Amelia Island
In northeast Florida 20 minutes from Jacksonville, Amelia Island has beach resorts, nature walks and boat tours, historic town and fort.
Historic St. Augustine
107 miles from Orlando, the "Nation's Oldest City" dates back 435 years. Explore excavations of an old Spanish colony where Ponce de Leon hoped to find the Fountain of Youth; see historic sights by cruise or the Red Sightseeing Train; relax on beaches (-43 miles of them.)
Family Getaway: Space Coast
45 minutes from Orlando is 72 miles of shore known as Florida's Space Coast: the place where the moon launches blasted away from earth, and site of the shuttle launches today. Big draw is the Kennedy Space Center, and beautiful beaches. Less known are the eco-tours: this area has saltwater estuaries and 250 sq. miles of wildlife refuges.
Top 10 Things to do in Orlando
Top picks in Orlando, from character meals to Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, Seuss Landing to Sea-World's elite sister, Discovery Cove (a Caribbean experience in the middle of Florida.)
Walt Disney World -four theme parks plus two waterparks mean an overwhelming amount of fun!
Star Wars at Disney's Hollywood Studios
This has got to be a winner with legions of kids, not to mention grownups: Star Wars Weekends run for five consecutive weekends in May and June at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. Events might include character Meet & Greets (Chewbacca, Darth Vadar, Queen Amidala, etc.), Star Wars celebrities motorcade, Jedi Training Academy for kids....
Universal Orlando
Universal Orlando is the second multi-day theme park destination in Orlando, with two theme parks, three on-site resorts, and CityWalk entertainment area. Universal Studios theme park has great "rides" (experiences, really) based on movies such as ET, Shrek, Men in Black; Islands of Adventure has kiddie-zones such as Seuss Landing plus exciting thrill coasters such as "The Hulk". See tips for visiting Islands of Adventure.
Mardi Gras at Universal Studios Orlando
On 30 nights, from late February until late April, this Orlando theme park showcases a 10-block-long parade, 14 elaborate floats, extravagant costumes, and theme cuisine.
Family Getaway: The Breakers, Palm Beach
Would a place with medieval tapestries in the lobby welcome kids? I guess so, if it's just built a 6000 sq. ft. Family Entertainment Center. Another surprise about this landmark hotel that offers 4 oceanside pools, 30 holes of golf, 140 acres, and a half-mile of private beach: prices are reasonable.
Club Med Sandpiper
A rare all-inclusive within the US, this Club Med is on the St. Lucie River, two hours from Miami or Orlando airports. Club Med Sandpiper has a great ambiance and outstanding kids programs: a Baby Club with many groups for different ages, and excellent clubs for older kids. Activities include waterskiing, wakeboarding, trapeze, inline skating, golf. Guests can also take optional excursions to WDW, Kennedy Space Center, etc.
Everglades National Park
Best time to visit this famous National Park is from November to March. Stay at the Flamingo Lodge, or rent a houseboat-- a great way to see wildlife in quiet backwaters. Take a guided boat tour to learn about the ecosystem, and spot crocodiles; or try the hiking trails, or maybe a canoe trip.
Florida: up close with manatees
These fascinating shy creatures, also called "sea cows", are actually related to the elephant). Florida has some fine places to see, and even swim and snorkel with, manatees in the wild. November to March.
Sanibel Island
On the west coast of Florida, Sanibel is known unspoiled beaches and terrific shelling.
St. Petersburg/ Clearwater Beach
This affordable area an hour west of Orlando has miles of beach; the Busch Gardens Africa theme park nearby, with great rides; boat trips to view dolphins; pirate cruises; the St. Pete Pier, with Great Explorations Hands-On Museum; lots more.
Busch Gardens Africa - Tampa Bay
This 335-acre theme park has thrill-ride roller coasters, fun water-rides, lovely grounds, African theming, and opportunities to view elephants, rhinos, giraffes, etc. A fun, pretty park.
Family Getaway in NW Florida: Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort
2400-acre Sandestin has a beach side on the Emerald Coast (Gulf of Mexico) and also a bay side with many activities. Fun includes: kids' sailing, kayaking, putting course, Jolee Island Nature Park with pirate-ship playground, kids programs for ages 4-6 and 7-12, . body-surfing and boogie boards (complimentary), Junior Golf Academy with excellent instructors. The centre of gravity of this huge resort is the picture-perfect Village of Baytowne Wharf. Read a review of Sandestin at TWKids, and see many photos too.
