions make daily appearances to answer visitor questions.
Medieval Times – Kids will appreciate dinner, medieval-style (hands only) as they tear into roast chicken and other goodies while cheering for a team of knights battling in the Tournament of Games. Riding into the arena on majestic horses, the knights brandish lances, swords and maces – all for truth, honor and, of course, the heart of a princess.
Reptile World Serpentarium – Visitors to this roadside attraction can watch through a window (twice daily, call for schedule) as snake handler George Van Horn extracts venom from a deadly cobra or Florida cottonmouth. Afterward, kids can’t help but marvel at the serpentarium’s collection of 700-plus snakes, including a gigantic Burmese python and a deadly green mamba from East Africa. Outside, some talkative parrots provide comic relief.
Titanic ~ The Experience – Children have a chance to journey back in time as a passenger aboard the Titanic and experience what it was like aboard the ship while admiring actual artifacts.
Wet ’n Wild - Orlando – Slippery thrill rides like Black Hole and The Surge are kid magnets, and pop music blaring from speakers adds high-energy ambiance. Bubba Tub is a family tube ride for those who dare to triple-dip down a six-story run, and the park’s Surf Lagoon is good swimming fun. Disco H20 is a retro raft ride through the 70s.
For more information about vacation experiences in Orlando go to orlandoinfo.com. PC
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