For families heading to Orlando, Florida in the USA , the usual trip involves visiting the various theme parks of Disney & Universal Studios. Very few venture much further out of the hotel parks to explore other areas of the vast, beautiful State of Florida.
Earlier this year I did just this, and was pleasantly surprised at what was on offer. Here are a few suggestions to an alternative adventure .
Safari Wilderness, Lakeland
Safari Wilderness is just an hour out of Orlando, heading towards Tampa and has recently been voted as ” one of the top 10 safari’s in the USA “. The safari is run by a friendly, dedicated team of enthusiastic “keepers” who are on hand to answer your questions at all times.
With the choice of Vehicle (( by vehicle ,which only holds approx 20 seats), Kayak (which includes a trip to Lemur Island to hand feed the Lemurs) or even on a Camel !! there is something for everyone.
Numbers of guests are very strictly limited, so booking in advance is essential, the park only opens for pre-booked tours, there are 3 tours a day at 9 am, 1 pm & 3 pm
The ranch is an expansive 260-acre wilderness, you will get spectacular close-up encounters with eland, red lechwe, sitatunga, waterbuck, Grant’s zebra, Watusi cattle, barasingha, axis deer, fallow deer, water buffalo, nilgai, and more unique and endangered species in large herds. Feeding the animals is encouraged and great fun, you may even get to see some local uninvited guests, we encountered a local alligator, who wasn’t that thrilled to see us, and soon scurried off to a local pond .
Optional extras include feeding the Lemurs( not the same as the island visit ), Budgies or Guinea Pigs, all great photo opportunities .
There is a parking fee of $9 per car, which personally I think is wrong, there is no way of getting to the safari without driving, so its a fee you cannot avoid….
The dramatic landscape is surrounded by an 870 square mile pristine watershed (The Green Swamp) that is the source of four of Florida’s finest rivers. visitors are strictly limited in number, reflecting the sensitivity of our area. Now you can join them on an exclusive, fun and educational journey where you will learn about Florida’s natural and human history, the conservation programs, and encounter amazing animals that are endangered or extinct in the wild.
Safari Wilderness Ranch is a Florida agritourism project licensed by the USDA.
LEGOLAND® Florida
For families with younger children At 150-acres, LEGOLAND® Florida is the largest interactive LEGOLAND® Park in the world. It features more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, restaurants, shopping, a breathtaking botanical garden and the LEGOLAND® Water Park, which are all geared to families with children ages 2 to 12.
Set in the home to Florida’s first theme park, Cypress Gardens Legoland Florida is a great alternative attraction for all the family.
Rides include pink-knuckle roller coasters, the Imagination Zone, Miniland USA and LEGO® City where youngsters can learn how to drive by freely navigating their own boats and LEGO® cars.
Newly opened, the water park is a great way to escape Florida’s heat. Your kids will “ooh” and “ahh” over the water-themed LEGO® models created from more than four million LEGO® bricks!
The pirate water-ski show is fun , sitting in the wet zone a must for the youngsters, and those young at heart.
There are two hotels for visitors to enjoy their stay , the Lego Beach Retreat and the Legoland Hotel, with a third hotel, Pirate Island Hotel due to open in Spring 2020….
With plenty of places to eat , refill drinks containers or just relax Legoland is a fun filled day for the young ones… and those who never grew up.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
An easy day trip from Orlando, the Kennedy Space Center is just 60 miles east in Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic Ocean. A day spent reliving the country’s historic moments, marvelling at the wonder of space
Getting to the Kennedy Space Center takes about an hour from Orlando on either Highway 528 or the 408, both toll roads. Have your change ready and be prepared to pay around $8 round trip. Most rental cars in Orlando already have a transponder for the SunPass express lane, and tolls should be included in your rental rate. You won’t find many gas stations along the way, so be sure to fill up before you go.
A must-see exhibit is the Saturn V Rocket, with the exhibition being dedicated to perhaps the most momentous feat of mankind: walking on the moon. To see the Saturn V rocket, you must board the courtesy bus from the main visitor complex. The bus driver will tell you that it was President Kennedy, the museum’s namesake, who encouraged man to land on the moon by the end of the 1960s, and the Saturn V was built for this mission.
The first Saturn V manned launch was the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, where Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders became the first to orbit the moon and see Earth in its entirety. Just seven months later, the Saturn V rocket launched Apollo 11, the historic moment which landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon.
Another must for all visitors is the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit that lands visitors smack in the ’70s with a moving documentary about how NASA tried, failed, tried and finally succeeded in creating a re-usable orbiter. After its first flight in 1985, Atlantis made 32 more missions and flew 126 million miles over the next 26 years. The credits roll, and the curtain opens to reveal the actual Atlantis space shuttle. The reaction from the crowd is poignant and powerful; simply sharing a moment of admiration and awe with visitors from across the globe is worth the visit in itself.
Downloading the helpful App is recommended with maps, guides and detailed descriptions of shows and attractions, its a great tool.
If you are lucky enough, you may be there to witness one of the many rocket launches that still occur here
Saturday Night Rodeo at River Ranch
For an authentic Rodeo, cowboy experience a drive out to Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo, yes it’s a 90+mile trek that takes an hour and a half, but for a family fun day/ evening it is truly worth it .
Saturday nights at Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo allow you to be immersed in the ultimate dude ranch experience. You can participate in a series of events that begin with an afternoon hay ride, complete with a singing cowboy, which leads you to a family-style cookout buffet (depending on the season). Then it’s off to the championship rodeo where you’ll watch professional cowboys and cowgirls compete in trick riding, barrel racing and bull riding. The kids in the audience can even take part in the rodeo’s calf scramble and win a prize.
Following the rodeo is the Saturday night street party held out in front of the River Ranch Saloon. Enjoy live music, a DJ, fun games and dancing. For the more adventurous, you can try staying on the mechanical bull for eight seconds. If you can’t “Yeehaw” now, it’ll surely come natural by the end of the night.
For those who enjoy the “real” cowboy experience you can stay at the ranch and participate in many of the other activities on offer including Airboat Rides, Horse Riding, Swamp Buggy Rides or Skeet Shooting .
