Outdoors, indoors, relaxing, exciting, daytime, nighttime—there’s so much to do right in our backyard!
1. Treat yourself to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
It’s going on right now! This year, the event continues through November 10th, so if you’re booked up, put it on your calendar for next year. Taste your way around the world while you enjoy celebrity chef cooking demos, concerts and more.
2. See a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center (or SIMULATE one!)
Don’t wait to reserve your spot for the first launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) scheduled for December 1, 2017. Meanwhile, visit Kennedy Space Center for a fascinating day including the amazing Shuttle Launch Experience.
3. Go ziplining at the Central Florida Zoo
Explore the treetops from the animals’ point of view on this aerial adventure course. You’ll zoom from tree to tree using rope bridges, zip lines and suspended disks. Located in Sanford.
4. Cruise Daytona Beach
Driving the Beach is a tradition—but no doughnuts like you could in 1902, when the 23 miles of wide, hard-packed sand welcomed the first auto and motorcycle races! Beach access points can be found along Florida’s A1A.
5. Catch a race at Daytona International Speedway
Buy your tickets to the February 22, 2015 Daytona 500, or for Budweiser Speedweeks 2015. And visit anytime to stand on the track, sign the start-finish line, tour the garage and much more.
6. Go to the Orlando Fringe Festival
It’s a 14-day arts festival founded on the concept of being 100% un-juried, uncensored and accessible (originated in 1947 Edinburgh, Scotland). The shows and activities are located around the Loch Haven Park area, just north of downtown Orlando.
7. Experience Tasty Tuesdays in the Milk
Every Tuesday night, 6:30 – 10pm, the best food trucks in Orlando gather in the Milk District on Robinson Street, next to the T.G. Lee milk factory. Bring a chair, or order drinks at the nearby bars and enjoy your meals there. Pets welcome!
8. Swim with the manatees at Crystal River
Manatees share a common ancestry with the elephant and typically reach about 1,000 pounds. You’ll find many Crystal River swim and snorkel trips online, and remember to relax—the calmer you are the more likely a manatee might swim over.
9. Float above the clouds in a Hot Air Balloon
“A magic carpet ride” and “riding on a cloud,” are how people have described the exhilaration of ballooning. Google “hot air ballooning Central Florida” to find adventures in the Kissimmee, Lake County, Orlando areas.
10. “Climb to the Moon” at the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse
The lighthouse in the New Smyrna Beach area is Florida’s tallest. Imagine what it’s like to climb it by the light of a full moon! Once a month you can find out, as the old lighthouse keeper leads you on a journey to the top and into the past.